International Shipping Helsinki Port Has Been Suspended for Four Weeks

The political strike disrupted container traffic at the port of Helsinki for about four weeks, leading industrial operators and traders to rely more on trucks to transport goods. As a result, activity at the port of Vuosaari decreased, while traffic at the western port was busy. However, passenger traffic was not affected, even slightly higher than last year.

In the first three months of this year,3.2 million tons of cargo passed through Finland's main ports, down 8.9 percent from the same period last year. Imports accounted for 1.5 million tons (-9.5 percent), while exports totaled 1.7 million tons (-9.3 percent).

"The political strikes in February and March severely hit the movement of goods through the port of Helsinki. Trucking went well, but other types of goods came to a near standstill. However, some transportation related to supply security was excluded from the strike." Helsinki Port Chief Executive Officer Vil Hapasari said.

In the first quarter of 2024, scheduled passenger traffic reached 1.7 million, an increase of 4.7% compared with the same period last year. Unsurprisingly, the Helsinki-Tallinn route remained the busiest route with 1.4 million passengers (an increase of 5.5%).

"The return of the Cinderella as the second ship on the Stockholm Viking route is a positive thing and sends an encouraging signal for passenger traffic in the coming year," Haapasaari said. 

国际海运赫尔辛基港已停运四周

       政治罢工导致赫尔辛基港的集装箱运输中断了大约四周，导致工业运营商和贸易商更多地依赖卡车运输货物。因此，Vuosaari港的活动减少，而西港的交通繁忙。然而，客运量没有受到影响，甚至比去年略有增加。

       在今年的前三个月，共有320万吨货物通过芬兰的主要港口，比去年同期减少8.9%。进口占150万吨（-9.5%），而出口总量为170万吨（-9.3%）。

       “2月和3月的政治罢工严重打击了通过赫尔辛基港的货物运输。货车运输很顺利，但其他种类的货物运输几乎陷于停顿。然而，一些与供应安全有关的运输被排除在罢工之外。”赫尔辛基港口首席执行官维尔·哈帕萨里说。

       在2024年第一季度，定期客运量达到170万人次，与去年同期相比增长4.7%。不出所料，赫尔辛基至塔林航线仍然是最繁忙的航线，客流量为140万人次（增长5.5%）。

       Haapasaari说：“灰姑娘号作为斯德哥尔摩维京航线上的第二艘船回归是一件积极的事情，为来年的客运量发出了令人鼓舞的信号。”