The Port of Helsinki handled 5.8 million tonnes of cargo between January and May, down 1.1% from the same period last year.
Despite the slight decline in total cargo, unitized cargo continued to grow.
The port handled 495,000 unitized cargo units, up 4.9% year on year. Container traffic increased 9.4% in TEUs, while truck and trailer volumes rose 1.2%.
Unitized cargo totaled 5.3 million tonnes, an increase of 2.5%.
Imports reached 2.3 million tonnes, up 1.8%, while exports increased 3.1% to 3.0 million tonnes.
Vesa Marttinen, Vice President of Cargo at the Port of Helsinki, said improving economic conditions are supporting freight volumes.
“Now that the economy of Finland is finally starting to pick up, we are also seeing busier unitized cargo traffic.”
Marttinen added that construction work on the Vuosaari Harbour road tunnel has caused only minor disruptions, with most cargo continuing to use the port as normal.
The Port of Helsinki’s main cargo routes connect Finland with Estonia, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Passenger traffic remained stable during the first five months of the year.
The port welcomed 3.1 million passengers, down 0.5% year on year. Traffic to Stockholm increased 1.4% and the Helsinki–Travemünde route grew 9.6%.
International cruise activity also strengthened. Helsinki recorded 17 cruise calls carrying 44,000 passengers, up 31.9%. The port also expects to welcome 15 turnaround cruise ships this season after a multi-year break.
