Tallink, in partnership with Port of Tallinn and Transiidikeskuse AS, has re-routed its cargo ship Sea Wind to start operating from Muuga Harbour instead of the Tallinn Old City Harbour. Tallink says this move means that more than 40,000 lorries per year will be removed from Tallinn city centre and congestion and pollution in the city will be significantly reduced.
At the official opening of the new route at Muuga Harbour on Wednesday, 4 October, Janek Stalmeister, CEO of Tallink Grupp said:
“Cargo transport between Estonia and Finland is increasing and, based on our estimations and current client demand, we believe the Muuga-Vuosaari route will provide further growth potential.
“By re-routing Sea Wind to Muuga Harbour, we can offer our clients a smoother and faster service on the one hand, and, on the other, play our part in reducing the traffic passing through Tallinn city centre.”
The journey from Muuga to Vuosaari is six nautical miles shorter than that of Tallinn Old City Harbour to Vuosaari. Additionally, cargo companies will be able to reach the Tallinn bypass, i.e. all the main transport routes of Estonia, much faster from Muuga than they would do from the Old City Harbour.
Janek Stalmeister added: “When we look at this move from the point of view of developing our cargo transport service, then the re-routing of the Sea Wind ro-ro traffic to Muuga provides Tallink with a clear advantage in the area of Estonia-Finland cargo transport due to the time saving.”
According to Valdo Kalm, the CEO of Port of Tallinn, the re-opening of a regular cargo transport route between Muuga and Vuosaari will have a positive effect both on the development of Tallinn Old City Harbour as well as the traffic flow in Tallinn city centre.
Commenting on the impact the re-routing of SeaWind to Muuga Harbour will have, Kalm said: “The Muuga-Vuosaari route will remove four kilometres of lorries with trailers from Tallinn city traffic every day. This means that annually there will be over 40,000 lorries less in the city centre. The route will also lay the foundation for increasing north-south cargo transport in the future.”
“Tallinn is a growing city and a growing city needs new traffic management solutions. Moving the cargo traffic to Muuga at a time when the number of vehicles coming into the city from the harbour is rapidly increasing, is a good decision and will somewhat ease the traffic situation in the city. The intensity of traffic in Tallinn is constantly increasing and in this situation it is better to prioritise passengers and passenger vehicles in the Old City Harbour area,” Taavi Aas, acting mayor of Tallinn said. “Tallinn Port, Tallink and Transiidikeskuse AS have all been valuable partners for Tallinn city,” he added.
According to Vladimir Popov, Chairman of the Board of Transiidikeskuse AS, the terminal infrastructure today is considered to serve several ro-ro vessels a day. “We made the necessary additional investments and carried out the upgrade of the company's information system. So we are ready for the rapid development of the Vuosaari-Muuga project”, said Popov.
„Additionally, launching a bulk carrier line between Helsinki and Muuga is an important milestone for the entire Estonian transit sector, as a practical step has been taken to realize an ambitious project to increase the volume of goods moving in the north-south corridor. In the implementation of such large-scale plans, the role of close cooperation between the public and the private sector is crucial”, added Popov.
The 152-metre-long Sea Wind can carry up to a kilometre of lorries. The ship does two return trips daily during weekdays and one return trip on a Sunday. Compared to the Old City Harbour located in Tallinn city centre, the Muuga Harbour can be reached from most of the main highways, including Via Baltica, via the Tallinn bypass considerably faster.
Muuga Harbour, which is Estonia’s largest and deepest cargo port, is located just outside Tallinn, 16 kilometres from Tallinn city centre. Muuga Harbour has 29 berths, three of which have been specifically built for ro-ro type vessels.
AS Tallink Grupp is the leading passenger and cargo transportation service provider in the Northern region of the Baltic Sea. The company owns 16 vessels and operates under the brands of Tallink and Silja Line on 6 different routes. AS Tallink Grupp employs 7,000 people in the region and over 9.5 million passengers travelled on its ferries in 2016. The number of cargo units transported by Tallink Grupp in 2016 was 328,000 units, which is 6.5% more than in 2015.
AS Port of Tallinn is Estonia’s largest cargo and passenger port complex, 100% owned by the state. The strategic aim of Port of Tallinn is to increase the competitiveness of Estonia as a maritime country. More than 10 million passengers and nearly 20 million tons of cargo pass through the ports of AS Port of Tallinn annually.
Transiidikeskuse AS is a specialised Estonian container and general cargo terminal operator in Muuga Harbour.