Ship travel in Helsinki has started to recover from the slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The war in Ukraine has not yet significantly slowed down traffic through Helsinki, and cargo traffic between January and March was busier than the year before.

Internal border control on traffic between Finland and the Schengen countries ended in late January 2022, and ship travel abroad is starting to show signs of recovery.

The liner traffic of the Port of Helsinki had slightly over one million passengers between January and March. This marks a whopping 171% increase from the same period the year before, as in early 2021 the restrictions on travel brought about by the coronavirus pandemic were still strict.

The ship route between Helsinki and Tallinn was the busiest one in January–March, with 839,000 passengers. The Stockholm route had 150,000 passengers.

Total cargo traffic increasing

Cargo traffic through the Port of Helsinki has been busy throughout the entire pandemic period. In January–March, the total cargo traffic amounted to 3.6 million tonnes, which is 4.8% more than in the same period in the previous year. Of this amount, 1.7 million tonnes was in import (+7.2%), and 1.9 million tonnes in export (+1.6%).

Unitized cargo traffic* amounted to 3.1 million tonnes (+4.5%). The proportion of cargo transported on trailers continues to increase. Measured in tonnes, container traffic decreased by 7.2% from the previous year, while rubber-wheeled traffic** increased by 10.5%.

The war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia affecting port operations

The proportion of Russian traffic at the Port of Helsinki has been small, due to which the immediate effects of the war and the sanctions imposed on cargo traffic have not been as significant as at many other ports. The vessels passing through the Port of Helsinki from Russia have primarily been cargo ships loaded with coal, but these deliveries are now about to end. Proper transit loads have been few and far between.

Increased transportation costs due to the war, challenges in cargo traffic delivery chains and the effects of the war on general economic developments are presenting challenges to the operating environment. The recovery of international tourism on the Baltic Sea as the pandemic subsides may also slow down.

People fleeing the war in Ukraine are arriving in Finland through the Port of Helsinki as well. The port company is helping the authorities with various arrangements: passenger flow control, the use of space at terminals and information provision to refugees. The Port of Helsinki has also provided facilities for a temporary asylum seeker reception point at West Harbour.

The Port of Helsinki sees the sanctions imposed against Russia as necessary and calls for unified practices in the EU in their execution. The Port of Helsinki complies with EU and state-level decisions regarding Russia-related cargo flows and Russian-owned companies and ships.