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Back to SSG 02
Many of the import containers in Finnish ports are loaded with cargo for Russia. Photo: P är-Henrik Sjöström
Finnish ports get their share
of Russia’s economic growth
The volume of container shipments
on the Baltic Sea is growing rapidly, mainly thanks to the ever-increasing demand for consumer goods at the Russian market. As the country is one of the largest exporters of oil in the world, the high oil prices boost the Russian economy.
Russia’s own ports, mainly in the St Petersburg region, naturally handle the largest share of Russia’s imports of containerised goods. However, their capacity is stretched to the limit and large quantities of high value consumer products, such as electronics, clothes and everyday goods, are imported through Finnish ports.
Finland has some thirty years of experience of Russian transit shipments, but for years they only concerned dry and liquid bulk cargoes. With the improved standard of living in Russia, the imports of consumer products also came into the picture.
So far, Russia’s containerised transit shipments via Finland are imports only, and they are concentrated to three ports. Situated in the easternmost part of the Gulf of Finland, Kotka and Hamina are in the best position to serve Russian imports, but the port of Helsinki is also involved in this business due to its role as the by far largest port for general cargo in the country.
Unitised cargo
Russian imports of consumer goods through Finland are all unitised. In general, products from the European market are shipped in road trailers, while goods produced in other parts of the world – for example electronics from the Far East – are carried in containers. The containers arrive to the large container terminals on the Continent in deep sea vessels and are carried by feeder vessels to the Baltic Sea.
Despite considerable volumes of Russian cargo arriving at Finnish ports in containers, most of the boxes never cross the border to Russia. Due to both logistical and administrative reasons, they are stripped in terminals in the Finnish ports and the products are reloaded in trucks.
//Pär-Henrik Sjöström
Latest update 18-10-2006 8:49
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No 18/2008
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No 17/2008
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2006