Finland is a logistical island, as over 95% of foreign goods transport passes through Finnish ports by sea. Our traditional sea transport routes will continue to be Finland’s most important artery due to their overwhelming capacity, low unit cost, and small environmental burden. Nevertheless, we need new alternatives to complement this.
Finland’s sea transport is numerically directed mainly to the Gulf of Finland, which is explained by the strong concentration of population within a radius of a couple of hundred kilometers from the capital region. Indeed, over half of Mainland Finland’s nearly 20,000 vessel calls go to the ports in this area, and with over 7,000 vessel calls, the Port of Helsinki clearly offers the most frequent transport intervals. Just under one-sixth of Mainland Finland’s vessel calls are directed to the ports of the Archipelago Sea. The remaining quarter of the mainland’s vessel calls go to the Bothnian Sea, the Kvarken, and the Bothnian Bay. In addition, maritime traffic to Åland is significant.
The changing world is forcing Finns to reconsider their supply chains. With bold and fact-based thinking, we must create practical shorter-term alternatives alongside long-term visions. So far, the discussion has revolved around infrastructure and transport direction. Now, the needs of the most important end-users and the characteristics of different transport combinations must also be brought into the discussion.
The most central end-user group in maritime logistics is consumers. Their needs must be taken into account: the need to travel, the need for daily goods, investment goods, and energy. Without maritime transport, a significant portion of Finnish homes would have hungry people, new goods would not be available in the current manner, and in winter, homes would cool down from time to time. Last year, 2/3 of the pre-war freight volume passed through Ukrainian ports, which was made possible by operating coastal routes of neighboring countries and their own ports. Also in Finland, logistics must guarantee the satisfaction of consumer needs and the security of supply for society under all circumstances – meaning the southern maritime route for unit load traffic remains central to us in the future and it must be kept navigable under all conditions.
Industry is vital for creating positive cash flow for exports and the national economy. Industry has a need for the import of raw materials and semi-finished products, as well as for the export of finished products, semi-finished products, and raw materials, the markets for which are largely in the West. Military mobility also relies on transports coming from the West. It is therefore understandable that the western route is being developed for these needs.
China is the world’s factory! Within the framework of the Chinese Belt and Road logistics development program, an east-west chain of sea transport, ports, roads, and railways has been created via the southern sea route and along the Eurasian continent by rail. In 2024, train traffic from China to the EU area via Russia was over 1000 trains. Next, the utilization potential of the Northern Sea Route between Europe and Asia will increase with climate change, and China has a significant amount of vessel fleet suitable for Arctic conditions. Under normal circumstances, this also served Finland’s foreign trade, where China’s share is one-tenth of imports and one-twentieth of exports. Also, the Saimaa Canal was an important route for Finland under normal circumstances. With Russia’s war of aggression continuing, the use of these routes is not possible – the eastern route is closed for the time being.
In recent years, demand for tourism, natural resources, and defense has grown in the transport markets. Lapland’s tourism operates at a high utilization rate, wood and ore are transported, and the needs of military mobility are present in all modes of transport.
After the handover of Liinahamari, Finland has not had a port outside of the ice-covered waters. Are we prisoners of our own thinking? The name of Norway’s northern county is Finnmark! Could fate be taken actively into our own hands and the leasing of an area from Alta, Harstad, or another northern city be arranged, where a Finnish unit load port could be established? Like all similar traffic hubs, this one would also require the upgrading of the road network to a corresponding level.
Finland has successfully secured EU support for the development of transport. However, perhaps by being self-contained, we have accepted the current BBA (Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea) corridor ending in Helsinki. By continuing this corridor to the Arctic Sea and creating ABBA, we would be along the route, as part of a pan-European transport solution. Updated, this corridor would meet consumer, business, security of supply, and military transport needs – the northern route must be created.
Text Vesa Marttinen
the writer acts as the Director of Cargo Business at Helsinki Port Ltd.
Link to the pages of the current BBA transport corridor:
Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea corridor – Mobility and Transport
