TALLINN — The AS Tallink Grupp shipping company reported a 6.4 percent drop in sales and 15 percent drop in profit from Jan.-Nov. 2009 as compared with the same period in the previous year.

The downturn isn’t from a lack of vacationers, as the number of passengers increased 1.2 percent in 2009. Instead a 10 percent decrease in cargo pushed the profit margin downward.

However, the 2009 margin actually declined less than in 2008, when the company performed at a loss of €1.9 million.

The company said management is working on cost-saving measures such as selling some of the older and non-performing vessels.

Tallink is an Estonian company operating cruise ships, ferries and freight shipping in the Baltic Sea.