Kelsian Group Limited, formerly SeaLink Travel Group, is an Australian public company that operates transport services in Australia, the Channel Islands nations of Guernsey and Jersey and Singapore.
 | |
| Formerly | SeaLink Travel Group |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| ASX: KLS | |
| Industry | Tourism & travel |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
Area served | Australia Guernsey Jersey Singapore |
Key people | Clint Feuerherdt (managing director) |
| Revenue | $251.3 million (June 2019) |
| $23.4 million (June 2019) | |
| Subsidiaries | Bay Islands Transit Captain Cook Cruises Captain Cook Cruises Western Australia Gladstone Ferries Kangaroo Island SeaLink Matilda Cruises RiverCity Ferries Stradbroke Ferries Transit Systems All Aboard America! |
| Website | www.kelsian.com |
History
editIn 1989, the business was founded with the purchase of the Kangaroo Island SeaLink business. In 2004, it purchased Subritzky Ferries in Auckland, before their sale in 2011.[1]
In 2011, the group purchased Captain Cook Cruises (including the previously taken over Matilda Cruises), Murray River Cruises and Sunferries Townsville.[1] The Townsville operation was rebranded as Sealink.[2]
SeaLink has also purchased specialist travel companies, managing the Adelaide Central bus station, operating the SkyLink Adelaide Airport Shuttle Service and a coach operation.[1][3] In September 2013, SeaLink began a ferry operation in Darwin.[4]
In October 2013, SeaLink was floated on the Australian Securities Exchange.[5]
In November 2015, SeaLink acquired Transit Systems marine operations, which includes:[6]
- Bay Islands Transit ferry operation in Brisbane
- Gladstone Ferries
- Stradbroke Ferries operation in Brisbane
In February 2016, the Captain Cook Cruises Western Australia business was purchased.[7]
In October 2019, the company announced the acquisition of the remaining business of Transit Systems for $635 million.[8] As part of the transaction, Sealink's CEO, Jeff Ellison, stepped down, to be replaced by Transit Systems' CEO, Clint Feuerherdt, who took a 2.6% shareholding of the enlarged SeaLink.[9][10][11] Transit System's co-founder and chairman Neil Smith joined the SeaLink Board of Directors as a non-executive director and also took up 15.3% shareholding of the company.[12] The deal was completed in January 2020.[13]
On 4 November 2020, RiverCity Ferries took over the operation of Brisbane City Council's CityCat, CityHopper and Cross River Ferry networks from Transdev Brisbane Ferries.[14]
In September 2021, SeaLink Travel Group and the RATP Group announced that their respective London bus operations (including London United, London Sovereign and Tower Transit's Westbourne Park garage) would merge into a new joint venture called RATP Dev Transit London, with RATP Dev holding 87.5% and Tower Transit holding 12.5%.[15] The incorporation of the joint venture was finalised on 11 December 2021.[16] Tower Transit's Lea Interchange garage, located in East London, was not part of the joint venture and remained unaffected[15] until sold to Stagecoach London in June 2022.[17]
In November 2021, SeaLink Travel Group was rebranded Kelsian Group.[18] "Kelsian" is an anagram of "SeaLink".
In September 2022, the Kelsian Group acquired the operations of the HCT Group's Channel Islands-based LibertyBus and buses.gg operations, located on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey respectively.[19][20] In September 2023, Kelsian sold its shareholding in RATP Dev Transit London to RATP Dev.[21] Also in 2023, Kelsian acquired American company All Aboard America!
References
edit- ^ a b c Prospectus SeaLink Travel Group 2013
- ^ Sealink News Sealink Queensland
- ^ SeaLink Archived 8 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Australian Bus Fleet Lists
- ^ Half Yearly Report SeaLink 31 December 2013
- ^ Terry Dodd has each way bet on Manly fast ferries tender Archived 21 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 3 December 2014
- ^ "Completion of Acquisition of Transit Systems Marine". SeaLink Travel Group. 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ Acquisition of Captain Cook Cruises Western Australia Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine SeaLink Travel Group 24 February 2016
- ^ "SeaLink to buy bus business Transit Systems, raise equity". Australian Financial Review. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ "SeaLink boss to set sail in bus buyout deal". Australian Financial Review. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ "SeaLink gets on the bus in $635m Transit Systems buy". The Australian. 7 October 2019.
- ^ "SeaLink eyes offshore push with Transit Systems". Australian Financial Review. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "SeaLink announces strategic acquisition of Transit Systems Group and launches capital raising". SeaLink Travel Group. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ Sealink Completes Acquisition of Transit Systems Group SeaLink Travel Group 16 January 2020
- ^ "SeaLink Travel Group Onboard As Brisbane's New Ferry Operator". SeaLink Travel Group. 29 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ a b "SeaLink Enters Binding Joint Venture Agreement for West London Bus Operations". 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Joint Venture Completion - RATP Dev Transit London Ltd". 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Sale Completion East London Bus Operation and Finance Update". Australian Securities Exchange. Kelsian. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "SeaLink Travel Group unveils a new name to support growth and diversification". SeaLink Travel Group. 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
- ^ Jeune, James (16 September 2022). "LibertyBus sold to Adelaide-based transport group". Jersey Evening Post. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ "Kelsian Group buys HCT's Channel Islands operations". routeone. 16 September 2022. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ Annual report for year ended 31 December 2022 London Sovereign Limited