S1 pier handed over to the Port of Turku
photo: Ramboll CM
The first construction contract of the Ferry Terminal Turku project has been completed, as the S1 pier was handed over to the Port of Turku in June 2026. The pier will be taken into operational use in March 2027, when the first Tallink Silja vessel will call at the new structure.
The new pier has been designed to meet the requirements of modern passenger ferry traffic. It is 250 metres long and 25 metres wide, and its foundations are supported by steel piles reaching up to 50 metres in length. In terms of scale, the structure is exceptional and ranks among the largest of its kind in the Baltic Sea.
The construction was carried out by Terramare, a company specialised in marine construction. The contract included extensive piling and concrete works as well as underwater construction phases. During the works, the pier was protected against erosion caused by ship propeller wash with a dedicated erosion slab, the construction of which required significant diving operations.
The site provided a diverse working environment throughout the project. At its busiest phase, several sections of the pier were under construction simultaneously, and floating pontoon structures equipped with heavy marine construction machinery were used to support the work. One of the most notable installation phases was the hydraulic linkspan, which was transported to the site by sea and lifted into place using heavy lifting equipment.
The overall construction volumes illustrate the scale of the project: approximately 12,000 cubic metres of concrete, one million kilograms of reinforcement steel and a total of 13.5 kilometres of steel piles were used in the construction of the pier.
Ramboll CM Oy was responsible for construction management and supervision. Particular attention was paid to the existing built environment in the area, and old structures were systematically removed to make way for the new pier. Modern documentation methods, such as drone imaging, were utilised throughout the project.
The S1 pier is the first completed part of a wider pier development programme. The next phase of the project, the S2 berth contract, was launched in spring 2026 and focuses on the refurbishment of the existing berth area. Overall, the Ferry Terminal Turku project is progressing step by step towards the commissioning of the new joint passenger terminal.