Spotlight on: Helsinki

The biggest port in Finland and one of Europe’s busiest, Helsinki is key to Finnish trade. Find out more about Customs Support at the “Daughter of the Baltic” in this article.

The Port of Helsinki

The Port of Helsinki is Finland’s largest port, and one of the busiest in Europe – with over 15 million tonnes of goods processed through the port in 2022. Imports and exports were nearly 50/50, with 7.7 million tonnes imported and 7.4 million tonnes exported respectively.

Of the cargo that goes through the Port of Helsinki, the majority is unitised – meaning that it arrives in a container or on a vehicle. About 30% of unitised cargo was containerised in 2022.

Despite a large majority of the port’s goods being unitised, a significant volume of bulk cargo is processed through the port every year. In 2022, more than 1.6 million tonnes of bulk goods went through the Port of Helsinki – mostly imports of coal, cement, and grains.

Port of Loviisa

A subsidiary of the Port of Helsinki, the Port of Loviisa traditionally manages large volumes of forestry, construction, and other industry-related products. However, since the sanctions against Russia began in 2022, the port lost significant traffic and has since processed more global foreign imports. Overall, there was only a 3.7% reduction in volume in 2022 compared to 2021.

The history of the Helsinki

The Port of Helsinki is relatively young compared to some of the ports in our series, such as the Port of Felixstowe or the Port of Waterford. Whilst these two ports were established in the first millennium, the Port of Helsinki was founded in 1550 by Sweden’s King Gustav I Vasa.

Helsinki’s port, originally known as Helsingfors, was created as competition for Estonia’s Port of Tallinn, which is just across the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, poverty, disease, and war stopped the port from gaining any prosperity – with plague killing over 60% of the town in the 18th century.

In the early 19th century, Russia fought Sweden in the Finnish War. Once the war had ended, Eastern Sweden became part of Russia and was known as the Grand Duchy of Finland. It was then that Helsinki became the capital. 

The port’s popularity grew with the increase in industry and the development of railroad infrastructure following Finland’s annexation into Russia in 1809. By 1900, Helsinki’s population grew from four thousand to over 100 thousand people.

Finland announced its independence from Russia in 1917, sparking a civil war and the occupation of Helsinki by USSR soldiers. Aided by Germany, the city was reclaimed by the Finnish military and the first Finnish president was elected in 1919.

Finland repelled all foreign invaders during World War II and Helsinki remained relatively intact as a result of the great air defence deployed in the city. Following the war, Finland signed a Treaty of Friendship with the USSR and declared itself a neutral state.

Helsinki rapidly grew in the 1960s and 70s – tripling its population and becoming a popular location for international events.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995, ending their political neutrality. However, the country remains neutral in terms of military alignment.

Today, Helsinki is home to the headquarters of major companies in Finland, as well as the representing headquarters of many international businesses.

Customs Support Helsinki

Customs Support Helsinki is located at the heart of the Vuosaari Harbour, alongside two cargo-handling warehouses in the same area. Vuosaari Harbour handles breakbulk, containerised, and Ro/Ro traffic in the area.

Our customs clearance team makes up just under a third of our office personnel in Helsinki, with two-thirds of these people working on import declarations and the other third on export clearances.

In addition to clearances, we have a small customs consultancy team in Helsinki, working with businesses on their goods classification, AEO certification, and customs permit applications. This is the same team which got SA-TU Logistics (now Customs Support Finland) their AEO licence as the first company in Finland to do, and one of the first in Europe.

Did you know?

A spotlight was shone on Helsinki when it hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1952, which is understood to have been a catalyst in the city’s growth. It is also the most northernly city to ever host the Summer games.

• Helsinki is one of the most sparsely populated capitals in Europe, meaning that there is more space per person compared to other cities.
• Despite statistically being the coldest Nordic capital, Helsinki has more rain than snow. About 120 days a year are rainy in the city.

Need Customs Support in Helsinki?

Working with our colleagues throughout the Baltics, Nordics, and throughout Europe, Customs Support Helsinki is here for all of your customs clearance and consultancy needs. Contact us for more information.