“WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND AT WHAT IS FOR SALE”

Name: Ralph Axelson

Position: Co-founder, Adriatic Fast Ferries

Age: 51

Zodiac sign: Libra

Civil status: Married with three children

Birthplace: Falun, Sweden

Although you have been interested in the ferry industry for a long time, you have only had an active role in it for four years or so. Could you describe your career path?

I was lucky in the way that already in high school I knew what I wanted to do. The ferry or other travel industries was my choice. I spent 30 years in various segments of the travel industry before becoming involved in Gotlandsbåten and bought HSC EXPRESS. But my first job was with Viking Line in 1982.

Ferries are your passion and you eventually became a ferry owner. How did this passion come about?

Back in 1981, when I was travelling with my family from Västervik to Visby in Gotland by ferry, the ship was delayed. I started to wonder whether the ship we were waiting for would be big or small. When it finally came, it was the 1964-built THJELVAR. From that point on I have had this passion for car ferries. Thirty-five years later, in 2016, I ‘revisited’ this route, but this time with my own ferry. The following year, in 2017, which was also 35 years since working for Viking Line, I was operating my own ferry on a charter for Viking Line.

Last year you sold the Incat 91metre HSC EXPRESS to Greek owners and now you are back in the business through Adriatic Fast Ferries, in which you have a 50% interest. Did your re-entry come accidentally or was this the plan from the outset?

I said to my family that I ought to focus on other businesses I was involved in. But Alan Klanac, the former CEO and President of the Management Board of Jadrolinija, contacted me and came to Uppsala just before Christmas to discuss his new proposal. We soon started to bid for ferries. My break from shipping only lasted a month.

How did this new venture with Alan Klanac come about?

It was our mutual friend Steve Thurlow, Consultant at Maatsuyker – the high-speed ferry shipbrokers, who brought us together at the Interferry conference a couple of years earlier.

Adriatic Fast Ferries operates a single ship from Split Airport to Split Town, Bol and Stari Grad. Why did you choose this route and what were your expectations?

We chose this route based on the fact that Alan had an extensive marketing experience and this route really made sense to us, since passengers from the Split area going to the islands would probably save several hours of travelling time by taking the ferry directly from the airport instead of sitting in car queues going via the Split city centre. But, as always, you must be humble with your expectations from a new project like this.

You acquired the passenger-only ADRIATIC EXPRESS, the former RED JET 3, in late March. Did you have enough time to market and sell the new ferry service to your would-be passengers?

I think it’s going to be okay, considering how the summer market is working; most of the tickets will be sold on the same day or only a few days in advance.

ADRIATIC EXPRESS will only operate between 1 June and 15 September. Do you have any plans with the ship outside the summer season?

We are quite pragmatic and flexible with this. First we will see what we can learn from this summer and during this time we will decide what to do in the autumn. We are in no rush.

You are a seasonal operator, which means that it’s probably a challenge to recruit staff. Have you outsourced any of your HR activities, e.g. crew and ship management personnel?

For this project we are working with a crewing agency.

When the creation of Adriatic Fast Ferries was first announced, your business part partner told Shippax that there were already expansion plans. Could you give us some more details on this?

We are always looking for more opportunities and at what is for sale.

Alan Klanac also told us that you might operate conventional tonnage in the future and didn’t rule out an expansion beyond Croatia, both as a tonnage provider and/or operator. How concrete are these plans?

We started to bid for two ships and ended up with REDJET 3. I also wanted to have the APOLLO, one of the so-called Papenburg sisters, but STQ took her.

How much of your time do you expect to spend in Croatia this summer?

Probably at least one month. Everyone is welcome to come and sail with us. Just let me know.

What is your all-time favourite ferry?

The Papenburgers from the early seventies, like APOLLO.

What was your childhood dream job?

I have always been fascinated by the transportation industry. That’s probably why I ended up with ferries.

What are your favourite pastime activities?

Over the years there has not been much time for that – it’s almost like my work is my pastime activity.

What music do you like?

I am a fan of 80s-90s music, but I listen to almost everything.

Where will you spend your summer holidays?

Croatia.

What is your favourite dinner and drink combination?

Seafood with champagne.