Cargo handling at Helsinki Port rises in Q2

Cargo traffic flowed through the Port of Helsinki at a good pace during the second quarter of the year, said the Port of Helsinki in a press release on Friday.

A total of 7.1 million tonnes of goods were transported through the Port of Helsinki from January to June, which was 0.4% higher compared to the stipulated period of the previous year.

Of this amount, 3.2 million tonnes was in import (-0.5%) and 3.7 million tonnes in export (+1.8%).

Unitised cargo traffic amounted to 6.2 million tonnes, increasing by 6.0% from the corresponding period of the previous year. Container traffic increased by 1.4% in terms of tonnes, while the increase in wheeled traffic was 7.7%.

The political strikes that took place in Finland in the spring nearly ground the container traffic through the Port of Helsinki to a halt for over four weeks.

“The Port of Helsinki has frequent shipping connections suitable for transporting lorries, so our customers were able to move goods that are normally transported in containers in lorries instead. This made it possible to keep moving goods to Finnish consumers and export customers during the strikes,” said Development Manager of the Port’s Cargo Unit Jani Lindroos.

“This spring showed that the Port of Helsinki’s position on the market is strong – after all, Helsinki is the natural choice for foreign trade transports from the regions of Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa, Häme, Central Finland and Savo. In these regions, trade accounts for a significant share of foreign cargo flows,” Lindroos added.

Ship travel through the Port of Helsinki was busier than in the previous year throughout the first half of 2024, but did not reach pre-COVID levels.

“Ship travel is still a popular form of family vacationing. The attractiveness of Stockholm is enhanced by the cheap exchange rate of the Swedish krona, whereas the opportunities for tourism in Estonia are growing more varied every year. In contrast, the wind has not picked up yet for short entertainment cruises post-COVID. Culture is currently a bigger draw than revelry,” said the Port of Helsinki’s Vice President of Passenger Services Kaj Takolander.

A total of 4.2 million passengers travelled in scheduled passenger traffic from January to June, which is 4.8% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The number of passengers recorded on the busiest route between Helsinki and Tallinn was 3.3 million (+4.6%).

The capacity of the Stockholm route rose to normal levels in March, as Viking Line’s Cinderella returned to regular scheduled services between Helsinki and Stockholm after a twenty-year break.