The Regional State Administrative Agency has granted Rauman Satama Oy a permit to build a quay in the sea area, to deepen the front of the quay by dredging and excavation, and to dredge the entrance fairway in the city of Rauma in accordance with the application updated on 13 May 2019.

The project will enable the introduction of a new port section in the port of Ulko-Petäjäs. The expanded port and new pier serve sea transportation
better enabling more efficient movement of goods in maritime transport. The project is of great importance for the export industry and the vitality of the Rauma region. With larger vessel sizes, environmental benefits are also achieved.

“Port traffic as a whole and container traffic were at the previous year’s level. Thanks to the deeper fairway, the size of the vessel has further increased and this has a direct impact on the number of visits by vessels. Larger container vessels were introduced in Rauma’s traffic, replacing several small vessels. The total tonnage of the vessels increased despite the decrease in the number of visits, ”says Hannu Asumalahti, CEO of Rauman Satama Oy. “The decline in paper consumption in the main export countries is unfortunately reflected in a brisk decline in export volumes, but the bright spot is the correspondingly strong growth in sawn timber traffic.”

Towards the end of the year, two very large bulk carriers, BW Matsuyama and Stonington Eagle, visited the Port of Rauma.

BW Matsuyama is the largest cargo ship ever to visit Rauma, with a net tonnage of 27,444 t and a length of 229 m.

The Stonington Eagle is also a large cargo ship with a net tonnage of 21,224 t and a length of 200 m. From Rauma, the Stonington Eagle headed for grain cargo via Sweden to the United States.

Petäjäs construction phases 2, 3 and 4

The project to expand the Rauma port field facilities in Ulko-Petäjäs continues. Phases 2 and 3 of the expansion area have just been completed and the next phase 4 will start in early October. The contract for the Petäjäs 4 project has been signed with Terramare Oy.

“In the spring of 2016, we launched a major investment, a fairway deepening and a container terminal, which included the Petäjäs Phase 1, which was completed two years ago, and Phases 2 and 3 are now ready to be handed over to users. Petäjäs 4, which will start now, will be completed in the summer of 2021, says Hannu Asumalahti, CEO of Rauman Satama Oy.

–Phases 2 and 3 were carried out by the Workers’ Association Petäjäs, which consisted of Vilppulan Kivijaloste Oy, Kaivinkoneurakointi Juha Lönnqvist Oy and Maanrakennus Mikko Tiensuu Oy. The contract began in the spring of 2018 and was completed within the original schedule and a cost estimate of 12.5 million, which we are very pleased about, Asumalahti states.

Civil engineering works account for about 16 million

Petäjäs 4 will bring the required additional field to the port about six hectares.

-The extension will be needed, as the previous phases have already been fully leased. The port had a long season without extensions and now consistently all the additional facilities have been leased quickly. There has also already been demand for Phase 4, Asumalahti confirms.

According to Asumalahti, the new field space will bring completely new activities to the port area and thereby increase jobs and activity in the Rauma region. The total cost estimate of the project is approximately EUR 18.5 million, of which the contract to be started now will account for approximately EUR 16 million.

–The contract concerns civil engineering works and the overall assessment also includes the treatment of contaminated dredging spoil and paving and lighting works. The backfill area will have to be built from imported quarry, which will extend the contract time and is a large cost item.

According to Hannu Tomper, CEO of Terramare Oy, the Petäjäs 4 contract is important for Terramare Oy and just right for the equipment.

“We will start mobilizing the equipment at the beginning of October and in dredging we will use our dredger Kahmari 2 and our four towed cargo vessels. Quarry backfilling is done in collaboration with local contractors. We strive to ensure that the disruption caused by dredging and quarrying is kept to a minimum for port operations.

For more information, please contact Hannu Asumalahti, President and CEO, tel. +358 50 3039700.

The Port of Rauma is the third largest container port in Finland, with an annual cargo traffic of approximately EUR 6 million. tons. In recent years, the port has invested in e.g. deepening the deep waterway and expanding the container terminal. Rauman Satama Oy is a subsidiary of the City of Rauma, which has about 30 employees.

For the time being, the port of Rauma continues to operate normally, the port main gate is operational and ship services are provided 24/7. However, we are prepared for the exceptional situation caused by the spread of coronavirus in many ways. We primarily follow the instructions and regulations issued by the authorities. If, due to regulatory decisions or other reasons, the opening hours of the port have to be changed or the supply of ship services has to be reduced, we will inform you immediately. As the situation develops, companies operating in the harbor area decide and communicate independently about changes in their operations.

For more information:

Hannu Asumalahti, Managing Director and CEO, tel. +358 50 303 9700

At the end of the year there were two very large bulk vessels visiting the port of Rauma, BW Matsuyama and Stonington Eagle.

BW Matsuyama is the largest cargo vessel ever that has visited the port of Rauma. She has a net tonnage of 27 444 ton and length of 229 meters. She headed to Naantali and then further to Jeddah with her barley cargoload.

Stonington Eagle is also a large cargo ship with a net tonnage of 21 224 tons and length of 200 meters. From Rauma she headed towards the United States via Sweden.

This morning, the Maersk container ship Verssi Maersk arrived in the port of Rauma for the first time. The vessel will start operating in the port of Rauma on a regular basis. The ship was built in 2018 and has a whopping 200 meters in length. Welcome to the port of Rauma for Maersk!

At the turn of the year, Rauman Satama Oy and the port operator Euroports Rauma Oy carried out a customer satisfaction survey, the aim of which was to find out the satisfaction of customer companies operating in the port and to receive feedback for developing operations. The previous study was conducted in 2015.

The overall rating of the study for both the Port of Rauma and Euroports for Rauma was 3.8 / 5. The ratings were almost the same as three years ago, but one in two respondents felt that the port’s operations had improved.

Ups and downs

According to the respondents, the Port of Rauma and Euroports were the most successful in terms of access and licensing practices, as well as occupational safety, which were at a good level. Of Euroports’ services, vehicle unloading and loading was estimated to have developed the most. Of the port company’s services, waste management was estimated to have developed the most. Information and environmental friendliness also received good marks. According to the study, the port’s services are constantly being used more than before and they are also perceived as more relevant. This is also reflected in the fact that respondents evaluate services more critically than in the past. Indeed, the results showed small dips across the board compared to the previous study. Of the respondent groups, especially those working in operational work, they were satisfied with the port’s operations. Although the figures from the previous study were not quite reached, the success of the port was assessed as good at all the points examined.

Better than average port

As a whole, the respondents consider the Port of Rauma to be better or at least average than the average level. They also believed that their operations in the port would continue to grow, especially after the commissioning of the new container terminal and pier. Expectations of the quality of operations in the future are also positive. Respondents express development wishes primarily for facilities and services. Customer-oriented service and flexibility in problem-solving situations were especially valued. Satisfaction with the port’s operations was reflected in the readiness to recommend – with the exception of three, all respondents would be ready to recommend the port of Rauma to their colleagues.

Even better in the future

The increased volume of traffic in the port and the use of services have naturally put pressure on the port staff. Overall, however, the port has fared well – also in the opinion of customers. The shortcomings are now known and will be addressed in the future. The goal is to maintain a good level of service and customer confidence and to continue to consider Rauma as one of Finland’s leading ports.

Read the story on the website of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Rauman Satama Oy has published the minimum requirements for service providers in accordance with the EU Port Services Regulation. Read the terms and conditions here.