Finnish Transport Agency announced significant boost in international seaborne transport volumes and slight decline in passenger volumes.
The import and export volumes in international seaborne trade increased in January–June 2018 compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Compared with 2017, the export volumes went up by 7.5 per cent and the import volumes by 6.0 per cent.
The boost in international seaborne export volumes was a result of increased transports of bulk cargo, products of the chemical industry, fertilizers, ores and concentrates. The 6.0-per cent increase in import volumes was due to the growing transport volumes of timber, crude minerals, ores and concentrates.
Transit traffic through Finnish ports increased by 24.1 per cent (910,000 tonnes) compared to 2017. Transit transports through the Port of HaminaKotka grew by 438,000 tonnes and through the Port of Kokkola by 193,000 tonnes. This year, transit traffic through the Port of Pori amounted to 260,000 tonnes.
The number of seaborne passengers in international maritime transport went down by 1.8 per cent from the corresponding period of the previous year. Estonia’s share of the total number of passengers in international maritime transport was 47.9 per cent and Sweden's share was 45.6 per cent. The total number of seaborne passengers in international maritime transport was 8.5 million. At the end of June, the number of passengers on non-Finnish cruise vessels amounted to 394,000. This was an increase of 30,000 passengers (15.6 %) compared to 2017.
By the end of June, 14,755 vessels from other countries had called at Finnish ports. The number of vessels decreased by 2.3 per cent, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.