Company briefs - 2010-05-27

In April, Eesti Energia sold in Estonia a total of 599 GWh of electricity - 1.6 percent more than during the same month last year, writes National Broadcasting. In April Eesti Energia sold on the open market 138 GWh of electricity; sales to closed market corporate and home customers amounted to 352 GWh. Sales to grid companies amounted to 109 GWh. The company estimated that the April sales were affected by the partial opening of the electricity market in Estonia, the presumed growth of industrial production and the fact that the temperature of ambient air was 0.3 degrees lower than during the same month last year.

A total of 273 cruise ships are planning to visit the Port of Tallinn this year, bringing nearly 350,000 tourists to Estonia, reports Ohtuleht. The majority of cruise ships stay in Tallinn for just one day, meaning that tourists have 5 - 8 hours to see the city. One of the biggest cruise ships this season will be the Azura, with 3,000 tourists on board, coming from the UK, which docks in Tallinn on the morning of May 31 and leaves in the evening. The next giant cruise ship will arrive on July 7, the French Poesia, and will also bring 3,000 visitors.

U.S. chemical group Eastman Chemical Company completed the acquisition of the producer of specialty plasticizers, Genovique Specialties Corporation, with its manufacturing site in Kohtla-Jarve in Estonia, reports LETA. The plant earlier belonged to Velsicol Chemical Corp. that in 2008 was re-branded as Genovique Specialties Corp. as a result of the acquisition of Velsicol by Arsenal Capital Partners. In May 2010, Arsenal Capital Partners sold Genovique Specialties Corporation to Eastman Chemical Company. Genovique has manufacturing sites in North America, Europe and Asia. Eastman has annual sales of 5 billion U.S. dollars (4 billion euros).