Sweden's largest ferry company Stena Line says passenger volume rose a disappointing 8 per cent in the first six months of the year, while freight volume fell 1 per cent.
'With two newly opened routes and an increase in capacity, we had expected stronger volume growth,' Bo Lerenius, Stena Line's chief executive, said.
Passenger volume on the Dover-Calais route, where Stena Line faces stiff competition, rose 9 per cent to 4.8 million passengers in the first six months, compared with the same period last year.
The increase is due to higher capacity after the company put more ferries into service on the route, the company said.
Stena Line's market share on traffic across the English Channel rose to 20 per cent from 14 per cent in the period. On Scandinavian routes, passenger volume rose 4 per cent to 2.2 million. Freight volume rose 1 per cent.
Since last year's first half, Stena Line has opened lines between Karlskrona, Sweden and Gdynia, Poland, and between Holyhead, Wales, and Dublin, Ireland.