Helsinki Port sees lower cargo handling due to recession

Cargo handling at the Helsinki Port reduced by nine percent in January-September period this year compared to the stipulated period of the previous year, said the port authority in a press release on Tuesday.

The total cargo traffic though the Port of Helsinki amounted to 10.4 million tonnes.

The slight recession in the Finnish economy is also reflected in the decrease in volume of cargo passing through Finland's main seaport for foreign trade, said the port authority.

The amount of unitised cargo traffic was 8.7 million tonnes, which was 9.4% less than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Container traffic decreased by 12.3% in terms of tonnes, while the decrease in wheeled traffic was 8.1%.

However, passenger traffic has remained busy.

"I am glad to say that the travel volumes have continued to recover well from the pandemic. In cargo transport, the near future will be challenging, but we anticipate a turn for the better next year," said Ville Haapasaari, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Helsinki.

In the Port of Helsinki's liner passenger traffic, there were 6.9 million passengers from January to September, which is 15.4% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

A total of 5.5 million passengers travelled on the busiest shipping route between Helsinki and Tallinn from January to September.

Furthermore, traffic to and from Stockholm was also busy, particularly in the summer. The route was travelled by 1.2 million passengers.

The international cruise season ran from mid-April to the end of September. During that time, Helsinki was visited by 90 ships and nearly 163,000 cruise passengers.

Moreover, the ships carried a significantly higher number of passengers compared to the previous year.