Loiste 2/2021 - News from Port of Haminakotka

LOISTE NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

New warehouse terminal to be built in the D-area at Mussalo Occupational safety day emphasised everyone’s responsibility for safety, p. 2

Construction work in progress on the cruise and passenger ship terminal at Kantasatama, p. 7

NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Anyone was able to board the locomotive operated by Jouni Kylmälä.

Theme day in occupational safety at ports highlighted everyone’s responsibility for safety A theme day in occupational safety was arranged at all Finnish seaports on 4 October 2021. The theme for the day this year was Work Safety Involves Everyone. The employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace, and it is the responsibility of the employees to comply with the rules and instructions and take care of their own safety and of the safety of the co-workers. Whenever safety risks or other deficiencies are detected, it is important that they are reported at the workplace to avoid potential accidents. The Port of HaminaKotka also used the theme day to highlight the role and responsibility of every person working at the port for the safety of the workplace.

During the day, many types of activities were arranged at the Mussalo Harbour in Kotka for the personnel of enterprises working at the port in co-operation with various parties. VR Transpoint and Steveco had put a locomotive on display at Hasakuja and provided an opportunity to board the locomotive to see things such as the view offered from the cabin and how a locomotive actually stops. Oiltanking Finland Oy’s new automatic truck loading station presented the modern ENMAC fall pro2

tection solution in an authentic situation, when UPM’s truck arrived to load tall oil.

There were events also outside the port gates at office building Merituuli. In the virtual safety park of the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK), the audience were able to see how a straddle carrier is inspected before being put to work, and the South Kymenlaakso Vocational College (EKAMI) presented the transferable version of a crane simulator. The stands of Image Wear, Grolls and Tools had personal protective equipment and new work clothing on display.

The audience was able to take part in a safety survey carried out jointly by the Kotka Maritime Research Centre, EKAMI and XAMK at various stands. Many types of products were given as prizes to lucky winners among those who responded to the survey.

The event attracted much interest, and there are plans to arrange the theme day next year in Hamina. The goal is to consolidate the port work safety day to become an occupational safety event organised jointly by various companies and organisations working at the Port of HaminaKotka.

Suvi-Tuuli Lappalainen, Development Manager of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, conducting a pre-work inspection on a straddle carrier in XAMK’s virtual safety park.

NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Thanks to all those who responded to the customer satisfaction survey Port of HaminaKotka Ltd commissioned a customer satisfaction survey in September, carried out in the form of telephone interviews

by Innolink Oy. The survey was a follow-up of the 2018 customer satisfaction survey. The extensive survey indicated that overall customer satisfaction at a good or even very good level. According to the survey, the most important factors for our customers are reliability as a partner, the service-mindedness of personnel in problem situations and services that match

the needs of companies. The port is perceived as a reliable partner, and response to contacts is quick. The well-working invoicing service also received positive feedback from the respondents.

According to the survey, the port’s strengths include location, versatility and well-functioning services. It was hoped that the port would develop communication and customer focus in particular. The above-mentioned development issues will be addressed, for example, by

The Port of HaminaKotka would be recommended or has already been recommended to others by

84 %

of port service providers

64 % of port service buyers

improving the distribution of newsletters and by organising customer events as permitted by the coronavirus situation. Such events have only been possible in a virtual setting over the past two years or so. According to our customer satisfaction survey, personal visits are still a very important way to keep in touch.

Many thanks to all those who provided valuable feedback in the survey. The product packages drawn among the respondents have been delivered to the lucky winners.

“The port’s operations have improved during the past years” was the opinion of

75 %

of port service providers

47 %

of port service buyers

Renewable energy to office centre Merituuli Port of HaminaKotka endeavours to find the right solutions for improved energy efficiency and to mitigate the burden on the environment.

One step ahead in this respect is the installation of 80 solar panels on the roof of office building Merituuli at Mussalo. These generate an average of 26,300 kWh of energy and result in an annual reduction of approx. 4,200 kg in CO2 emissions. All energy produced by the panels can be put into use irrespective of the season of the year, and it is primarily used for the cooling, lighting and ventilation of the Merituuli building.

The solar power system includes a remote monitoring service, with which the volume of energy generated by the solar panels can be seen on a display located on the 1st floor of the Merituuli office building.

The energy produced by the solar panels is primarily used for the cooling, lighting and ventilation of the office building.

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NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Backed by giant investments: Steveco and Stora Enso to launch co-operation at the new warehouse terminal next year The port operator Steveco and the wood-processing company Stora Enso have announced their co-operation to be launched next year at the warehouse terminal constructed by Steveco at the Mussalo Harbour of Port of HaminaKotka. To make the co-operation as efficient and smooth as possible, the Port of HaminaKotka has modified the D-area at Mussalo comprehensively to cater for the upcoming needs.

The D-area at the Mussalo Harbour of the Port of HaminaKotka has evolved into one of the most significant port areas in Finland. In 20172020, the port commissioned several building projects in the area: new rail connections and filling of water areas, and also a harbour basin with a sweeping depth of 17.7 metres and a size of 17 hectares, a breakwater of 620 metres and a quay area with a length of 220 metres.

In 2021-2023, more shunting tracks and two quays with lengths of 150 and 330 metres will be built in the area. The total value of the investments will rise to more than 70 million euros. Some of this is financed through the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.

Kimmo Naski, CEO of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, is satisfied with the developments.

“The D-area at Mussalo has become a significant and competitive logistics hub for the wood-processing industry, both nationally and within the entire Baltic area,” he says.

His thoughts coincide with those of Jari Immonen, CEO of Steveco, the leading stevedoring company in Finland, and Timo Hatva, Director, Land Services Finland & NE Europe, of Stora Enso, which focuses on renewable materials. The parties announced the launching of their co-operation in October.

“In terms of Stora Enso’s mills in Eastern Finland, the location of the Port of HaminaKotka is ideal, and the new warehouse terminal is located exactly at the correct place within the port. The versatile terminal provides the opportunity to use different modes of transport. We

can serve both Europe and the whole world from a single point,” Timo Hatva says.

For Steveco, the market leader in the transport of the products of the Finnish wood-processing industry, the co-operation is in line with the company’s strategy.

“The wood-processing industry is an important customer group to us, and as a service company we wish to provide our customers with increasingly better port operation and logistics services. The new terminal will boost our capability to offer those services that our customers need,” Jari Immonen says.

The new building will be erected adjacent to the pulp terminal shown in the middle of the photograph.

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NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Constant change and interaction

The need for additional space was created by the changes in pulp production at Stora Enso’s Uimaharju mill. A transition from the production of dissolving pulp to conventional pulp means that more and more of the deliveries will be carried via Steveco’s warehouse terminal at Mussalo to the company’s main market area in Europe. The transport volumes will primarily come from Uimaharju, but in the future potentially also from Stora Enso’s other production units in Eastern Finland. The goal is to mainly use rail transport, but road transport will be used to support this whenever necessary.

“I consider it very important that the planning carried out has been highly comprehensive. Right from the outset, the safety, environmental and accountability objectives of our company have been involved in the planning process. As an example, trains can be handled in one block thanks to the track with a length of 450 metres, without a need to cut the trains into shorter sections. Thanks to the shunting track, a block train can be delivered directly to the terminal, and waggons do not need to be handled via the railway yard,” Timo Hatva says.

According to him, the customer requirements especially in delivery reliability and cost efficiency are becoming increasingly stringent.

There are also more quality requirements in the product and supply chains, and the demand for logistics that take the environment into account is also on the increase.

Jari Immonen adds that the compact size and central location of the terminal within the D-area will reduce unnecessary movements, which enhances efficiency and decreases the burden on the environment.

Timo Hatva of Stora Enso, Jari Immonen of Steveco and Kimmo Naski of Port of HaminaKotka at the press conference of the terminal project.

Open and well-working collaboration

Steveco receives Stora Enso’s all deliveries and identifies, registers and stores the cargo units.

“The customer decides what is sent in each batch, and when and how. Pulp, for example, can be delivered in containers, as bulk or by carrying a truck trailer unit in the ship, whatever the situation and needs require,” says Jari Immonen.

Forwarding is part of the service process alongside warehousing, loading and shipping.

Data is created constantly in the delivery chain as the products are being processed.

“There is a lot of information, and there are several interfaces to authorities, among others.

When everything runs well, the customer does not really see very much of the relevant operations,” Timo Hatva says with a smile.

All parties think that the co-operation has been good and fluent. Things have been discussed openly and in a straightforward and problem-solving manner. The planning stages have also matched each other well in terms of the schedule.

“We have been planning, developing and executing jointly. Transparency and trust are the key issues here,” Timo Hatva says in summarising the parties’ thoughts.

Warehouse terminal investment in a nutshell • The port operator Steveco will make an investment in a

warehouse terminal of 24,000 square metres and two rail tracks approx. 450 metres long at the new D-area at the Mussalo Harbour. The value of the investment for Steveco is about 10-15 million euros.

• The new building will be erected beside the pulp terminal

• Port of HaminaKotka has been developing the basic

infrastructure of the D-area at Mussalo and carried out sizeable construction projects in the area.

• The D-area at Mussalo is becoming a significant logistics hub for the wood-processing industry on a national scale.

completed in 2019. The construction work commenced in October 2021, and anticipated commissioning will take place in the late summer of 2022.

• Stora Enso, which will be client of the new warehouse

terminal, will initially deliver pulp to the warehouse from its Enocell Pulp Mill in Uimaharju. If necessary, other Stora Enso products can also be warehoused at the new terminal.

• The central location of the warehouse terminal in the D-area will enable various modes of transport and shipping.

• Due to the compact area and short distances, the

operations will be efficient and environmentally benign.

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NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Viking Line’s M/S Gabriella in dress ship on her first visit to Kantasatama in Kotka.

Photograph: Jarno Koivula

Cruise season 2021 and expectations for the coming years The global pandemic has brought considerable challenges to international cruise traffic, as travel restrictions did not enable the arrival of international vessels in Finland before the past autumn, when some of the restrictions were lifted. For the season of 2021, nineteen visits by international vessels had been confirmed, all of which were cancelled or postponed.

Cruise lines have had to find new destinations in the competitive situation characterised by the pandemic. An excellent example of this is Viking Line, which launched special domestic cruises in Finland for the summer of 2021, three of which were arranged to Kotka. Viking Line’s M/S Gabriella visited Kantasatama Harbour in Kotka on 19 June, 29 June and 29 July.

Since no international cruise ships were seen at the Port of HaminaKotka, the visits of a Finnish cruise ship were highly expected, and the cruise guests were welcomed warmly to the summery Kotka. All in all, the visits were successful and the feedback was very positive.

As a result of the changed travel restric-

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tions, cruise lines have made constant changes to the itinerary planning of their cruise ships, which has enabled new visits by ships, even at a relatively short notice. This was also the case at the Port of HaminaKotka, when the MS Marina owned by the luxury brand Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, arrived in Hamina on 5 September 2021 at a short notice for her first visit.

What made the visit particularly significant was the fact that this was the first time in almost 20 years that an international cruise vessel came to Hamina.

Even though the originally confirmed international cruise vessels did not ultimately make any visits this season, the Port of HaminaKotka is especially delighted by the four visits of ships.

Eyes to the future despite challenges

In terms of cruises on the Baltic Sea, the coro­ navirus situation in Russia and travel restrictions determine the routing of cruise ships in

Oceania Cruises’ MS Marina arriving in Hamina accompanied by the September morning sun.

Photograph: Jarno Koivula

2022. The Port of HaminaKotka is located along the route to St Petersburg, and if cruise vessels cannot access it due to the restrictions, it will also have an impact on the number of vessels arriving at HaminaKotka. In the current situation, it is possible that the estimate for 2022 of 20 ships and some 50,000 passengers will be reality, but the prevailing uncertainty plays a role, and the actual situation will not be seen until the early 2022.

Work is now being done for the seasons 2023-2026, because cruise lines do their itine­ rary planning for many years ahead.

“The year 2023 looks very busy both in Kotka and Hamina, and the target of more than 20 visits by ships in 2023 seems possible,” says Petra Cranston, Project Manager, Cruise Business at Port of HaminaKotka Ltd.

NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

Construction work on the cruise and passenger ship terminal started at Kantasatama in Kotka KOTKA PAX, the development project for the cruise and passenger ship terminal at Kantasatama in Kotka will improve the transport infrastructure of the Port of HaminaKotka at Kantasatama in Kotka, with the goal of enabling year-round, safe and fluent border crossing and passenger ferry traffic between Finland and Russia.

The construction work on the cruise and passenger ship terminal to be built at Kantasatama in Kotka within the KOTKA PAX project commenced in the autumn with the foundation work of the customs and border control facilities to be constructed in a former warehouse building. Regular passenger ferry traffic requires a framework for customs and border control operations, which is why facilities will be built and modified at Kantasatama in Kotka for mandatory inspections and services by the Finnish Customs and Border Guard. Once completed, the facilities can accommodate the processing of some 200 passengers per hour, and the terminal will also enable the processing of passenger cars and heavy goods transport.

Port of HaminaKotka Ltd is the main executor of the project and co-ordinates the infrastructure project of the passenger terminal. The other project partners are the St Petersburg passenger port "Marine Façade", and Finnish Customs and Border Guard. The project was launched on 1 June 2019 and will continue until 31 May 2022. The Southeast Finland - Russia CBC 2014-2020 programme will provide the project with a funding of 2 million euros.

Foundation work for the customs and border control facilities in progress in early November.

Top-ranking decision-makers at Port of HaminaKotka Eero Heinäluoma, Member of European Parliament representing the Social Democratic Party, and Antti Lindtman, Chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, visited the Port of HaminaKotka on 1 November 2021. The meeting discussed, among other things, the role of the wood-processing industry in both securing the welfare of Finland and combating climate change. Kimmo Naski, CEO of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, described in his comprehensive presentation why UPM’s biorefinery investment is important for the Port of HaminaKotka as well as for the region of Kymenlaakso and Finland as a whole. The meeting expressed a wish to the government to support this investment project of more than 1 billion euros.

Shown in the photograph are (from the left): Antti Lindtman, Chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, Nina Brask, Chairperson of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, and Eero Heinäluoma, Member of European Parliament.

Kimmo Naski, CEO of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, met Sirpa Paatero, Minister of Local Government, on 27 September 2021. In the discussions conducted with the Minister, he emphasised the importance of the potential location of UPM’s biorefinery at the Port of HaminaKotka. Mr Naski stated that the port company would like the Government to take action to ensure that UPM’s biorefinery will be built in Finland, and to enhance the role of Finland as a pioneer in circular economy.

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NEWS FROM PORT OF HAMINAKOTKA 2/2021

This year’s Christmas donation to Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association is a nation-wide environmental organisation in Finland, aiming to promote the welfare of sea and lake nature through concrete action. The Association creates facilities for sustainable boating and provides individuals with an opportunity to do the right thing responsibly to the benefit of the environment. The Association has a positive impact on the state of bodies of water also through diverse research and environmental education efforts.

Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association conducts concrete environmental management work by building and maintaining waste collection points, dry closets and suction emptying equipment, and by arranging campaigns for the collection of scrap and hazardous waste.

The Association maintains almost 200 Roope waste recycling and disposal stations through­ out Finland. In the Kotka-Hamina region, the association maintains, for example, floating suction emptying stations, and is responsible for the maintenance of septic tank emptying stations. Moreover, it has procured dishwashing sites on some islands and monitors the

littering of the beaches on the island of Lehmäsaari in Kotka. The Association also works in the region through the Roope harbour programme, which is an environmental programme for boat marinas.

Most of the debris that enters bodies of water comes from the land, and often the basic cause is human negligence. Trash is discarded in the natural environment instead of the waste containers intended for it. Attitudes towards environmental consideration are adopted in childhood, which is why Port of HaminaKotka Ltd has wanted to donate the funds intended for Christmas gifts this year to the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association and its co-operation with schools under the “Siisti biitsi” programme that focuses on preventing the littering of the aquatic environment. Teaching materials and practical supplies for cleaning the environment, such as trash picking tools and rubber gloves, will be distributed to schools in Kotka and Hamina that are interested in this type of work. In addition, the Association’s school coordinator will visit schools to talk about environmental issues and provide practical advice for

taking care of the environment.

According to Pinja Harjunpää, the school co-ordinator of Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association, the programme enables practical environmental education also outside the classroom, with experience, environmental work and doing things together being in a focal role.

With the support of Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, the Association can support the school activities in the region more effectively.

“We are very happy in the Association about this Christmas donation. It is great to allocate the donation to the school co-operation activities in the region, because in that way the effects of the donation will keep on living in the daily lives of children and adolescents, and it is to be hoped that the culture of sustainability will be disseminated to homes, too,” says Veera Säilä, Fundraising Manager of Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association.

Additional information: https://www.pidasaaristosiistina.fi/en

Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year 2022!

THIS YEAR, WE HAVE MADE A CHRISTMAS DONATION TO THE KEEP THE ARCHIPELAGO TIDY ASSOCIATION AND THEIR CONCRETE WORK FOR CLEANER WATERWAYS. P O RT O F H A M I N A KOT K A LT D A N D KOT K A N S ATA M ATA L OT OY HaminaKotka 180x120 ENG.indd 1

Port of HaminaKotka Ltd Merituulentie 424, FI-48310 Kotka, Finland • office@haminakotka.fi haminakotka.com • tel. +358 20 790 8800

Port of HaminaKotka

23.11.2021 13.06.16

Cruise Port HaminaKotka