Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Legislation, Port, Transport

Toomas Hendrik Ilves (right) in Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki. Photo: ts.ee

The MoU between the two ports was signed 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 study shall be ordered by the Port of Tallinn.

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.