The mining industry is booming in Finland. Prospecting and the opening of new mines have also brought environmental issues into sharp focus. According to the vision of Finnish Minerals’ Strategy, Finland will be a global pioneer in the sustainable use of minerals. Finland’s metallurgical industry is also part of the growth sector.
The Port of Pori has a strong focus on mining and metallurgy in its strategy. There is a strong concentration of Finland’s metallurgical activity about 50km inland from the Port of Pori, in Harjavalta. In Tahkoluoto harbour area, there are two coal power stations, which are using coal that is imported via the Port of Pori.The Port of Pori has handled dry bulk for decades and it has invested heavily in its environmental strategy.The port’s geographical situation and its infrastructure also form a good basis for environmentally friendly operations throughout the whole logistic chain.
Taking care of environmental matters is a central tenet of the quality management system of the Port of Pori. The port has the ISO 14001 certificate for environmental management issued by DNV. The Port of Pori believes that offering ‘green’ operations does not in any way hinder business opportunities. Environmental issues can be combined with long-term economic growth and simultaneously guarantee sustainable development over the long run. Environmental aspects are taken into account in all investments of the Port of Pori. Port of Pori has made several investments which have helped to keep the environmental effects of the port’s activities at the lowest level possible. Concrete examples of this are loading and conveyor solutions that minimize dust emissions. The first of these investments — a closed loading system — was completed in Tahkoluoto harbour in 2006. None of the load is now handled with open conveyors. In spring 2010, a dust-minimizing unloading system was implemented at the Mäntyluoto harbour.
The heart of the dust-minimized loading system in Tahkoluoto is based on an old Siewertell unloader, which was modified to a loader and equipped with a chute made by Cleveland Cascades. The conveyor is fully covered.The structure of the chute also guarantees very low dust emission levels in the holds.The loader is mainly used for loading ammonium and ferrous sulphates. Customers have been very satisfied with the loading system, which offers a maximum capacity of 1,500tph (tonnes per hour). The loading system is environmentally friendly, but it also benefits customers by minimizing the contamination risk of handled products.
The Port of Pori is a general port where all kind of cargo is handled including project cargo, breakbulk, containers, liquid bulk and, as mentioned before, dry bulk.The global and also environmentally friendly trend is containerization and both dry and liquid bulk is handled increasingly in containers. The Port of Pori can meet that challenge, too. The port has long traditions in container handling. Currently,there are two container lines calling at The port of Pori. Hacklin’s service to Hamburg carries containers, but also project cargo. Containerships Ltd Oy operates a line calling at many destinations in the UK and on the Continent. This means that the whole network and door-to-door services of Containerships can be reached by using the Port of Pori. Of particular interest is the fact that the vessels Containerships VII has a scrubber to meet the future sulphur emission requirements.
Energy efficiency is an important factor when environmentally friendly sea transport is considered. Energy efficiency can be increased by using larger vessels with full loads.The average ship size is continuously growing. In Tahkoluoto deep harbour, the depth of the fairway is 15.3 metres, the same depth as the Danish Straits. This means that all vessels that can pass through the Danish Straits can call at the Port of Pori. Every year, Capesize vessels call at Tahkoluoto harbour. In Mäntyluoto harbour there is a new 12-metre berth and fairway for Panamax vessels. Geographically, the Port of Pori is favourably situated, as it has the best winter conditions of all Finnish ports. Ice- breaking is rarely needed, meaning lower bunker costs for the vessels. Because there is no archipelago, safe sea transport is possible, which is very important when moving chemicals and oil. The Port of Pori has two berths in the chemical harbour. The port has also made significant investments in safety and environmental protection, both at the berths and in storage areas.
Businesses are having to find new, energy-efficient ways of operating, to satisfy increasingly stringent environmental regulations. In the middle of October, the Nordic Orion called at Tahkoluoto deep harbour. There is nothing new about a ship carrying 75,000 metric tonnes of coal calling at Pori. However, the route taken was exceptional. The vessel came from Vancouver via the North West Passage. Nordic Orion was the second cargo vessel and the first dry bulker ever that has sailed through the whole passage. The North West Passage is more than 1,000 nautical miles shorter than the traditional shipping route through the Panama Canal and it saved fuel and reduced CO2 emissions. Even more importantly, the amount of cargo carried was increased by 25%.
The whole transport chain via the Port of Pori is environmentally, friendly including land transport. Road transport connections are uncongested. Both harbours have railway connections. The Port of Pori is thus connected to the Finnish and even the Russian railway network, too. Finland has the same railway gauge as Russia and Eastern Europe. Finnish main railway lines are electrified.
The most energy-efficient way of operating is to concentrate industrial and logistical activities near the port. There are 200 hectares free land in the immediate vicinity and in the port area of the Port of Pori. The M20 Industrial Park is one of the few industrial and logistics areas in Baltic Sea Region that offers space for growth to industrial and logistic companies right next to a well-functioning general port. There are plans to build a LNG terminal for industry and shipping in the Tahkoluoto harbour.