Shipping | Cruise traffic to Helsinki is still stuttering

in Helsinki regularly visiting passenger ships will decrease.

The shipping company Viking Line said at the beginning of August that it will abandon its second ship operating from Helsinki to Stockholm and will continue the route with only one ship for the time being. Viking’s Amorella will stop operating on the route in September.

In addition, Tallink said that it will rent the Silja Europa, which runs between Helsinki and Tallinn, to Holland.

Read more: Tallink-Silja gives up its second ship in Turku – Rented for use by asylum seekers in Holland

Read more: Viking Line found a buyer for its vessel M/S Amorella

Moby St. Peter Line’s cruises from Helsinki to St. Petersburg have already been on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic. Now the continuation of the cruises is uncertain because of the war of aggression started by Russia in Ukraine.

In the shadow of the war, many international cruise ships have also turned their course away from the Baltic Sea and canceled their visits to Helsinki.

Shipping despite the decrease, the Port of Helsinki intends to proceed with its new terminal projects as planned. Managing director Ville Haapasaari is confident about the future.

According to him, passenger numbers have grown promisingly since the travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus were lifted at the end of January.

“Compared to how much passenger traffic there was in 2020 and 2021, we have now clearly moved in a better direction. This summer, passenger numbers have been 20-25 percent lower than in the best years.”

Read more: Cruise visits to Helsinki started a new rise – More international passengers visited than last year

Haapasaari guesses that it will still be a couple of years before shipping returns to the pre-corona pandemic level. He does not find the shipping companies’ recent announcements about reducing fleets surprising.

“They are related to the uncertainty of corona and travel. When the busiest summer season ends, passenger numbers dwindle. In that sense, it is quite logical that Tallink found a solution to ensure its income during the winter.”

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“When the busiest summer season ends, passenger numbers dwindle.”

In the future Helsinki’s passenger ports are experiencing major changes.

The Port of Helsinki concentrates traffic to Tallinn in the West Port, where Haapasaari still sees growth opportunities. For this reason, a tunnel connection is planned from the Länsistaama to the nearby Länsiväylä.

Now the ships occasionally cause traffic jams in Jätkäsaari.

At the same time, the plan is to expand the port area to the sea, demolish the old West Terminal and build a new replacement terminal. According to Haapasaari, the changes are still in the planning phase, and their implementation will start in 2024–2025.

Read more: A tunnel is being planned for Helsinki’s Jätkäsaari, which would go directly to the Länsiväylä

“Once these tricks are done, Tallinn traffic can be moved from Katajanokka to the West Port. Then we will talk about the years 2027–2028 at the earliest.”

In the future, Stockholm ships will only use the Katajanokka terminal, which currently serves Viking Line. Silja Line’s base at the Olympic Terminal and the adjacent Satamatalo will be abandoned.

However, according to Haapasaari, the current Katajanokka terminal is not enough for two Swedish ships. No decisions have been made yet, whether a completely new terminal will be built in Katajanokka or whether the current building will be expanded.

“The goal is that by 2030 Stockholm traffic would be completely centralized to Katajanokka.”

Haapasaari does not see the flow of traffic in Katajanokka as a problem despite the fact that two large Swedish ships unloaded their cargo at roughly the same time.

“The amount of freight traffic on Stockholm ships is significantly lower than on Tallinn ships. According to planning estimates, there should not be any major inconveniences, but some small steps must probably be taken.”

According to him, the bigger challenge is freight traffic in the center.

“It will be solved by providing traffic to Tallinn with good access from the West Port directly to the highway.”