Port of Helsinki Ltd is launching the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure for the expansion of Vuosaari Harbour. The procedure will assess the environmental and social impacts of the various expansion options prior to the later decision-making and licensing stages of the project.

The Port of Helsinki is developing Vuosaari Harbour on a long-term basis. The expansion would safeguard the cost-effective and uninterrupted flow of Finnish foreign trade. Cargo of above-average value is transported via Vuosaari Harbour in lorries and containers. The well-designed and efficient port infrastructure will continue to be important for the smooth running of everyday life in Finland in the future as well, as Vuosaari Harbour is Finland’s leading transit port for daily consumer goods in both normal and exceptional circumstances.

In addition to the option of not proceeding with the project, the EIA procedure examines two preliminary expansion options. Under these options, the port area would be gradually extended into the sea by approximately 25–30 hectares. The expansion would include new quays and yard areas, the filling in of the Ruusuniemi canal to create space for port traffic, and either the construction of a new fairway or the improvement of the existing shipyard fairway, including its turning basin. The need for a possible breakwater and the location for it are also being investigated. The plans are preliminary and will be refined as the assessment and technical design work progress.

The EIA procedure identifies the environmental impacts of the project’s construction and operation that are likely to be significant. The assessment will cover impacts on aspects such as water quality, currents, sediments, underwater nature, fish populations, birdlife and nature reserves in the marine area. The impacts on traffic, noise, air quality, the climate, the landscape, recreational use, boating and people’s living conditions and quality of life will also be assessed.

The impacts during the construction phase and during operation will be assessed separately.

The project is situated in the vicinity of areas of significant natural and recreational value. The impact assessment will pay particular attention to marine nature, nearby nature reserves and Natura areas, and the surroundings of Uutela, Pikku Niinisaari and the marina.

The EIA procedure will commence with preliminary negotiations between the authorities on 1 September 2026. The EIA programme sets out the project alternatives, the methods to be used in the assessment and a plan for organising participation. Once the programme has been finalised, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will make it available for public consultation, which is provisionally scheduled for early 2027, at which point the authorities, residents, organisations and other stakeholders will be able to submit their comments and views on it. Public events will be held during the EIA programme and EIA report stages.

The EIA procedure is not a project permit procedure or a decision to proceed with construction. The purpose of the assessment is to provide information on the project alternatives, the project’s impacts and the prevention of adverse effects for the purposes of further planning, decision-making, land-use planning and subsequent permit procedures. The aim is for the EIA report to be made available for public inspection in autumn 2027.

The actual expansion work would take place in stages between the 2030s and 2050s, towards the end of the Port of Helsinki’s development programme. Read more about the Port of Helsinki’s development programme.

Enquiries

Port of Helsinki Ltd
Vesa Marttinen, VD cargo
vesa.marttinen(at)portofhelsinki.fi
+358 40 822 2910

Port of Helsinki Ltd
Jaana Martikainen, Project Manager
jaana.martikainen(at)portofhelsinki.fi
+358 40 759 7701

Ramboll Finland Oy
Antti Lepola, EIA Project Manager
antti.lepola(at)ramboll.fi
+358 40 588 7557

Finnish Supervisory Agency
Niklas Virkkala, Senior Inspector
niklas.virkkala(at)lvv.fi
+358 295 254 915