Finland’s economic growth benefited the Port of Turku
The operations of the Port of Turku developed favourably in the wake of the general economic growth. Finland’s foreign trade began to recover in early 2017, and the economic growth gained speed towards the end of the year. Southwest Finland became the engine of growth for the whole country, and the success of the shipyard industry was visible as an individual factor in the demand for the Port’s services.
Transports and turnover increased at the same rate
The recovery of the foreign trade increased the Port of Turku’s cargo transports in particular. The total volume of cargo carried via the Port amounted to 2.5 million tonnes, up by 3 per cent on the previous year. Exports totalled 1.4 million tonnes and imports 1.1 million tonnes. The passenger volume decreased slightly, but 3.3 million passengers is nevertheless very close to the long-term average.
Turnover for the financial year increased by 3 per cent compared to the previous year and stood at 22.8 million euros. Business surplus amounted to EUR 5.0 million. The positive result was partly due to more efficient operations achieved through purposeful development activities.
Added transport capacity with attention to the environment
As a result of the increased demand for export and import transports, the cargo carriers Baltic Line Finland, Finnlines and Mann Lines updated their stock of vessels and increased the capacity. In addition to the increase in cargo capacity, the newer vessels improve the energy-efficiency and cost-efficiency of shipments, which will benefit the entire transport chain.
The development of environmentally sound vessels is also visible in passenger traffic. In 2020, Viking Line will introduce a new vessel on the Turku–Stockholm route. The design of the vessel emphasises environmental aspects and innovative energy efficiency solutions. As a special feature the vessel will have two rotor sails that will save 500 tonnes of fuel per year.
The Port of Turku continuously addresses environmental issues in its own operations. Practical measures include improved reception of waste water from vessels and on-shore electricity supply to vessels. The lighting in the Port’s outdoor areas and partly in warehouses has been replaced with energy-efficient LED lamps.
Co-operation for the development of Scandinavian traffic
In the future, the most important tasks of the Port of Turku concern the use and strengthening of the Port’s position in the European Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor, and taking the environment into account in all areas. The key aspects of the transport network are the development of the sea route between Turku and Stockholm as well as hinterland connections. Important to Finland’s foreign trade, the growth of the transport volume between the Nordic countries is also promoted by the ongoing renewal of the Port of Stockholm which is part of the EU-supported NextGen Link project.
The goal of the Port is to support and promote the network that uses maritime traffic in the entire Baltic Sea region, bringing together benefits to the environment and the economy.