Port of Helsinki container traffic rises 9.4% in early 2026
Port of Helsinki Sees Growth in Unitized Cargo Despite Overall Dip
The Port of Helsinki reported handling 5.8 million tonnes of cargo from January to May, a slight decrease of 1.1% compared to the same period last year. However, this overall decline was offset by robust growth in unitized cargo.
During the first five months, the port processed 495,000 unitized cargo units, marking a 4.9% increase year-on-year. Specifically, container traffic saw a significant surge of 9.4% in TEUs, while truck and trailer volumes rose by 1.2%. Unitized cargo tonnage reached 5.3 million, up 2.5% from the previous year. Both imports and exports contributed to this positive trend, with imports climbing 1.8% to 2.3 million tonnes and exports increasing by 3.1% to 3.0 million tonnes.
Vesa Marttinen, Vice President of Cargo at the Port of Helsinki, attributed the growth in freight volumes to improving economic conditions in Finland. “As Finland’s economy begins to recover, we are observing increased activity in unitized cargo traffic,” Marttinen stated. He also noted that ongoing construction on the Vuosaari Harbour road tunnel has had minimal impact, with cargo operations largely proceeding as usual. The Port of Helsinki’s primary cargo routes connect Finland with Estonia, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Passenger traffic remained largely stable throughout the period, with 3.1 million passengers passing through the port, a modest decrease of 0.5% year-on-year. Notable route performance included a 1.4% increase in traffic to Stockholm and a 9.6% growth on the Helsinki–Travemünde route.
International cruise activity also showed significant strengthening. Helsinki welcomed 17 cruise calls carrying 44,000 passengers, an impressive increase of 31.9%. Furthermore, the port anticipates hosting 15 turnaround cruise ships this season, marking a return after a multi-year hiatus.