Vessel traffic picked up after the pandemic

The Port increased the supply of onshore power to vessels using the West Harbour. Several greener ships started operating on the Helsinki routes. Despite this, carbon dioxide emissions from vessel traffic increased by 23% in the port areas.

The carbon dioxide emissions caused by incoming and outgoing vessel traffic in Helsinki’s port area account for approximately 80% of the total annual emissions in the port area. Reducing them is therefore essential to the Port’s climate goals. The goal of the Carbon-Neutral Port programme is to reduce vessel emissions by a total of 25% by 2030.

After the COVID-19 pandemic calmed down in 2022, the Port’s passenger traffic also picked up, although the pandemic was still affecting the frequency of vessel traffic. The number of passengers doubled compared to the previous year. The Port saw a total of 7,419 vessel calls, which is 3.1% more than the previous year.
Finnlines’ hybrid ro-ro vessel Finneco 1 started operating in September and Tallink’s MyStar vessel in December. Both have many environmentally friendly features.

Vessel traffic emissions

In 2022, the carbon dioxide emissions of vessels in the port area amounted to 63,400 tonnes, which is 11,800 tonnes (23%) more than the previous year.
In terms of vessels’ net tonnage, carbon dioxide emissions in Helsinki’s port areas amounted to 0.61 tonnes of CO2 per 1,000 NT (+ 6%).

The Port of Helsinki is making progress towards its carbon neutrality goals in terms of vessel traffic, by means such as building more onshore power supply connections at berths, making alternative fuels available at the harbours of Helsinki and continuing its environmental discount programme for ships.

The installation of onshore power distribution equipment for vessels was completed in December in the West Harbour, on both sides of West Terminal 2. Since the installation of the distribution system, Helsinki has been providing onshore power at its city centre harbours to all liner traffic vessels that visit Helsinki on a regular basis and stay moored for extended periods of time. This will mean significant local air emission reductions in the future, as ships on the Tallinn route staying overnight in Helsinki will be connected to the onshore power supply.
Read more about onshore power on the Port’s website.

The supply of onshore power to ships will increase the Port of Helsinki’s electricity use, as energy use will be transferred from the energy balance of the shipping companies to the Port. However, the increasing electricity consumption of the Port is a positive development for the environment in this respect, as the onshore power acquired by the Port is 100% carbon free and does not cause emissions like the energy produced by ships’ auxiliary engines in the port area, close to residential areas.
The Port of Helsinki continued its environmental discount programme to encourage renewal of vessel stock and introduction of greener technology. A discretionary discount on vessel charges could be granted to liner traffic vessels that have a low environmental impact at port or significantly reduce their environmental impact with development measures. In 2022, the maximum discount percentage was increased from seven to eight. Over the course of the year, a total of nearly EUR 367,000 was granted as support to 19 vessels (2021: 237,000 euros).

Ship waste

The Port of Helsinki offers waste advice services to international cruise ships.
Each of the Port of Helsinki’s quays is equipped to allow for direct discharge of wastewater into the city’s sewer network, from where it is transported directly to HSY for processing. There will still be no separate charge for discharging wastewater in accordance with the No Special Fee system.

In 2022, the Port of Helsinki received

180,200 m3 of vessels’ wastewater (2021: 129,300 m3),
2,000 tonnes of oily water from vessels (2021: 909 tonnes),
700 tonnes of solid waste from vessels (2021: 44 tonnes).Vessels operating in regular liner traffic in Helsinki, such as the ro-pax ferries on the Stockholm and Tallinn routes, have signed a waste management agreement directly with the waste management company. The Port of Helsinki provides waste management services mainly to international cruise ships and some cargo vessels.
In the autumn, the Port of Helsinki tendered out the waste management of its properties and the vessels visiting the port, and for the first time, low-emission equipment was included in the quality criteria of the tendering process. From the beginning of October onwards, the Port of Helsinki will only use low-emission equipment in its waste collection.
Read more.