Container traffic growing steadily

To promote container traffic, the Port of Turku has built an another  modern container terminal in the West Harbour that applies the latest technology. The new Turku Container Terminal (TCT) offers efficient container loading and unloading services. Thanks to container terminals, the Port is able to provide container loading and unloading services in its own facilities, instead of having to do it at the customer's premises. The TCT working group aims at developing container traffic in the Port of Turku and operations related thereto. The group includes experts of different fields, for instance, from forest industry, shipping companies and stevedore companies.

In 2004, the Port of Turku has  expanded shelter no. 173 (3,000 m2) to improve the opportunities for container traffic, as well as has built a light-structured hall (5,000 m2) in the West harbour. Container traffic has been growing steadily by about 20 per cent a year for several years and the growth continues.

Co-operation is developed above all through different projects. For instance, the Port and port operator Finnsteve aim at speeding up the handling of containers during loading and unloading of ships. Container traffic services are also developed in close co-operation with businesses in the Turku economic region and Turku Chamber of Commerce.

"The volume of container traffic to overseas destinations outside Europe has been growing for the last ten years. The export markets of Russia and China are still growing in particular."

Rolf Sandberg, Managing Director, Team Lines Finland Oy