At the time of writing, the effects of the Corona pandemic are still very much part of the business environment and affecting our daily lives, although to varying degrees across Europe. During the recent months, and still very much in focus, we have done everything possible to continue providing safe, reliable and frequent ferry Freight services to our customers, even during these very tough times. We have, however, been forced to take quite drastic decisions.
The reduction in business volumes has put an enormous strain on our business as well as undermining all logic in the current Freight pricing models, and we have been left with no choice but to adjust timetables and capacity in order to recover just some of the result impact we have seen in our business. We have also introduced a wide range of safety measures onboard our ships and route network to support, for example, social distancing etc., and specifically for the Freight drivers we are offering single cabins, though with a few local variations. We have to take all of this into account when heading into the pricing discussions for 2021 and beyond so that we can deliver a reliable, sustainable and quality freight product to the market, all year round.
One trend that we see coming out of the current Covid-19 situation is an increased shift towards unaccompanied freight. The trend is not new and has been with us for quite some years, but there are clear indications that the shift will accelerate. Yet another important aspect to consider going forward, but rest assured we are operationally prepared.
Even during tough times we also have one foot in the future and we are working on initiatives to provide an even more value-adding freight product. Digital solutions and functionalities in particular will be high on the agenda in our efforts to provide much more of a seamless Freight product in all aspects. More to come on that once we move forward. On this note, please do not forget to migrate to our new booking platform, the Freight Portal and get all the benefits. It is replacing the Extranet, which will be shut down during the autumn.
We really appreciate the good cooperation and dialogue we have with all our Freight customers, something that is especially valuable during such tough times. Thank you! We can see in recent months that the market has started picking up again and volumes are increasing, which is yet another good sign that we can hopefully get back to some sort of normal trade again during the autumn.
We wish you all a safe and enjoyable summer and thanks again for all your support!
Jacob Koch-Nielsen
Group Head of Freight