Helsinki Port’s Q1 cargo traffic grows by 3.6%

Cargo traffic kept the Port of Helsinki busy in the first quarter of this year, especially exports picked up but the passenger traffic almost halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the port authority in a press release on Monday.

A total of 3,482,000 tonnes of cargo passed through the Port of Helsinki from January to March, which was 3.6% higher year on year.

Of these figures, imports accounted for 1,580,000 tonnes (-2.8%) and exports for 1,881,000 tonnes (+10.5%).

However, labour market measures in the forest industry in 2020, which took a particular toll on export, affected these numbers and the comparison to the previous year’s level.

The coronavirus pandemic, in turn, has not impacted the amount of cargo in comparison to that in the first quarter of the previous year.

The quantity of unitised cargo traffic was 2,926,000 tonnes (+6.0%). Container traffic increased from the previous year by 5.9% and ro-ro traffic by 6.1%.

Meanwhile, passenger traffic all but stopped for the period of January to March due to the travel restrictions put in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, commuting is permitted only to ensure the functioning of society and security of supply.

The first quarter saw 374,000 passengers pass through Helsinki Port, which is almost 80% less than that in same time of the previous year.

“We hope that passenger traffic at the Port of Helsinki returns to normal gradually, starting from May or June,” said Port of Helsinki CEO Ville Haapasaari.

“This depends on the development of the pandemic in Finland and the neighbouring areas, however, as well as the schedule in which the authorities implement their exit strategy,” added Haapasaari.