Finnish Port of Helsinki opened West Terminal 2, a new terminal designed for fast scheduled ferries, on February 27.
The West Terminal 2 project, which included the construction of the new terminal building and its quays, passenger bridges and corridors, field areas and roads, as well as the improvement of the fairway, has been the largest investment of the decade for the Port of Helsinki.
The new quays have a potential to offer shipping companies shore power, which reduces local noise and air emissions, according to the Port of Helsinki. Additionally, bunkering with LNG is also possible at the harbor.
One of the new quays features an automatic ship mooring system as well as a dual ramp solution, thanks to which vehicles can be driven in and out of a ship on two levels simultaneously. Together, these two systems are expected to shorten ship turnaround times.
In spring 2017, West Terminal 2 will be used by Tallink Silja’s ferries Megastar and Star. In addition, Eckerö Line’s MS Finlandia will start using the terminal in early summer.
The budget for the new terminal was EUR 45 million (around USD 48 million), while the project’s total budget was EUR 90 million.