Port of Kokkola and Yara to an agreement on iron oxide transport

Port of Kokkola and Yara to an agreement
on iron oxide transport of Yara’s Siilinjärvi factories

Port of Kokkola and Yara Suomi Ltd. have signed an agreement on iron oxide transports of Yara Siilinjärvi plant through the port of Kokkola. Port’s CEO, Torbjörn Witting, says that he is very satisfied with the solution of Yara, one of the port’s biggest customers, which brings additional income and strengthens employment in the Port.
The contract is for 4 years, in addition to which there are two one-year options. Logistics manager of Yara’s Siilinjärvi plant, Jyrki Furu, says that the deliveries are scheduled to start during the coming spring-winter. According to Furu, there are many reasons in favor of transportation through the Port of Kokkola.

Yara Suomi and Port of Kokkola have cooperated for a long time and we have been satisfied with it. The Port of Kokkola has the ability to react to the customer’s changing needs, and the Port can handle a wide range of our company’s products, such as fertilizers and various acids in addition to iron oxide. Moreover, thanks to the deep fairway, large ships can call Kokkola, Furu refers to the Panamax and Capesize ships that transport iron oxide to Asia. Some of the iron oxide is exported to Europe on smaller ships.
According to Furu, Port of Kokkola has a big role, supply chains are of great importance.

We get really efficient supply chains by utilizing the railway network. For example, the wagon rotation time can be completed in a day, while in many other cases wagon rotation time takes two days. Iisalmi-Kokkola section is now completely electrified, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of our products. The port operator Rauanheimo and Valtavirta in Siilinjärvi and VR Transpoint are also an integral part of this fine-tuned supply chain.

Iron oxide as part circular economy
In the past couple of years, the iron oxide transports of Yara’s Siilinjärvi plant have amounted to 250,000-300,000 tons. The market situation affects volume, but according to Furu’s estimate, transport volumes may double compared to last years. It is planned that there will be two train sets daily between Siilinjärvi and Port of Kokkola.
Iron oxide is a by-product produced at Yara’s Siilinjärvi plant. It is generated when pyrite brought from the Pyhäsalmi mine is burned in sulfuric acid production. Iron oxide is mainly transported from the Port of Kokkola as a raw material for the steel industry. The circular economy, such as the utilization of side streams, is one of Yara’s strategic focus areas.

In the deep harbor, the framework is ready for efficient logistics
Iron oxide from Yara Siilinjärvi has been exported to the world before through the Port of Kokkola. According to Torbjörn Witting, CEO of Kokkola Port, the Port has everything needed for the soon-to-be-started traffic.

We have customized port infrastructure ready to be utilized; efficient tracks and production machinery to receive all trains arriving from Siilinjärvi. Port’s special strengths also include extensive storage facilities, deep quays and crane capacity. It can be expected that thanks to the deep fairway, iron oxide will also be picked up by the largest ships operating in Finland, says Torbjörn Witting.

Additional information:

Jyrki Furu,
Logistics Manager, Yara Suomi, Siilinjärvi plant
tel. +385 50 314 7979
jyrki.furu@yara.com

Torbjörn Witting,
CEO, Port of Kokkola Ltd.
tel. +35840 511 9595
torbjorn.witting@portofkokkola.fi