Ports of Helsinki and Tallinn signed a MoU on traffic development between Vuosaari and Muuga harbours

Ports of Helsinki and Tallinn have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to develop a relevant cargo route between Vuosaari and Muuga harbours in the near future.

The MoU between the two ports was signed last Wednesday during the Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves’s visit to Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki, Finland.

As the sulphur directive is becoming effective next year the dynamics of the Gulf of Finland traffic are subject to change and the short distance between Helsinki and Tallinn may become more interesting to shipping lines.

According to the MoU, the ports of Helsinki and Tallinn will undertake a common study of cargo shipping perspectives, forecasts, volumes and shippers’ requirements.

The ports wish to offer an interesting alternative for traffic between Muuga and Vuosaari harbour to complement the roro capacity onboard passenger ferries. The study on development of traffic will serve as the basis for new alternatives. The MoU includes also exchange of information as well as marketing of the new route alternative and finding the qualifying potential operators on the line.

This MoU has its origin in the European Union transport infrastructure programme TEN-T cooperation between the harbours under the project TWIN PORT. Both ports are a part of EU’s core network of ports, to which certain expectations and quality requirements are to be met.

The MoU is effective until December 31, 2015 and from then one year at a time if agreed so.