The port of Helsinki saw a 7.4 per cent year-on-year decline in container throughput in March

The port of Helsinki reported a 7.4% year-on-year drop in container traffic in March, with 44,788 TEU shipped out.  

In March, the total volume of loaded containers at Finnish ports reached 33,788 TEU, down 6.3 percent year on year, while the total volume of empty containers handled by the port was 11,001 TEU, down 10.4 percent year on year.  

"The operational environment has been challenged by increased transportation costs due to war, challenges facing the distribution chain of cargo transportation, and the impact of war on general economic development," the port said of the figures.  

However, according to data from the Port of Helsinki, the total volume of cargo carried at the port increased by 0.9% to 1,316,873 tonnes from March 2021.  

In the three months to 2022, the port's throughput was 907,897 TEU, down 10.3 percent from the same period last year.  

Meanwhile, cargo shipments reached nearly 3.65 million tons in the January-March period, up 4.8 percent from the same period in 2021.  

The Port of Helsinki believes that the sanctions imposed against Russia are necessary and calls on the European Union (EU) to adopt a unified approach in their implementation.  "The port of Helsinki complies with EU and national decisions on the movement of goods, Russian-owned companies and vessels related to Russia," the port noted in a statement.