The development programme will concentrate Tallinn traffic to West Harbour and Stockholm traffic to Katajanokka Harbour. The South Harbour area will be made available to city residents for other uses. The development programme introduces reforms for all ports in Helsinki.

WEST HARBOUR

West Harbour will become a hub for sea traffic from Helsinki to Tallinn. It is the Port of Helsinki’s most important harbour in terms of economic impact, and in the 2030s, the vast majority of passenger transport will depart from there. The development programme consists of three parts in West Harbour:

Harbour tunnel: The harbour tunnel constructed between West Harbour and Länsiväylä will significantly improve the accessibility of West Harbour and move both cargo transport and a significant proportion of car traffic in the harbour in the Jätkäsaari and Ruoholahti areas underground. Learn more about the tunnel here.

Jätkäsaari Maritime Centre: The new Maritime Centre will be built in the place of the current T1 terminal, which will be dismantled in 2025. In addition to terminal facilities, the new terminal will be designed to house commercial, office and parking spaces and services. The Maritime Centre is closely linked to the construction of the harbour tunnel, as the southern opening of the tunnel is planned to be located under the new Maritime Centre. Therefore, the construction schedule of the Maritime Centre will be coordinated with tunnel construction.

Quay and field area changes: The quay and field arrangements in West Harbour will also be renewed. The changes will create long-awaited additional space in the harbour area, which will allow for the harbour area’s internal traffic to be reorganised to better correlate with ship schedules. The renovation work of the quay and field areas requires careful staggering, as the operational activities of the harbour must continue undisrupted throughout the construction project.

KATAJANOKKA HARBOUR

Passenger and car ferry traffic to Stockholm will be concentrated in Katajanokka Harbour in the early 2030s. At the same time, Katajanokka’s current passenger terminal will be reformed to serve passengers and two shipping companies. The Katajanokka quays will also be made available to smaller international cruise ships. 

The reforms will significantly reduce vehicle traffic in Katajanokka Harbour, as vehicle traffic serving Stockholm traffic is approximately 75% less than that of the routes to Tallinn. The reforms will therefore also reduce port-related car use in Helsinki city centre.

SOUTH HARBOUR

When passenger and car ferry traffic to Stockholm is transferred from South Harbour to Katajanokka, almost all of the passenger ferry traffic will be removed from the Port of Helsinki area. The common goal of the City of Helsinki and the Port of Helsinki is to open the South Harbour area for more diverse use for residents. The plan is to make Makasiiniranta in South Harbour part of the pedestrian city centre and the seaside trail along the shores of Helsinki and the location of the new architecture and design museum.

Only international cruise traffic and potential for high-speed vessel traffic will remain in the port area.

VUOSAARI HARBOUR

The Port of Helsinki is Finland’s main international trading port, specialising in unitized cargo transported in containers, lorries and trailers. Expanding Vuosaari Harbour will increase capacity at Finland’s leading transit port for daily consumer goods.

Efficient, uninterrupted imports and exports support Finland’s prosperity and security of supply.

A large share of Finland’s foreign trade passes through the Port of Helsinki. Vuosaari Harbour is centrally located near the country’s population, production and consumption centres. It is connected by highways, railway, a 13-metre-deep fairway and a parallel fairway, with Helsinki Airport also nearby.

Vuosaari Harbour will be developed for future freight traffic and larger container ships. The western quay will be extended southwards into the sea.

The expansion of Vuosaari Harbour is planned to be carried out in stages.

Expansion planning begins with an environmental impact assessment

Planning will begun with an environmental impact assessment in 2026. Read more about the EIA.

The EIA procedure will identify and compare the environmental and social impacts of the expansion options. Read more about the project’s environmental impact assessment. (link)

Expansion will proceed in stages from the 2030s to the 2050s, near the end of the port development programme. Read more about the Port of Helsinki’s development programme.