The liveliest summer season for ship travel in Helsinki to date was slightly busier than the previous summer. The Helsinki–Tallinn route continues to attract passengers and the Stockholm route is becoming increasingly popular. By contrast, freight traffic in the Port of Helsinki was subdued from January to August.

Liner passenger traffic* in Helsinki saw 6.6 million passengers from January to August, which is 1.4% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

As usual, the Helsinki–Tallinn route was the busiest with 5.3 million passengers (+0.9%). The capital cities of Estonia and Finland form a single area for business and employment, while also being popular holiday destinations. Tallinn is also a very important transit city for Finns on their way to central Europe.

From January to August, 0.1 million passengers (-2.5%) travelled on the Travemünde route and 1.2 million (+2.4%) passengers embarked on the Stockholm route. The growth of the latter route has been fuelled by the favourable exchange rate of the Swedish krona and an increase in international tourists.

The busiest summer season for travel, June to August, saw an increase of +3.6% compared to the previous summer. The Port of Helsinki was once again a stop on the journey for families on holiday and busy commuters alike.

“I am particularly pleased that passenger satisfaction and the willingness to recommend the Port of Helsinki’s services improved even though the terminals were full and the weather was extremely hot,” says VP Passenger Services Kaj Takolander at the Port of Helsinki.

“Summer is by far the strongest season for us, but the Finnish holiday season along with travel at large comes to an unfortunately early stop each year,” Takolander says. “August is the hottest time for tourism in other parts of Europe, but in Finland many services have already closed their doors by then. Of course, this also affects the willingness of foreign tourists to come to Finland on holiday: why come here in August when destinations are already closed?” “For the tourism industry as a whole, it would be important to have a longer holiday season. The demand could be there in late summer, but the supply is dwindling too early,” Takolander says.

Large ships in international cruise traffic

By the end of August, a total of 77 calls by international cruise ships had been made in Helsinki, with 117,062 visitors on board. That is 14.6% more passengers than in the same period last year.

The busy season is not over yet, and the last cruise ship will visit Helsinki on the day before Christmas Eve.

Sluggish freight traffic

From January to August, the total volume of cargo transported through the Port of Helsinki was 9.0 million tonnes, which is 4.2% less than during the corresponding period in the previous year. The sluggish pace gives no indication of a positive turnaround for the Finnish economy.

The volume of imported cargo was 4.0 million tonnes, while the volume of exported cargo was 4.9 million tonnes.

The Port of Helsinki specialises in unit loads, meaning that goods travel through the port in sea containers, trucks and trailers, in particular. A total of 8.1 million tonnes (-2.0%) of unitised cargo was transported by the end of August.

Read more about the Port of Helsinki’s monthly port statistics.

January–August 2025 statistics

*liner passenger traffic = regular ship traffic that operates according to a schedule, e.g. RoPax ferries operating between Tallinn and Helsinki.