| The Finnish economy has been affected by the | | | | Vuosaari has been designed as a fast gateway port, |
| global economic downturn, with a contraction of | | | | with low container dwell times, limited on-site empty |
| 0.5% expected for 2009. Nevertheless the freight | | | | stacking and a fast, paperless gate. |
| services infrastructure is being radically overhauled to | | | | The site also includes a 35 acre logistics park that will |
| prepare for future growth, with significant | | | | eventually be home to over 130,000 square metres |
| development plans underway at both Finland's main | | | | of warehousing. Nurminen Logistics has been amongst |
| ports. | | | | the first to take up a 11 acre concession and |
| Although exports of specialised steel products, mining | | | | establish two drive-through warehouses and a |
| equipment and container handling machinery are still | | | | covered rail terminal, which will significantly improve |
| relatively strong in Finland, the paper industry is | | | | the efficiency of freight forwarding. |
| experiencing difficulties. Facing a double whammy of | | | | The Vuosaari suburb is also growing rapidly, with a |
| slowing consumer demand and overproduction in the | | | | population of 30,000 set to grow to 45,000 in the |
| paper manufacturing industry in general, the paper | | | | short term and there has therefore been |
| industry is struggling. Timber and plywood exports | | | | considerable effort put into establishing a pleasant |
| are also being hit heavily because of the sharp | | | | environment around the port. This has included |
| slowdown in construction. As the timber industry | | | | constructing a 11 metre high, 1.5km long wall around |
| accounts for over 15% of Finland's total export | | | | the whole port area to hide it away as much as |
| revenues, any downturn here is having a big impact | | | | possible. There have also been lighting towers built so |
| on the volume of freight forwarding from Finland. | | | | that lighting associated with the freight services is |
| This notwithstanding, it is a time of radical change in | | | | deflected away from residential areas, as well as a |
| the international freight transport infrastructure for | | | | 1.5km tunnel to separate freight forwarding traffic |
| Finland, with 2009 seeing the opening of the new | | | | from residential and other local traffic. |
| Vuosaari port in Helsinki, following twenty years of | | | | There has also been a 13.5km rail tunnel constructed, |
| planning and development. This is actually a first in | | | | mainly with the objective of helping to avoid traffic |
| the history of the European freight services industry | | | | congestion, Initially 10 trains a day are scheduled but |
| as it is the first time a European capital port has | | | | this will soon double. |
| relocated since the advent of containerisation. | | | | So, with all this focused activity and planning for |
| Vuosaari is now the new port for Helsinki and every | | | | expansion, Vuosaari is set to take the port of Helsinki |
| shipping company and freight company is keeping a | | | | to a new level and establish a new era of freight |
| keen eye on developments there. | | | | forwarding for shipping companies in Finland. |
| Two main cargo handling areas in the old port have | | | | Vuosaari is not however Finland's largest container |
| been closed down and the freight services | | | | port. That is Kotka, which is flourishing as a result of |
| transferred to the new port. The development of | | | | the growth in Russian transit demand. The two ports |
| the new port has been a major project, with its total | | | | have somewhat different profiles. Kotka handles a |
| cost put at over one billion euros. The move has | | | | good balance of exports and imports, whereas the |
| involved massive investment on the part of the | | | | international freight traffic at Helsinki's port is strongly |
| shipping companies, with Finnsteve alone contributing | | | | import-led. |
| more than 100,000 euros. Finnsteve is also introducing | | | | Kotka has also recently completed a 150 hectare |
| greater competition in the lo-lo container sector | | | | development for a new logistics site and is planning a |
| where there are now three container stevedores. It | | | | major expansion project that would see capacity |
| is projected that the 150 acre site at Vuosaari will | | | | increased to 2.5M TEU a year by 2025. The port is |
| have a capacity of 2M TEU a year. This is roughly | | | | buying adjacent land and studying the development |
| four times the capacity of the existing port and this | | | | at Vuosaari closely with a view to learning from the |
| scale of growth will clearly revolutionise freight | | | | Vuosaari freight forwarders experience. |
| transport in the area. | | | | So with its two main ports undergoing significant |
| There are also now widespan gantry cranes at the | | | | redevelopment, Finland is all set for a bright future at |
| port of Vuosaari. They are oversized as the access | | | | the forefront of the freight services sector. |
| fairway to the port is only 12.5 metres deep. | | | | |