11 m/s (Southwest)
The port of Kokkola is Finland’s biggest bulk port and the third biggest general port. Recently Kokkola celebrated its first 10 years of regular container traffic. The importance of this traffic is constantly growing.
During the first 10 years the container traffic has seen an increase of about 700 percent. According to Mr. Torbjörn Witting, CEO of Port of Kokkola Ltd., the port of Kokkola has gained remarkable worldwide recognition in the container world. The development of the container traffic and the growth of container vessels has also influenced the future development of the port.
“We want to secure cost-effective container transports to the big container hubs in Europe, such as Antwerp and Hamburg, which offer further connections to ports all over the world. The present weekly container service offers regular connections to the international markets and wishes for an increased frequency have been expressed”, Witting notes.
Containers are for Rauanheimo a part of the total logistics solutions
The port of Kokkola is part of the Kokkola Industrial Park (KIP), the biggest concentration of inorganic chemical industry in Northern Europe. The value of the exports of the production companies in the large-scale industry area is approximately 1.75 billion euro. In addition to the KIP companies, the container traffic provides service to customers in the commercial and SME sectors.
“The container traffic is an important service to the KIP industry concentration. For us the container traffic has made it possible to diversify into new product groups, where regular shipments and minimising storage are central priorities for the clients”, says Commercial Manager Mr. Henrik Hagström of port operator Oy M. Rauanheimo Ab.
According to him it is a huge advantage that shipments of general cargo can, when needed, be organised as container transports.
“Thanks to the container line, Rauanheimo can offer even more efficient total logistic solutions to both old and new clients, adapted to their needs”, Hagström emphasizes.
According to Mr. Esko Aho, keynote speaker and former prime minister of Finland, one of the success factors of Port of Kokkola and Rauanheimo has been their ability to anticipate the future needs of their clients.
“No success comes spontaneously; it is always the result of hard work. In order to succeed in the future, one must consider sustainability, technological development and geopolitics. The success story of Kokkola in maritime transport has had a positive effect on the national economy of Finland as a whole”, Aho said.
In the panel discussion, the increase from one to two weekly departures of a container vessel was considered an interesting possibility. It is anticipated that the business activity will experience a considerable growth, for instance in the battery industry, and well-functioning logistics are a fundamental prerequisite for that.
The port of Kokkola is also the biggest port in Finland for cargoes transported by rail and in transit, as well as the number one port for the mining industry. The port consists of three port units: The Deep Port, the General Port, and the Silverstone Port. The containers are handled in the two latter ports.
The All Weather Terminal, the only one in the Nordic countries, where loading and discharging of vessels take place, well protected from rain and wind, also serves the container traffic. The port has also invested heavily in crane capacity and the LoadPlate solution guarantees that the containers are stuffed to maximum.
After the dredging works in the access fairway and the harbour basin of the Deep port, the 14 m safe draft allows a more effective utilisation of the cargo carrying capacities of Panamax and Capesize class vessels.
Further information:
Torbjörn Witting, CEO
Port of Kokkola Ltd.
Tel. +358 40 511 9595
torbjorn.witting@portofkokkola.fi
www.portofkokkola.fi
Henrik Hagström, Commercial Manager
Oy M. Rauanheimo Ab
Tel. +358 50 387 3330
henrik.hagstrom@rauanheimo.com
www.rauanheimo.com