Helsinki opened a new cargo harbour in Vuosaari
Cargo operations of the port of Helsinki are moving to a new site, which is to be inaugurated on November 28, 2008.
Helsinki is about to take a leap into a major transformation as at the end of November 2008, cargo harbour operations will move to 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 city centre. The role of Helsinki as the home of a major Baltic port will strengthen further.
The Vuosaari harbour is designed and equipped to meet the needs of today's users, featuring new operation methods that ensure fast flow of cargo.
The fastest and most effective route to and from world markets
The Vuosaari Harbour 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 comprises 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 offers the most frequent shipping services between Finland and northern Central European ports.
Vuosaari Harbour is specialized in container and roro traffic
The most of Finnish unitized cargo transport is sea transport carried in containers, trucks and trailers. At Vuosaari Harbour, automatic traffic and access control represent top class of modern technology. The non-stop flow of goods from ships to land transport and vice versa is smooth.
Full capacity 24/7 whatever the season
Cargo keeps moving day and night. The shortest time that loads stay in the harbour is just a few minutes.
The harbour has two 750-metre container quays and 15 roro 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 thermoregulated reefer units, 400 spaces in total. The arrangement of storage areas for empty containers has been developed together with operators.
Motorway to the harbour and a fairway directly to the open sea
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 8-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.
Environmental aspects have been taken into account
The 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.