A bulk cargo ship being loaded at the Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki.
With the marine logistics in order, good delivery reliability extends across oceans. The careful optimisation of shipments reduces transport costs, but also the carbon dioxide emissions of transport. FUNCTIONAL AND RESPONSIBLE MARINE LOGISTICS
MARKKU RIMPILÄINEN, photos SAMI VALLIUS
“Our primary goals in marine logistics include making use of natural transport flows and transport hubs. This prin- ciple works extremely well,” says Jyrki Ranki , VP, Marine Logistics at Metsä Group. Helsinki and Kotka are the most important ports of ex- port for the transportation of both pulp and sawn timber. “Rauma’s importance as the port of departure is also about to increase, thanks to the sawmill investment.” SUFFICIENT VOLUME OF CONTAINER TRAFFIC Container traffic is one of the most important operating methods in the marine logistics of pulp and sawn tim- ber. The balance between exports and imports plays an essential role in it. “This balance in the traffic has an impact on both the availability of capacity and the cost level of deliveries.” At the moment, Finland’s biggest container port is Kotka, followed by Helsinki. The balance between import and ex- port traffic in Helsinki is the best in Finland. The volume in Rauma is smaller than in Helsinki or Kotka. Metsä Fibre can use the containers arriving to Finland in its own exporting. “We use the containers that have arrived in Finland in the returning traffic to Asia. For the time being, these three ports are the only ones where this is possible.” The containers depart Finland as feeder traffic to the ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean, such as Ham- burg, Rotterdam and Antwerp. There the containers are loaded onto big container ships that transport them to Asia, the Middle East or the Mediterranean.
FUNCTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS Ports that handle plenty of inbound and outbound traffic generally tend to have have a good level of services and a number of port operators. “We appreciate commercial competition in the port. The competitive situation is apt to develop operations and im- prove the level of services,” says Ranki. “The key thing is to find partners with a good reason for developing their operations and growing with us. Com- mitted and motivated partners are an essential factor in developing cost-effectiveness and delivery reliability.” THE RIGHT SHIPPING COMPANIES Bulk cargo transport relies heavily on shipping companies, which carry raw materials needed by Finland’s industrial sector. This generates two-way transport flows. Short-distance cargo flows run on a partly triangular route from Scandinavia to the North Sea, and from there through the Baltic countries back north. “We ship a little pulpwood from the Baltics to Finland. The same ships carry pulp and sawn timber to the North Sea ports. When the ships return to the Baltic Sea, our shipping partners sell cargo for transports suitable for this traffic.” In both container and bulk cargo traffic, the selection of the shipping company is dictated by the company’s ability to carry out the transports according to Metsä Fibre’s needs. “The partners we are looking for are shipping companies that can provide us with a sufficient fleet suitable for our needs, in a flexible manner.”
42
43
Powered by FlippingBook