“Finland and Finnish shipping are my number-one priority. Which is why I’m so proud of my current role,” says Sanna Sonninen, Traficom’s new Director of Maritime Transport.

Sanna Sonninen grew up right on the Russian border, in Virolahti, at the far end of the Gulf of Finland.

“As someone who was raised on the coast, the sea has always been my natural element. After upper secondary school, I decided to go against my friends’ and family’s wishes and try a career in shipping. I wanted to be part of that great mechanical entity that sails off into the distance. Somehow it seems so amazing. I wanted to know what a ship really is.”

Sonninen joined the maritime sector in the early 1990s, right after graduating from upper secondary school.

 She recalls how, “Many people warned me that this was not a suitable profession for a woman: ‘You have excellent grades – just be a good girl and go to university.’”

“However, my folks gave me permission to study for a maritime career, and I ended up taking a vocational degree for high-school graduates, after which I immediately joined m/t Lunni as a trainee for Neste’s tankers. The ship’s crew naturally wanted to see how ‘the girl’ would manage – would she be strong enough and would she do her job? But they accepted me once they realised that I got things done.”

Sonninen completed her deck officer training during her time at Neste, and then went on study leave to get her Skipper’s certificate.

“I worked on Neste’s gas and product tankers. At that time, it was a rare chance to sail out into the world under the Finnish flag. We visited Asia, North and South America, and more. After gaining my Skipper’s certificate, I was first officer on m/t Uikku, which sailed not only in the North and Baltic Seas, but also through the Northern Sea Route to the Bering Strait.”

“Ports must improve their efficiency and safety in tandem.”

After Neste, Sonninen transferred to FG-Shipping (now Finnlines) in 1998.

“I got a job as first officer on Finnhansa. I then spent 2001 on land. First at the Finnish Maritime Administration and then, only six months later, at VTT. It was the first time that VTT had been looking for a ship’s captain to act as a project manager and researcher. I spent the next six years in that role. My first project at VTT was actually a commission from the Port of Helsinki: a usability study of the Särkänsalmi fairway.”

Sonninen’s own fairway from VTT led her first to the Finnish Maritime Administration as a director, and then onwards to the Finnish Transport Safety Agency and Finnpilot, until she was appointed Director of Marine Transport at Traficom in autumn 2024.

Ports are part of the ‘arteries’ of our country

“Ports, vessel representatives, operators, shipbrokers, agents – they are all parts of the ‘arteries’ of our country’s logistics system. Ports are now subject to new regulations that will apparently increase their workload, and this will naturally be challenging in the current circumstances.”

Sonninen says that ports must improve their efficiency and safety in tandem.

“Every disruption we experience in traffic to and from ports will cause losses for everyone involved – ports, operators, vessels, and even icebreaking and pilotage services. Ports, along with other maritime operators, play an important role in ensuring that vessel traffic can visit Finnish ports safely, smoothly and efficiently.”

Sonninen believes that ports are also a critical component in Finland’s security of supply.

WHO?

• Sanna Sonninen is a Master of Science in Technology, a sea captain and a doctoral researcher.
• She became Traficom’s Director of Maritime Transport in October 2024.
• Sonninen enjoys a broad range of sports and exercise, caring for her houseplants, and spending time at her summer cottage.