Erik Söderholm steps away from the port helm feeling confident
When Erik Söderholm, M.Sc. (Econ.), took on the role of Managing Director of Port of Turku Ltd. on 1 December 2019, neither he nor anyone else had any idea what the next few years would bring. Around the same time, an epidemic broke out in China that would quickly spread to become a global pandemic.
With a long and significant career in leadership positions within the transport sector under his belt, the new Managing Director was suddenly faced with completely new and unexpected challenges.
Moving forward within exceptional global circumstances
“When I started at the Port of Turku, the situation certainly wasn’t ideal. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic reached Finland in February 2020, and the country was closed by virtue of the Emergency Powers Act from mid-March to mid-June. For the port of Turku, this meant that passenger traffic stopped for more than three months. Cargo traffic was, however, allowed to continue, since the port of Turku was deemed a critical port for security of supply, safeguarding the movement of vital goods at all times, including exceptional situations. Even though traffic and port operations were quickly on their way back to normal after the pandemic, a new crisis was waiting just around the corner. Towards the end of February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and this war is still ongoing with no end in sight”, Erik Söderholm recounts the early years of his term as Managing Director.
Major renovations
Despite the exceptional circumstances, the planning of large-scale renovation projects at the port proceeded without interruption, the most important and economically significant being the Ferry Terminal Turku project.
“Advancing the project involving the new joint terminal for passenger transport has been challenging at times as well as interesting and rewarding. The various phases of the project have kept the port organisation highly occupied, from initial negotiations to the architectural competition, the selection of contractors and financial management. At the same time, the City of Turku has commendably carried out its share of the work, starting with the zoning process. Once the long and thorough preparation phase was complete, the construction of the new terminal got underway in January 2025. The construction process has progressed as planned, with the foundation stone of the building being laid in September 2025. Pier S1 was completed in the summer of 2026 and the competitive tendering for Quay S2 started in May. A new road connection from the port to Pansiontie is under construction and the transition of the passenger railway is expected to be completed during 2028. With the completion of the entire Ferry Terminal Turku project, the infrastructure of the port of Turku will be ready to meet the demands of modern shipping and other port users far into the future”, says Erik Söderholm.
On the road towards carbon neutrality
Another major future project during Erik Söderholm’s term has been the Green Corridor, aimed at establishing a fossil-free maritime connection between Turku and Stockholm by 2035. The joint project, launched in 2024 by the Port of Turku, Port of Stockholm and Viking Line, has also gained international attention thanks to its concrete achievements.
“Numerous measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions have been taken in the port of Turku, including, for example, the renewal of lighting solutions and shift to electric vehicles. The digitalisation and automation included in the new Ferry Terminal Turku project will further reduce exhaust emissions from vessel and vehicle traffic, and the advancement of shore power solutions in berth areas is also in the planning. Concrete actions have also been carried out by Viking Line, whose vessels have used biogas for operation in 2025–2026. The aim of the shipping company is also to explore the possibility of utilising electric power for part of the route between Turku and Stockholm”, Erik Söderholm states as a glimpse into the future of the port of Turku with regard to environmental considerations.
Heading to the golf course with a sense of gratitude
The nearly seven years that Erik Söderholm has been at the helm of the Port of Turku have been, in his own words, the best period of his career.
“The port of Turku has offered a positive working environment in which each day has been more interesting than the last. The port organisation is characterised by a good team spirit, a solid working relationship between management and personnel, and efficient and goal-directed co-operation with the company’s Board of Directors. It has been easy to build functional, confidential and open relationships with customers, thus facilitating co-operative brainstorming to find mutually satisfactory solutions for customers’ respective needs and desires. The work was also strongly supported by the positive attitude of the City and its residents towards the port and its operations as part of maritime Turku. For all this, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone whom I have had the pleasure of encountering through my work at the port. As I shift into retirement, I wish luck and success to my successor, Minna Pirkkanen, and to the entire personnel of Port of Turku Ltd. I believe and am confident that the port of Turku will continue to strengthen its position among the key ports around the Baltic Sea.”
Text: Kari Ahonen
Photos: Markku Koivumäki and Port of Turku
