Lindblad Expedition Holdings, Ltd., the listed expedition cruise operator, has plunged to a loss in the second quarter as the cost of dry dockings exceeded a rise in net yields.
Group net loss in the second quarter of the current year amounted to $4.9 million compared to a $8.8 million profit a year earlier. Revenues rose to 453.8 million from $49.5 million.
In the first six months of the year, Lindblad’s net profit narrowed to $5.9 million from $15.7 million. Revenues rose to $115.5 million from $104.9 million.
Net yield in the quarter for the Lindblad segment amounted to $999 as compared with $963 in the second quarter of 2015. The increase in Net yield was primarily related to price increases, the company said in a statement.
The Lindblad segment had 41,213 Available Guest Nights in the second quarter of 2016 compared with 44,193 in the prior year quarter, and an occupancy rate of 92.0% in the second quarter of 2016 compared with 91.9% in the 2015 quarter.
Adjusted Net Cruise Cost per Available Guest Night for the Lindblad segment amounted to $858 in the second quarter of 2016, as compared with $691 for the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily driven by higher cost of tours due to the additional drydock days and more extensive maintenance work during the drydocks, as well as an increase in charter hire expense related to additional voyages
“In 2016, both of our blue water vessels, the Explorer and the Orion were drydocked in contrast to 2015 when only one vessel was wet docked for a much shorter period. Our drydock schedules are subject to cost and timing differences from year to year due to the availability of shipyards for certain work, drydock locations based on ship itineraries, operating conditions experienced especially in the polar regions, and the applicable regulations of class societies in the maritime industry, which require more extensive reviews periodically, “ said said Sven-Olof Lindblad, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lindblad.
“The combined effect of lower revenue from fewer operating days and the operating costs of these planned drydocks is the key factor with regard to the year-over-year comparison of revenue and EBITDA in the period,” he added.
“We are currently at 94% of projected guest ticket revenues for 2016 as of July 31, 2016, compared to 103% in the same time in 2015 for the 2015 fiscal year, a reduction of approximately $5.3 million. The reduction is primarily for voyages during the fourth quarter” Lindblad continued.
“We have employed a variety of tactical marketing opportunities for this period to counteract effects seen in specific geographies relating to concerns over the Zika virus and a slowdown in activity on the National Geographic Endeavour, where segments of our audience are waiting for the introduction of our new vessel, the Endeavour II, for our Galápagos operation.”
“We have historically been adept at isolating challenges and developing an effective tactical response while staying focused on our long-term objectives. However, we may be unable to fully eliminate all the effects of the various challenges we face in the short term,” he concluded.
