Cargo operations at the Finnish port of Helsinki saw a major transformation last week with the inauguration of a new cargo harbour on a site in the eastern Helsinki district of Vuosaari.
The old cargo harbour sites will be freed for housing and office space. Heavy road traffic will also decrease in the city centre as the role of Helsinki as the home of a major Baltic port is strengthened further.The Vuosaari Harbour is designed and equipped to meet the needs of contemporary users, featuring new operation methods that ensure a fast flow of cargo. It now offers a competitive and modern service package for roro and container traffic with a seamless integration of efficient port operations with other logistics operations. The harbour centre is comprised of the harbour area, the adjacent business and logistics zone and the gate area.
Vuosaari Harbour has direct connections to the entire Finnish main road and railway network and claims the most frequent shipping services between Finland and northern Central European ports. Most Finnish unitized cargo transport is by sea in containers, trucks and trailers. At Vuosaari Harbour, automatic traffic and access control promises a smooth and non-stop flow of goods from ships to land transport and vice versa.
Cargo will keep moving day and night, with the shortest time that loads stay in the harbour being just a few minutes. The harbour has two 750m container quays and 15 ro-ro berths, some of which also lend themselves to the handling of deck cargo with a crane.
Operators have their specific areas for cargo handling. There are three companies (Finnsteve Oy, Steveco Oy and Multi-Link Terminals Ltd) providing cargo handling and terminal services. There are two areas for reefer units, with 400 spaces in total. The arrangement of storage areas for empty containers has been developed together with operators.
A motorway connects the harbour directly to the main road network and a railway links with the main railway. There is a fast connection also to Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
The motorway starts from the harbour gate. Trailer trucks can pick up containers in the harbour in a couple of minutes. Beside the gate area there is an eight track railway yard for full length trains and, within the harbour, sidings are used for feeding ships and cargo terminals. The fairway leads directly to the open sea.
Vuosaari Harbour has been designed and built under tight environmental scrutiny, subject to years of environmental assessments prior to groundbreaking in 2003. As a result, the harbour, which borders nature conservation areas, will be operating with minimum environmental impact. The lighting of the site is the result of an architectural competition, won by APRT Architects for both merits in design and an effective, environmentally conscious solution to minimize the diffusion of light.
