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Pori and Raahe reach agreement on offshore wind hub and port development cooperation

Pori and Raahe reach agreement on offshore wind hub and port development cooperation

29.04.2024

Finland is set to have a unique pair of ports for offshore wind power development as the cities of Pori and Raahe are intensifying cooperation to launch regional offshore wind hubs in both cities. The collaboration aims to ensure the implementation of port investments and investment subsidies. The port pair cooperation agreement is to be decided by the city boards in Pori and Raahe in meetings held on May 6th.

Ports play a critical role in the implementation of offshore wind projects. A functional port environment that meets technical requirements is essential for successful offshore wind projects.
These requirements include adequate drafting of channels and technical specifications for necessary quay and yard areas.

Currently, there is no port in Finland that meets these requirements, and individual cities or port companies do not have the capacity to invest in offshore wind ports based solely on business economic reasons. This makes future cooperation particularly important, enhancing regional vitality and competitiveness on a broad front.

“Offshore wind and port projects play a crucial role in fulfilling Finland’s goals for a clean transition, as well as in increasing the domestic content of investments. Offshore wind project ecosystems have a significant positive impact on employment and the development of production subcontracting chains,” states Lauri Inna, Mayor of Pori.

“The port investments required for offshore wind hubs are so significant that they necessitate investment subsidies. By targeting investment subsidies to the selected port pair, we ensure
economically and business-justified investments and the timely implementation of offshore wind projects,” continues Leena Mikkola-Riekkinen, Mayor of Raahe.

The agreement to be made will initiate offshore wind hub cooperation between Pori and Raahe. A critical part of the cooperation is to ensure the key port and offshore wind hub projects, as well as state and EU support for port investments.

More information:
City of Pori:
Seppo Ihalainen, Pori Offshore Wind Hub Project, phone +358 44 774 4300
Lauri Kilkku, CEO, Suisto Kiinteistöt Ltd, phone +358 44 701 1019
Vesa Mäkilä, CEO, Port of Pori, phone +358 44 701 2601
City of Raahe:
Pasi Pitkänen, Development Director, City of Raahe, phone +358 40 135 6750
Seppo Vehkaoja, CEO, Port of Raahe, phone +358 44 972 9432

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Pori is building a competitive advantage from offshore wind power

Pori is building a competitive advantage from offshore wind power.

20.06.2023

The City of Pori is constructing an international hub for expertise and operations based on offshore wind power, in collaboration with leading companies in the industry. The initiative is being spearheaded by Suisto Kiinteistöt, a city-owned company, which has hired Seppo Ihalainen, who successfully globalized the data centre company Ficolo, to lead the project.

The Gulf of Bothnia area is internationally one of the most favourable areas for the construction of offshore wind farms: Within a radius of 400 kilometres from Pori, a total of 15 larger wind power projects have been announced in Finland and Sweden. Tahkoluoto is already home to the world’s first ice-prone sea wind park, which Suomen Hyötytuuli is significantly expanding.

Meanwhile, Enersense, a publicly traded company, is already constructing technically demanding foundations for offshore wind turbines in the Port of Pori Mäntyluoto harbour area. Additionally, Suomen Hyötytuuli and the Port of Pori have just agreed to build a gravel loading dock at the Port of Pori Tahkoluoto harbour to serve the construction of wind turbine foundations.

The region has strong expertise and infrastructure, providing a solid foundation for developing advanced services required by the industry. The competence hub aims to secure a significant share of investments related to the construction and operation of offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Bothnia. According to the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the total value of planned offshore wind power investments in Finland alone exceeds 42 billion euros.

The hub serves both Finnish and Swedish offshore wind farms

The competence hub will be located on a 50-hectare area in Port of Pori Mäntyluoto harbour. In the initial phase, the area is planned for pre-installation services, assembly, and storage of offshore wind turbines. The construction of offshore wind turbines is demanding and costly, which is why onshore pre-installation plays a crucial role in terms of cost efficiency. The Port of Pori area provides excellent infrastructure for this purpose, which is planned to be further developed. The port area naturally serves as a hub for companies providing maintenance and operation services for the turbines, as well as for specialized vessels used in the construction of offshore wind farms.

The project steering group includes representatives from the City of Pori, the Port of Pori, and the city-owned company Suisto Kiinteistöt, as well as Suomen Hyötytuuli, Enersense, and the Dutch logistics service provider Olmar. In addition, the competence hub aims to attract international technology and service suppliers in the offshore wind power industry.

“There are several significant offshore wind power investments planned for the Gulf of Bothnia. Our goal is to build a competence hub that serves wind power projects in the region, both in Finland and Sweden. We already have one offshore wind park in operation, giving us a head start compared to competitors. We aim to develop Pori as a pioneer in clean energy solutions,” says Lauri Kilkku, CEO of Suisto Kiinteistöt Oy, the company owning properties in the Port of Pori area.

The recent government program provides support for the project in Pori. According to it, “the government sets an ambitious target for offshore wind power capacity by 2035 and creates a competitive advantage for Finland compared to other Baltic Sea countries.” Additionally, the program states that “the government promotes a predictable and encouraging operating environment, as well as smooth project development and construction.”

Suisto Kiinteistöt has hired Seppo Ihalainen, who led the Pori-based data centre company Ficolo to international success and sold his ownership stake last year, to promote the project.

“The principles in green transition projects are similar to those in developing digital infrastructure. Expertise is crucial, and it is necessary to build strong ecosystems. Wind power expertise and port development provide a solid foundation for industrial investments related to solar power and green hydrogen production,” says Seppo Ihalainen.

The project has already been initiated, and during the upcoming autumn, the business model and financing structure for the project will be determined. The project steering group consists of the following organizations: City of Pori, The Port of Pori Oy, and Suisto Kiinteistöt Oy.

Port of Pori Ltd has been granted co-funding worth ca. EUR 7.3 million from the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program for the project Quays2Solutions

Port of Pori Ltd has been granted co-funding worth ca. EUR 7.3 million from the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program for the project Quays2Solutions – Improving maritime access and sustainable efficiency in the Port of Pori.

12.10.2022

The main objectives of the project are to remove the bottleneck of insufficient maritime access for larger vessels, to create safer and more efficient port operations, to reduce environmental impact of port operations as well as to promote decarbonization of cargo transports. The project supports the port’s sustainability goals.

The EU co-funding was granted to construct a new quay infrastructure in Mäntyluoto harbor and a new quay for liquid bulk in Tahkoluoto harbor. The new quays will be constructed by the end of 2022, and they will significantly improve the port’s service level and support stakeholders’ businesses in several ways. In addition, the project improves the security of supply in the Port of Pori.

The co-funding application was carefully prepared for approximately a year and the positive funding decision is a great reward for the long-term work. The decision affects positively to the regional economy in Pori and in Satakunta region. It is great that the Port of Pori is acknowledged as an important part of the comprehensive Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Wega Group Oy assisted Port of Pori in preparing the application.

More info:
CEO of Port of Pori Ltd, Vesa Mäkilä, +358 44 701 2601, vesa.makila@portofpori.fi
Development Manager of Port of Pori Ltd, Kai Heinonen, +358 44 701 2616, kai.heinonen@portofpori.fi

In the name of the Port of Pori, attempts are being made to change payment information in order to direct payments elsewhere.

In the name of the Port of Pori, attempts are being made to change payment information in order to direct payments elsewhere.

09.02.2022

We have heard that, in the name of the Port of Pori, an attempt is made to fish for information about possible open invoices from our partners and then redirect payments elsewhere.

Intended to direct our receivables to fraudsters.
Such scam messages should not be responded to.

We are making a criminal report on this matter and at the same time we are also reporting to the Cyber Security Center.

The total traffic of the port increased in 2021!

The total traffic of the port increased in 2021!

07.01.2022

The port’s total traffic in 2021 compared to 2020 increased by 14.94 percent. Total traffic in tonnes was about 3.6 million tonnes.

Imports were minus around 19% during the same period. Exports pulled and were about 72 percent positive. In particular, exports of liquid bulk, solid bulk and transit coal increased the port’s total traffic. In addition, exports of recycled metals increased compared to the previous year.

There were 511 vessel visits, which is 35 vessel more than in 2020.

The operations in Tahkoluoto will be transferred to Rauanheimo.

Release: The operations in Tahkoluoto will be transferred to Rauanheimo.

27.12.2021

The operations at the bulk terminal in Tahkoluoto will be transferred from Adolf Lahti to Rauanheimo as of 1.1.2022.

Sami Veneranta will continue as Operative Manager at Tahkoluoto and Kim Ventin will serve as Region Director for Western Finland.

For further information about the transfer of operations at Tahkoluoto or about Rauanheimo, please contact Managing Director Tero Kosonen, p. +358 40 862 0292, tero.kosonen@rauanheimo.com or Region Director Kim Ventin, p. +358 40 585 4907, kim.ventin@rauanheimo.com.

We wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

21.12.2021

The year is coming to an end and it is time to thank you for the past year!
Happy New Year, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022!

Media release: VRT Finland acquires Satamatieto

Media release: VRT Finland acquires Satamatieto.

07.12.2021

A big part of Finnish knowhow on port software is now under one roof – VRT Finland Oy acquires Satamatieto Oy

VRT Finland has been working with port industry in Europe since its founding in 2010, performing 3D surveys and doing digitizing projects for ports. VRT has also developed a cloud software GISGRO which offers ports an easy start on the path for digitalization and enables gathering of georeferenced port asset information into one visual platform.
Satamatieto has been a trailblazer of ports’ digital ERP since 2004. The software company has developed solutions for energy, environment, and resource management with their clients, aiming at easing the everyday work in the ports.

Ports often use dozens of different software for different purposes, which is a challenge when the goal is to enhance effectivity with digitalization. Now as VRT acquires Satamatieto, this challenge is going to be tackled by experts of software development and asset digitalization together with the port industry’s professionals.

“Our goal is to ease the everyday work in a port by gathering all the needed information on one platform. Ports now have different software for managing geographical information, assets and resources, but together with Satamatieto we can offer a complete solution to all the ports’ needs“, describes Kirsi Hänninen, CEO of VRT Finland.

“GISGRO is a modern online software, which can lift the benefits of PDS for ports on higher level. Easiness of use is the key to bring the digital tools into port’s everyday life. To reach this objective we need wide understanding of port industry and appreciate also our clients’ feedback and ideas for development”, continues Kimmo Naski, Chairman of the Board of Satamatieto.

Combining information into one platform helps the communication between different stakeholders in a port and enables the utilization of large amount of data for the development of artificial intelligence. Each port has its own unique business environment which means that general models may not be applicable for the decision making in the port. The port’s own database gives an opportunity to use the specific data from the port’s history and integrated data sources as the basis of AI solutions.
The majority of Finnish ports, and several ports around Europe use GISGRO and PDS. Merging of VRT and Satamatieto creates a significant hub of Finnish port expertise, leading the way for port digitalization also in the international context.

Contacts:
Kirsi Hänninen
CEO, VRT Finland Oy
+358 44 0310760 / kirsi.hanninen@vrt.fi

Kimmo Naski
Chairman of the Board, Satamatieto Oy
+358 40 5702036 / kimmo.naski@haminakotka.fi

About Satamatieto

Satamatieto makes the day-to-day operations of customers smoother and easier. Our know-how and operating models enable customer-oriented work. We are a reliable partner, and we develop our products and develop together with the customer. Our owners are Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, Port of Pori Ltd and Port of Rauma Ltd. Our customers are almost all the major Finnish ports.
www.satamatieto.fi

About GISGRO:

GISGRO is a smart port management platform that helps port, their clients, and their subcontractors work smarter. With the ability to view and utilize port operations and asset data quickly and easily, the ports gain the power to effectively oversee and optimize port operations. Everyone at GISGRO has the port experience and passion to help the ports find the optimal ways to maximize the benefits of smart technology for the ports’ specific needs. GISGRO is developed my VRT Finland, a 3D underwater survey pioneer established in 2010 and based in Jyväskylä, Finland.
www.gisgro.com

New piers are under construction

New piers are under construction!

22.11.2021

The first elements were laid last week on the future Kallonlahti 2 pier on the Mäntyluoto side, and the installation of the elements will continue this week.
For the Tahkoluoto liquid bulk pier, the elements have already been installed.

Above is a picture of the element of the Mäntyluoto Kallonlahti 2 pier, which is being installed.

Above is a picture of the area of Tahkoluoto’s new liquid bulk pier. The new pier will be built behind the existing pier.

New berth projects are progressing on schedule!

New berth projects are progressing on schedule!

08.09.2021

The construction of Kallonlahti 2 quay and Tahkoluoto liquid bulk quay is well under way.

Below are three pictures from the Mäntyluoto construction site.

Aarhus 2 dHamburg 2,5 dAntwerp 5 dGävle 12 hTampere 1 hHelsinki 2,5 hOulu 6 hSt. Petersburg 8 hAarhus 2 dHamburg 2,5 dAntwerp 5 dGävle 12 hTampere 1 hHelsinki 2,5 hOulu 6 hSt. Petersburg 8 hAarhus 2 dHamburg 2,5 dAntwerp 5 dGävle 12 hTampere 1 hHelsinki 2,5 hOulu 6 hSt. Petersburg 8 h