Helsinki is the busiest passenger harbour on the Baltic Sea. In 2016, the Port of Helsinki reached excellent numbers of passenger and cargo traffic. Regardless of the challenging economic trends and increasing competition, traffic in the Port of Helsinki has steadily increased: the direction has been upwards ever since 2008.
“The numbers of passengers have increased since 2008, and the trend seems to be similar in cargo traffic. This was the third consecutive year of increase in total cargo traffic and unitised cargo”, says Kimmo Mäki, Managing Director of Port Of Helsinki Ltd.”Our customers seem to concentrate their cargo traffic on the main routes, and they appreciate the services offered by the Vuosaari Harbour.”
3.1% increase in sea travel during 2016
In terms of traffic, 2016 was quite busy. A total of 11.56 million ship passengers passed through the Port of Helsinki, which is 3.1% more than the previous year. A total of 8.74 million passengers (+4.0%) passed between Tallinn and Helsinki, and 2.34 million (-0.7%) between Stockholm and Helsinki. Almost 76% of all passengers passing through the Port of Helsinki travel between Tallinn and Helsinki.
There were a total of 408,900 (-6.3%) cruise passengers throughout the cruise season.
Traffic to Tallinn is expected to continue to grow in the future, and the Port of Helsinki is preparing by opening a new West Terminal 2 during February 2017. The introduction of the new terminal and the related two new quays will increase the capacity for fast traffic to Tallinn significantly.
Cargo traffic increased by 1.9% in 2016
A total of 11.62 million tonnes (+1.9%) of cargo passed through the Port of Helsinki during 2016.
Of this amount, 10.57 million tonnes was transported in large-sized unit loads, such as cargo transported in containers, trucks, and trailers. Imports made up 5.02 million tonnes (+3.8%) and exports 5.55 million tonnes (-0.3%).
Exports are expected to increase significantly during 2017, as the export operations from the new Metsä-Fibre bioproduct plant in Äänekoski are started through the Vuosaari cargo harbour. These transportations will increase the amount of exports by almost one million tonnes per year.
The merger of the Port of Loviisa, which is specialised in forest industry and dry bulk, with the Port of Helsinki at the beginning of the year will create plenty of new possibilities for cargo traffic.
December was a busy travelling month
In December 2016, a total of 931,100 passengers, 4.3% more than in December 2015, passed through the Port of Helsinki.
The amount of goods was 930,000 tonnes (-1.9% from the same time the previous year). Of this amount, 800,000 tonnes (+0.5%) was transported in large-sized unit loads: 379,000 tonnes in import (+2.9%), and 420,000 tonnes in export (-1.5%).
The Port of Helsinki Ltd is the main port for foreign trade and passenger traffic services in Finland. We provide a streamlined framework for high levels of passenger traffic to Tallinn and Stockholm. The Port of Helsinki is also the main harbour for foreign trade in Finland, serving the business world and well-being of the Helsinki region and the whole country.
Source: Port of Helsinki