Cargo transports developed in line with the economic conditions
The development of cargo transports in the Port of Turku followed the general trend of economy. Due to the economic recession, the transport volume decreased in all Finnish ports, although in the Port of Turku the fall was considerably smaller compared to the national average.
2023 was the first full year, when the route to Sweden was operated by just three ships instead of the previous four. Despite one less vessel, the Port of Turku is still very competitive in the cargo transports between Finland and Scandinavia, because the Port offers the fastest route directly from Turku to Stockholm and vice versa. The Port’s regular liner services also cover the other Nordic countries, Germany, England and the Baltic States, and provide a smooth connection onwards to ocean lines.
The Port’s regular and frequent liner services enable flexible transport schedules and consequently improve the delivery performance of products. The majority of the Port’s cargo transports comprise of unit cargo which is carried with modern and efficient ro-ro vessels by the key shipping companies in the Baltic Sea and the leading port operators. Alongside unit cargo, the Port of Turku focuses on project shipments of heavy industry which require precision and safety in both load handling and intermediate warehousing.
The Port of Turku expects 2024 to be a better year than the one before. The cargo volume is believed to grow as the economy is gradually picking up, and there will be positive changes in ship traffic as well, for example through renewal of the vessel stock. Completely new kinds of goods flow and vessel calls will result from Finland’ membership in NATO. The Port of Turku’s logistical location together with the vicinity of the navy base serves efficiently the international traffic related to purposes of national defence. The effects of the renewed vessel stock in the Port of Naantali on the competitive situation remain to be seen, but probably the effect will be reflected as growing interest in the routes through both ports.
Read the full annual report 2023 (pdf).
Text: Kari Ahonen
Photo: Jarmo Piironen
