Infrastructure work on the joint terminal yard has been initiated
Kilometres of pipes and electrical and telecommunications cables will be laid below the yard of the joint terminal. This large undertaking, managed by Oteran Oy, is being carried out in stages and without disrupting the other operations of the port.
The excavator driver closely monitors the data model on his display terminal. It will only take a couple more buckets to reach the depth at which the stormwater pipe will be installed.
We are observing the infrastructure work at Turku’s joint terminal yard with Tapio Huhtamäki, work supervisor for Oteran Oy. The project started in September 2025 in the northern part of the area, close to Kuljetuskatu street.
“Once the stormwater pipes are in, water and sewer pipes as well as electrical and telecommunications cables, among others, will be installed in the area. We’ve also been tasked with building, for example, foundations for massive 30-metre-high light posts”, Huhtamäki says.
As the project management contractor, Oteran is responsible for the management of the project and for the acquisition and implementation of structures, networks and other technical systems in the port.
Project coordination
Oteran’s work site is sizeable; the 14-hectare area is big enough for 20 full-sized FIFA football pitches.
Nearly three kilometres of stormwater pipes will be installed in the yard. It will call for 38,000 cubic metres of crushed stone. This major undertaking is being carried out in four phases.
“The work will proceed as the plans for the different parts of the yard are completed. We also have to closely coordinate our work with other projects being realised in the port area”.
Surprises underground
Huhtamäki explains that, in infrastructure construction, you don’t always know what you will find underground.
“Old maps and documents can be quite vague. They also don’t necessarily tell you what has happened at the location since they were drawn up.”
For example, the old road to Vaasa and a railway used to cross the area that is now slated for the joint terminal yard.
“It may be that, at some point, we will encounter old rails during the excavation work. Removing them will then require extra work.”
Oteran is also prepared for the possibility of finding oil-contaminated soil in the bucket of the excavator.
The fact that the work is being carried out beside the sea brings its own challenges, as water may appear in the trenches, especially where the stormwater pipes are being laid.
“We have enough pumps. If necessary, a diver can also come in to help”, Huhtamäki says.
A smooth transition from old to new
The final phase of the yard work will begin when the joint terminal is completed in 2027. At that point, Tallink Silja will also transfer its own operations to the joint terminal and the part of the yard that is currently in use will be free for development.
It will be a significant moment for Oteran – and the port – when the services of the current cables and pipes can be discontinued and the new systems taken into use.
“But until that time, all excavation and installation work is, of course, being carried out in such a way as to ensure that the existing systems and operations of the port are not disrupted”, Huhtamäki emphasises.
Text: Matti Välimäki
Photos: Markku Koivumäki
Project management contractor for infrastructure construction
Oteran Oy is a project management contractor specialising in infrastructure, including bridge repair and construction, fairway construction and municipal engineering, industrial and railway construction as well as marine construction.
Oteran has a helmet count of 50 and an extensive network of partners.
