Mercer International Closed out The Second Quarter of 2013 with a Loss of €9.9m

Mercer International, the parent company of the two German pulp plants in Stendal and Blankenstein, closed out the second quarter of 2013 with a loss of €9.9m. This represents a significant increase in losses vis-à-vis the loss of €0.4m sustained in the first quarter. In the second quarter of 2012, Mercer had still shown a profit of €1.5m. The operating result (EBITDA) for the first quarter, at €14m, showed both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year decline. The first-quarter EBITDA was €24.3m, after reaching €38.3m in the first quarter of 2012. In contrast, turnover in the Pulp division in the second quarter, at €193.7m, exceeded that of €180.1m generated in the first quarter and that of €186m achieved in the second quarter of 2012. Turnover in the Energy and Chemicals division reached €16.5m, which was slightly down on the €18.2m of the first quarter and on the €18.0m achieved in the second quarter of 2012.