South Enabler returns Travemünde to Turku’s shipping routes

The new route for the South Enabler cargo ship, as of the beginning of November, is Turku–Travemünde–Bremerhaven–Cuxhaven–Paldiski–Turku. Travemünde has been added to the ship’s route as a new port and Zeebrugge and Tilbury have dropped away.

WALLENIUS SOL brought South Enabler to Turku from Italy last June. The vessel, which was completed this year, is a more modern, energy-efficient and ecological cargo ship than its predecessor, ML Freyja, which it replaced for traffic to and from the port of Turku. David Symes, General Manager of WALLENIUS SOL Oy, is very pleased with how the cargo traffic has gotten underway with South Enabler.

“We have two export ports: Paldiski and Turku. South Enabler’s journey starts from Paldiski and by the time it departs from Turku, its capacity utilisation is good”, Symes reveals.

The South Enabler route was changed to allow for a more frequent departure rate. When Zeebrugge, Belgium and Tilbury, England were removed from the route, South Enabler was able to shift from a 10-day departing rotation to a weekly departure every Friday.

“And we can now use Travemünde as our own hub and unload a large portion of the ship’s cargo there. Most of our cargo goes to Bremerhaven, but in the future, cargo to England and Belgium will be unloaded in Travemünde and carried forward aboard other ships”, Symes explains.

Friday is best

Friday was selected as the departure day because, according to Symes, it is the best departure day for ro-ro transports heading south.

“There is a demand for departures at the end of the week, since it means that the cargo will be in Travemünde on Sunday and can be delivered to the final destination at the beginning of the week.”

WALLENIUS SOL’s customers have adapted well to the change in the route and schedule. Symes says with satisfaction that this is clearly reflected in South Enabler’s good capacity utilisation rate.

Since it seems that there is plenty of demand, it raises the question as to whether WALLENIUS SOL has plans to increase its traffic from Turku. Symes finds the idea attractive, but there are no concrete plans for any such changes in the near future.

“I hope we will have some news to this end at some point, because we clearly have the capacity and the potential.  It would then have to be realised with an additional vessel, since South Enabler’s capacity utilisation is already so good that we sometimes have to say no”, Symes adds.

A significant change for the Port of Turku

Erik Söderholm, Managing Director of the Port of Turku, is delighted that the route change for South Enabler has brought Travemünde, one of the largest Baltic Sea ports in Germany, back to the service range of the port of Turku. For decades, Travemünde was a possible port destination until Finnlines stopped operating there from Turku at the end of last year.

“It is very big deal to get Travemünde back as part of the service from the port of Turku. Travemünde and Stockholm have been the two most important ports for Finnish exports”, Söderholm emphasises.

Söderholm considers South Enabler’s shift to weekly departures to be a smart move, as a standard departure day makes life easier for exporters and importers. He notes that cargo traffic from the port of Turku will continue to Zeebrugge and Tilbury, but in the future, the cargo will be unloaded in Travemünde and transported onward from there.

“This is because South Enabler would not have the time to stop off in England if it wants to shift to weekly departures”, Söderholm sums up.

Text: Esko Pihkala
Photos: Markku Koivumäki, JFIX MEDIA PRODUCTIONS – Janne Stenroos