Baltic Line opened new connections from Turku

Shipping companies respond to environmental requirements

DHL takes fashion to shops intact

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Aboard 1/2014The Port of Turku Magazine

Publisher: Port of Turku Ltd • Address: Juhana Herttuan puistokatu 21, 20100 Turku, Finland • www.portofturku.fiEditor-in-chief: Managing Director Christian Ramberg e-mail: christian.ramberg@port.turku.fi

Sub-editor: Marjo Ekman e-mail: marjo.ekman@port.turku.fi • Layout: Aija KallioCover Picture: Jouni Saaristo • Printing: Finepress Oy Edition: 1500 pcs

Change of address: markkinointi.satama@turku.fiISSN 2323-2528

EditorialSigns of better times 3

Film city Turku will have its own Queen 4

Stevena expands its services in the Port of Turku 6

Shortcut from Scandinavia to St Petersburg goes via Turku 8

ON THE COVER:Baltic Line opened new connections from Turku 12

Trafi controls safety at sea 14

ON THE COVER:Through the Port: DHL takes fashion to shops intact 16

ON THE COVER:Shipping companies respond

to environmental requirements 18

Pekka Orne´s columnIntelligence makes transports more efficient 21

Port employee: Eppu takes people on a trip 22

Clothes arrive from all over the world in DHL’s fashion logistics centre in the Ovako area in the Port of Turku.

Port operator Stevena will strengthen its position by increa-sing its stevedore and forwarding operations in the Port of Turku.

The Port of Turku’s connections in the Baltic Sea region were further improved when the Norwegian shipping company Nor Lines AS doubled the vessel capacity on its Baltic Line route.

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Signs of better timesLast year was the first financial year for the Port of Turku as a limited com-pany. Despite the prolonged economic recession, the Port’s traffic volume suggested a sign of better times. The upward trend started in early 2013 and strengthened towards the end of the year, as a result of which the total volume of traffic through the Port of Turku increased by 3.8 per cent on the previous year. The passenger traffic developed even more favourably as the growth rate stood at 5.1 per cent.

Scandinavian traffic picked up in particular, which was a direct consequen-ce of the investments made for the passengers on the route. The Port and its partners renovated the passenger harbour, new vessels with increased

cargo capacity were introduced on the route, and the services to different customer groups were improved in many ways. The new connections to Denmark and Poland, which were opened in the spring and the doubled capacity on the Norwegian route further, increased the Scandinavian traffic through the Port.

Linked to the Turku–Stockholm route, the growth corridor between Scan-dinavia and St Petersburg allows for positive development in the future, too. The growing role of the Port of Turku in the traffic between the Nordic countries and Russia has also been taken into account at EU level. The Port and its eastbound main connections, i.e. the E18 motorway and the railway from Turku to Vainikkala are part of the TEN-T core network comprised of the key traffic corridors of the EU. It allows the Port of Turku to offer efficient multi-modal transport routes for businesses also to Germany and all the way to the Mediterranean countries.

In order to strengthen the passenger traffic the Port of Turku continues to develop the passenger and vessel services. The goal is to offer the custo-mers services of equally high quality at both ends of the Turku–Stockholm route. Another key goal is to strengthen the eastbound rail traffic. There is a hope to open a high-speed train connection between Turku and St Pe-tersburg by making Turku the western terminal station of the Allegro train.

Regarding environmental work, the Port of Turku focuses on improving the state of the Baltic Sea and is closely involved in implementing the EU’s Blue Growth strategy, one of whose goals is to use technology in accordance with sustainable development in the maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea. Envi-ronmental issues will also feature prominently on the Turku Baltic Sea Days 2014 to be arranged from 1–6 June. We hope to see you there!

Christian Ramberg Managing Director

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Film city Turku will have its own QueenTExT: SiNi SilVaN PHoToS: RObERT SEgER, MaRi MERO

”This is just great”, says Teija Raninen, Film Commissioner of the West Finland Film Com-mission. Film city Turku has taken off.

Turku has slowly become a film city. You just need to sit at the bar in Uusi Apteekki on Kaskenkatu street to enter the world of Vares films made from books by Reijo Mäki. You can order a pint from the very same waiter who was seen on the silver screen. The milieu is unique. Private detective Vares has also had adventures in the Port of Turku.

In spring 2014, the cameras will roll around the Port again, when Mika Kaurismäki’s film The Girl King will be shot in the Turku Castle. Mr Kaurismäki toured all the 17th century castles in Europe, but finally chose Turku. Teija Raninen’s account is just incredible:

”I heard that Mr Kaurismäki had visited Turku and I sent him an e-mail saying ‘Hi, I’m Teija Ra-ninen from the West Finland Film Commission, we provide services to film productions’.”

Turku got a large international production in which the city is not just a setting. The costumes for the film are also made in Turku.

“This is not for AV people only, a huge number of professionals from different fields are needed in film-making. We offer training jobs and exper-tise. This is a springboard for many newly gradu-ated to work in a film production. once they have

a chance to show what they can do, they will get other jobs, because it’s a networked business”, Ms Raninen explains.

”Quick feet and high stress tolerance”

Costume Designer Marjatta Nissinen together with Meri Pitkänen started work in the vacant premises rented from the Port of Turku in the autumn, and tracked down the necessary pro-fessionals, machines and materials.

When one steps in through the door of the costume design workshop in the middle of the port area, one feels like Alice in Wonderland. There are hundreds of costumes in the 17th century style with lace, collars and ruffles. The vacant space now houses a sewing workshop where the tables are filled with lace and velvet. The epoch costumes are far from the modern everyday life.

”There’s work available for different types of people. Dressmakers work as dressers and for-warders. Working in a film shoot calls for quick feet, stress tolerance, endurance and the will to get things done. You have to be precise and careful. The best thing is the spirit we have here. Skills are needed, but also the will to get things done”, Ms Nissinen says.

There are a total of 1,500 costumes in the film production, part of which are rented, but hundreds of costumes, including the Queen’s dresses, are made from scratch. Ms Nissinen’s designs are implemented both by students and professionals like tailor Kari Hallberg who also works at the Savonlinna opera Festival.

”I make clothes for the court staff, and they need to fit exactly. The actors try all clothes on”, Mr Hallberg says.

A new life for the Queen’s costumes

The Film Commission is also looking for compa-nies to participate in the business.

“Will this create a Queen hype? I hope that the Port of Turku could furnish one of the cruise terminals with large posters that would wish the visitors welcome to Queen Christina’s city in 2015 when the film has its premiere”, Teija Raninen says.

Films do not vanish without a trace. There is currently a mobile application being developed which allows to spot the shooting locations in film city Turku. After the shooting of The Girl King, the Turku Castle will host in 2015 an ex-hibition on Queen Christina where costumes and property used in the film will be displayed.

“People are interested in what goes on behind the scenes and especially how they could get involved themselves”, Ms Raninen says.

Surprisingly many productions have been shot in and around Turku. In the winter the Voice of Finland TV show is shot in Logomo, and other feature films include Hulluna Saraan and Ella ja Paterock. The Rölli film in 2012 was like a rehearsal in film costumes, while Mika Kaurismäki’s The Girl King is a proof of skills. There is a letter of intent on a new film with Petri Kotwica. Ms Raninen is proud of her troops for a reason. •

The shooting of Rolli and the Golden Key began in Ruissalo, Turku in August 2012 and continued on Ka-kolanmäki hill till the end of the month. A big Rölli City and circus with a carousel was built in the old prison area for the film.

Film city Turku will have its own QueenTExT: SiNi SilVaN PHoToS: RObERT SEgER, MaRi MERO

Solar Films produced six Vares feature films based on the novels by Reijo Mäki. They were shot in Turku and shown in cinemas in 2011–2012.

Shoemaker Hanna Kainulainen has also made shoes for the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum and the Turku Castle. She was one of those who created a dressmaker shop in empty industrial premises where people now cut fabrics, draw patterns and sew clothes.

Film Commissioner Teija Raninen tells that Mika Kaurismäki will shoot another film called Kotiinpaluu in Turku in June and July. Another 17th century epoch drama and a new Vares film are also expected in 2014.

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Port operator Stevena will strengthen its position by increasing its stevedore and forwarding operations in the Port of Tur-ku. The goal is to ensure sufficient capa-city for the company’s current and new customers.

Stevena has been operating in the Port of Turku since 1989 and focuses on the handling of bulk cargo, such as agribulk, including fertilisers and feed industry raw materials, as well as minerals and recycled materials. The company has over 20 employees in Turku and Naantali and it han-dles more than one million tonnes of bulk cargo annually in those ports.

More space in the West Harbour

The company is now increasing its warehouse capacity in Turku and will expand its range of services to new areas. The goal is to have at least 10,000 square metres of storage space available by the end of the year. Stevena currently has its own Aura Bulk warehouse with a capacity of around 3,000 sqm in the West Harbour in Turku.

Managing Director Markku Mäkipere says that there is increasing demand for various value added services, such as repackaging and refin-ing of goods.

“of course, e.g. packing bulk cargo in sacks and bulking of large sacks have already been included in our range of services before.”

New vessels in Turku

Since autumn 2013, Stevena has guided part of the shipments previously handled in Naantali to

Stevena expands its services in the Port of Turku

TExT: KallE KiRSTilä PHoToS: RObERT SEgER

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the Port of Turku.”our outlook is positive and we want to en-

sure good prerequisites for growth in Southwest Finland. our customers have also been active regarding the matter.”

According to Mr Mäkipere, the possibilities for expansion in Naantali were limited, so choices had to be made.

“As a result of the increase in total traffic vol-ume we believe that our operations will continue lively in Naantali, too.”

In addition to the existing traffic, the company aims to attract new business to Turku.

“Steel transports is one area with growth po-tential. Now we can offer our customers a new alternative.”

Well-known name helps in marketing

According to Mr Mäkipere, the Port provides Stevena with important growth potential, ware-house space and crane capacity. He points out that the good name of the port also matters in attracting new customers.

”As the oldest port in Finland, Turku is also well-known abroad. Turku is shown on all maps. That’s very good for marketing.” •

Markku Mäkipere from Stevena says that there is increasing demand for various value added services, such as repackaging and refining of goods. Stevena’s goal is to have at least 10,000 square metres of storage space available in the Port of Turku by the end of the year.

Founded in 1982, Stevena operates in stevedore busi-ness in Southwest Finland in the ports of Turku, Naanta-li, Uusikaupunki and Pori. The company has been part of Backman-Trummer group based in Vaasa since 1997.

The group focuses on export and import transports as well as port services and operates in a total of 11 ports in Wes-tern and Southern Finland between Hamina and Kalajoki.

In terms of regional coverage, Backman-Trummer is the biggest port operator in Finland. The total area of the group’s warehouses exceeds 180,000 square metres. In 2013, the group’s port operators handled 11.6 million ton-nes of goods.

Backman-Trummer is part of Vaasa-based KWH Group whose annual total turnover is around 440 million euro.

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The Port of Turku is the centre for Scandinavian traffic in Finland and a key link in the traffic between Scandinavia and St Petersburg. The Port’s definite strengths are the fast and frequent ship connections to Stockholm and excellent road con-nections, the most important of which is the E18 motor-way. The safe and fast road connection is comple-mented by a rail connection all the way to the Port with possibility for transfer loading.

Shortcut from Scandinavia to St Petersburg goes via TurkuTExT: KaRi aHONEN PHoToS: MaRKKu KOiVuMäKi, JOuNi SaaRiSTO

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E18 is one of the key connections between the east and west

Part of the European Union’s TEN-T core net-work, the E18 road connection forms a cost-efficient traffic corridor through Scandinavia from oslo to Stockholm and from Turku via Helsinki all the way to St Petersburg. In St Pe-tersburg the E18 connects to the M10 highway to Moscow which creates a route between the biggest market areas in Scandinavia and Rus-sia.

”The E18 road was prioritised as part of the key traffic networks in Europe already in the mid-1990s, and when joining the European Union Finland undertook to make it a motorway connection from Turku to the Russian border by 2015. We have had to compromise on the origi-nal schedule a little, but it now seems that the Finnish part of the E18 road will be finished by 2018. Renovation work on Ring III is underway in the Helsinki region, and the Hamina by-pass road will be completed during the autumn. At

Shortcut from Scandinavia to St Petersburg goes via TurkuTExT: KaRi aHONEN PHoToS: MaRKKu KOiVuMäKi, JOuNi SaaRiSTO

A total of more than two billion euro has been invested in the Finnish part of the E18 road. ”Now it’s time for the business world to make use of the complete infra-structure”, says Director Matti Vehviläinen from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Southwest Finland.

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the eastern end, the stretch between Kosken-kylä and Kotka will be opened later this year. The work on the last stretch between Hamina and Vaalimaa is expected to start in 2015”, says Director Matti Vehviläinen from the Cen-tre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Southwest Finland.

Port connections on the west coast are worth investing in

The development of the port connections in Turku took a big step forward when the im-provement of Suikkilantie road was completed at the turn of the year. Four lanes and new arrangements at intersections ensure smooth access from the Port of Turku to Finland’s trunk road network. Directing heavy vehicles from the Port along Suikkilantie to Highway 8 and via Turku ring road to E18 motorway helps the drivers to avoid the traffic jams in the city-centre and reduces the environmental impacts of traffic to residents.

Mr Vehviläinen says that the needs of the port traffic will require investments in improv-ing the Turku ring road on the stretch between Naantali and Kaarina in the future. one of the

most important objects of development is the intersection of E18 and E8 roads in Raisio which is a key node for the traffic to and from the ports of Turku and Naantali. In addition to improving the graded intersection used by vehicles heading from the Port of Turku to E18 road, there is, for instance, a plan to direct the traffic of the Port of Naantali through a tunnel under the city-centre.

”We need to be active towards the EU re-garding the further development of the port connections in Turku and Naantali. It’s pos-sible to get as much as 50% of EU subsidy for planning costs and 20% for implementation. Possible renovation objects striving for EU subsidy concern the graded intersection on Highway 8 and the ring road with a tunnel in the Raisio city-centre as well as the stretch of the ring road between Highways 10 and 1. The EU subsidy may act as a catalyst for the development if we also take care of acquiring domestic funding. Competition for funding the development of road traffic is tight, however, so the whole region has to drive their common interest”, Matti Vehviläinen stresses.

DB Schenker trucks are frequently seen on E18 motorway

The connection between Scandinavia and St Petersburg is also important to the international logistics service provider DB Schenker. It acts

as the transport and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn AG and is one of the leading logistics

businesses in the world. In addition to land, air and sea transports, DB Schenker offers a wide range of logistics services which includes solutions related to the management of global delivery chains.

“The Nordic countries are like a single home country for DB Schenker. our company is the market leader in Scandinavian transports, and Sweden is an essential part of DB Schenker’s logistics chain in terms of feeder traffic. our distribution hub in the Port of Turku is one of the biggest in Finland, and the ships operating be-tween Turku and Stockholm bring in large cargo volumes every day. From Turku the products are taken to the clients mainly by road, dozens of our trucks drive on the E18 every day”, says Erik Sö-

”The EU subsidy may act as a catalyst for the development.

The E18 motorway and the frequent sea connections between Turku and Stockholm form a fast and safe transport route in both directions between Western Europe and Russia.

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derholm, Director responsible for DB Schenker’s road transports in East Europe.

Regarding the benefits of the Turku–Stock-holm route, Mr Söderholm points out the im-portance of the short sea voyage and efficient schedules. Morn-ing and evening departures allow for leeway in the planning of the transports, and thanks to the pre-cise schedules one can tell almost by minute when the goods will arrive in the port.

”The importance of speed in different phases of logistics services can’t be over-emphasised, because each available hour is needed for han-dling and distribution of the arriving goods. In Turku, the trucks are discharged from the ships very quickly, because the port time of the ves-sels has been minimised. As a result, the goods will get on their way to the recipients during the same day. As for transports heading to St Pe-tersburg, one should keep in mind that it’s only 580 kilometres from Turku to St Petersburg”, Director Erik Söderholm from DB Schenker stresses.

Schenker hopes for development of intermodal connections

“We also operate in Russia in the same way as in our domestic market. We have had a Russian company since 1992, so we know the logistics of Russian trade and other challenges of lo-cal business there. DB Schenker’s distribution

system is the biggest in Russia and there are some 900 employees at our service. In addition to warehouse and logistics services, we provide road and rail transports, air freight and sea con-tainer transports. Most of our Russian transports consist of exports of finished products, such as foods”, Mr Söderholm says.

Mr Söderholm thinks that investments should be made in developing intermodal connec-tions on the route between Scandinavia and St Petersburg. Such solutions are familiar to DB Schenker from transports inside Europe where the company’s own trains carry trucks and trail-ers, for instance, from Germany all the way to the Mediterranean. one train can carry as many

as 30 trucks.“The possibility to use railways in eastbound

transports should also be looked into in Turku. Finland’s own export volumes alone would be enough for rail transports. In order to maximise the cost efficiency it would, of course, be good to make the Swedes aware of the benefits of rail transports. Carrying trucks and trailers on rail would also make the transports environmentally friendlier. opening a regular ship route between Turku and St Petersburg is another possibility worth considering. I believe that several inter-ested customers would appear if there were, for example, two to three connections a week. A ship connection could surely be implemented more quickly, if new players can’t be attracted on rail”, Mr Söderholm says. •

”The importance of speed in different phases of logistics services can’t be over-emphasised

Promoting green operations is part of DB Schenker’s business strategy. ”Developing intermodal transports allows for reducing the environmental impacts”, assu-res Director Erik Söderholm from DB Schenker.

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Baltic Line opened new connections from Turku

TExT: KaRi aHONEN PHoToS: MaRKKu KOiVuMäKi

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Contracted on a long-term agreement, M/V Link Star has a cargo capacity of 4,000 tonnes. The vessel sails under the Finnish flag and her ice class is 1A. M/V Baltic Betina will continue on the route with the new vessel.

Competitiveness through more frequent connections

operating on two vessels allowed for switching to weekly departures instead of the previous schedule of every second week. Tomas uscha-now, Managing Director of Baltic Line Finland oy says that the increase in capacity and switching to weekly departures will considerably improve the company’s competitiveness.

”The weekly connection provides our custom-ers with even better opportunities to schedule their export shipments as per their own custom-ers’ wishes. Furthermore, our customers can now ship cargo directly from Turku to Poland and Denmark where our ports are Świnoujście and Fredericia. The new ports of call mean that Baltic Line now offers an important alternative for the flow of goods transported via the Baltic States to Poland and via Sweden to Denmark”, Tomas Uschanow points out.

Efficient services for the Finnish industry

Tomas Uschanow says that Baltic Line serves the whole of Finnish industry in both exports and imports. Products carried on the route mainly comprise of cargo handled with cranes and fork-lifts, such as steel and forest industry products, chemicals, animal feeds, containers, and boats.

”Large project loads are an important part of our cargo. our vessels can carry, for example, engineering workshop products, such as silos, tanks, cranes, steel structures and diesel engin-es. The ro-ro ramp of our new vessel also allows us to carry machines and equipment mounted on wheels or crawler”, says Mika Saarinen, Sales and Development Director of Baltic Line

Introducing M/V Link Star will enable ro-ro tran-sports on Baltic Line routes in the future, says Tomas Uschanow, Managing Director of Baltic Line Finland Oy.

Finland oy.The added capacity generated by M/V Link

Star will considerably increase Baltic Line’s car-go volumes, which will also enliven the traffic in the Port of Turku. There are good connections to the Port of Turku both by road and rail, in ad-dition to which the Port offers enough field and terminal capacity to meet even larger needs of the industry.

Direct connection to the routes in Northern Norway

Baltic Line operates to a number of ports in Southern Norway, all the way to Bergen. From Bergen, the cargo can be shipped on Nor Lines’ coastal service as far as Hammerfest.

”Thanks to the good route network the off-

shore projects loaded in Turku are taken in the same cargo units quickly from Turku to the final destination. Thus any rehandling is minimised on the route which is a considerable cost advantage to the shipper and reduces the risk of damage during transport. Huge investments are being made in the new gas and oil fields in Northern Norway, and Baltic Line aims to get a share of those transports in the future”, Mika Saarinen says. •

The Port of Turku’s connections in the Baltic Sea region were further improved when the Norwegian shipping company Nor Lines AS doubled the vessel capacity on its Baltic Line route. M/V Link Star started operations in March and offers a direct ship connection from Turku to Poland and Denmark in addition to Norway.

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Trafi controls safety at seaTExT: KaRi aHONEN PHToS: JOuNi SaaRiSTO, MaRKKu KOiVuMäKi

The Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi is responsible for maritime safety in Finland, including vessel safety, safety measures on board vessels and in port structures, as well as safety and supervision of boating. Furthermore, Trafi verifies the manning of the vessels and issues competency licenses and certificates for ship crews.

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one of Trafi’s four maritime control units is lo-cated in Turku. Based in Auriga Business Center, the area of responsibility of the Western Control Unit reaches from Särkisalo to Merikarvia, and also includes the Åland Islands. The unit is headed up by Esa Saari

”Trafi is Finland’s only safety authority in merchant shipping. our main duty is to carry out reviews and inspections of vessels, the purpose of which is to ensure that the ships sailing in Finnish territorial waters meet the requirements set for them”, Esa Saari sums up Trafi’s key du-ties.

Inspections focus on high-risk vessels

The inspections of foreign vessels are based on the Port State Control directive which aims at preventing the access of vessels in poor condi-tion to the ports of the countries included in the system. PSC inspections concern foreign ves-sels calling in ports or moorage of the member states. In accordance with the criteria of the con-trol system, the inspections are often focused on

vessels with a fairly high risk category, but all vessels are inspected at least every three years. In addition to Europe, the PSC system covers the western part of Russia as well as Canada.

”The inspections are initiated on the basis of the information produced by the system. We re-ceive notices about the foreign ships arriving in Finland and the inspections to be carried out for them. The notices are based on the risk profile of the vessels to be inspected, which is affected, among other things, by the nationality, age and type of the vessel, as well as the history of the vessel, shipping company and the rating institu-tion. Some of the inspections are mandatory,

others can be postponed or omitted completely in certain situations. The inspections of different vessel types differ from each other in terms of both the content of the inspection and the fre-quency of inspections”, Esa Saari says.

Inspectors have the power to stop faulty ships

An inspection report is drawn up for each vessel safety inspection. Any faults detected and the due date for repairing the faults are recorded in the report. If a fault or deficiency in vessel safety causes an obvious risk to safety, the ship can be stopped until the fault has been repaired or removed.

”Stopping of a vessel is a decision that needs to be considered carefully. It always stems from a concrete threat. In that case the detected fault may cause a danger to human life, essential threat to health or immediate danger to the ship, other traffic or the marine environment. only one to three ships have been stopped in the port inspections carried out in Finland in recent years. The most typical reasons are missing cer-tificates and faults observed in the structures or equipment of the ship. No vessels were stopped in the area of the Archipelago Sea control unit last year, but notices were issued every now and then”, Esa Saari says.

There is a team of nearly ten people working in Trafi’s Archipelago Sea control unit. In addi-tion to vessel inspections they are employed in audits of the safety management systems of shipping companies and ISPS systems of ports. They also control the transports of dangerous goods together with the other authorities. •

”Most of the traffic in the Port of Turku comprises of vessels with a low risk rating. The majority of the vessels sailing in our waters are in fairly good condition, although the archipelago commuter ferries are aged with a few exceptions”, says Esa Saari.

"The inspections of differ-ent vessel types differ from each other in terms of both the content of the inspection and the frequency of inspections”, says Esa Saari, head of Trafi’s Western Control Unit.

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DHL’s fashion logistics centre provides an optimal service to its customers. The new clothes of the season are shipped for retail tidy, steamed and on hangers. It’s also convenient for the buyers that no ironing is required, the clothes are ready for wearing.

Karoliina Paasimaa takes care of removing wrapping tissue and excess package material. In the background Vesa Karro.

Clothes arrive from all over the world in DHL’s fashion logistics centre in the ovako area in the Port of Turku. The trend is nevertheless that instead of the Far East the manufacture takes place closer, like in Macedonia or Portugal. DHL Supply Chain has focused the Finnish fashion logistics operations to Turku. From there the clothes are transported to shops in different parts of Finland, ready for selling. The fashion logistics centre operated in Piispanristi for some time, but is now back in the port area, which is absolutely the right place:

“We have an excellent location in Turku. The first ferry of the day from Sweden arrives here and the last connection for exports de-parts in the evening from Turku. Furthermore, there are good connections to all over Finland along the E63 and E18 roads”, says Juha

Ruuhijärvi, Head of the DHL Supply Chain fashion logistics centre.

Tidy and smooth clothes through automation

The clothes arrive in the fashion logistics cen-tre either in boxes or hanging.

“Clothes in hanging transports are of the most uniform quality”, Mr Ruuhijärvi says. When goods are packed in boxes, there’s al-ways room for surprises.

The fashion logistics centre is like a gigantic 24,000 square metre wardrobe. There are 32 kilometres of automated suspension rail on which the clothes are suspended on hang-ers. The premises were expanded a couple of years ago, when DHL Supply Chain made a long-term agreement with S Group. Thus the

finishing touches made as value added service can be seen in the clothes sold e.g. in Prisma and Sokos shops in Turku.

Value added services mean, for example, that the transport protection is removed, the clothes are suspended on hangers, and any creases caused by packing are steamed. It is also possible to attach price tags.

“This is the fastest way to get high demand products to shops. Then the products need not be placed on hangers and priced in small stor-age rooms in the shop”, Mr Ruuhijärvi says.

The fashion logistics centre also provides quality assurance.

“There are fewer and fewer returns due to poor quality. The advantage of the fashion logistics centre is that it’s possible to display simultaneously the whole outfit: suit, shoes and shirt with a matching tie.”

Green and ecological fashion logistics

Any excess wrapping tissue, plastic and package covers are removed from the products in the logistics centre. Thus no waste is left from the clothes in the shops. DHL Supply Chain recovers and recycles all excess materials, such as hangers and plas-tic. 99 per cent of the waste is recycled and the rest is used as energy.

“In shops the staff can focus on customer service and storage space is released, becau-se clothes ready for selling are delivered to display racks. our drivers place the products directly on display in the shops”, Mr Ruuhi-järvi says.

DHL’s fashion logistics centre has 50 regular employees, but at peak seasons the number of staff is multiplied.

“We employ committed, competent pro-fessionals, some of whom have been working since 1973. The same goes for our custom-ers, we have very long customer relation-ships”, Mr Ruuhijärvi commends. •

DHL takes fashion to shops intactTExT: SiNi SilVaN PHoToS: RObERT SEgER

16 Aboard 1/2014 17

No package waste is accumulated in the shops and no storage space is needed. The clothes often arrive from the factory by sea to the logistics centre in Turku and from there they are transported on a hanger with a price tag to the shop for the customers to try on.

In the steam tunnel the products are smoothened and any treatment chemicals are removed. You can tell a groomed product in a shop from its odour – or lack of any extra odour.

Juha Ruuhijärvi, Site Manager responsible for DHL’s fashion logistics operations in the Ovako area in Turku started in the company as a summer employee already in the 1980s. After the first touch with fashion he has gained strong expertise and now heads up the fashion logistics operations in Turku.

Jouni Kartastenpää loads products going for distribution in neighbouring areas to a container on legs. During the transport the clothes are protected with recyclable transport bags which the driver removes in the shop.

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The tightening sulphur emission requirements have prompted Finnish shipping companies to develop new solutions for their vessels. The solutions vary depending on the nature of operations and the ves-sel type: Langh Ship has developed a closed cycle sulphur scrubber for its cargo ships, Meriaura has decided to invest in bio-oil, and Viking Line’s new vessel Viking Grace runs on LNG.

Shipping companies respond to environmental requirementsTExT: KallE KiRSTilä PHoToS: RObERT SEgER, laNgH SHiP Oy, ViKiNg liNE abP

”our ships operate long routes in the Sulphur Directive area, so fuel consumption is an impor-tant factor for us. our annual fuel consumption totals around 26,000 tonnes, and the price dif-ference between heavy fuel oil and marine diesel oil is big and will continue to grow”, says Hans langh, Managing Director of Langh Ship about the company’s situation.

According to Mr Langh, lowering the cruising speed would reduce the consumption, but then they could no longer maintain the two-week rotation, as the distance from Finland to Central Europe is considerable. For example, Langh Ship’s container vessel M/S Laura sails from Kemi to the Netherlands, so the whole route is within the area governed by the Sulphur Direc-tive.

Nevertheless, M/S Laura is and will be able to use fuel with as high sulphur content as the contractor can find in Rotterdam. This is allowed by the closed cycle sulphur scrubber developed by Langh Ship. It makes flue gases even cleaner

than for fuel with sulphur content of less than 0.1% which will be the maximum permitted sul-phur content in the area governed by the Direc-tive as of the beginning of 2015.

Scrubbers are not suited to all

Sulphur scrubbers are not suited to all ships, however. According to a study conducted by the Finnish shipping industry, installing them is technically and financially viable on only one third of the present stock of vessels. For Langh Ship, the scrubber was nevertheless the best solution.

“Installing an LNG system on old vessels is not possible, and the availability of bio-fuels is limited. In practice, we should have switched to low-sulphur diesel, i.e. MGo (marine gas oil)”, Mr Langh says.

Langh Ship began to develop the scrubber on its own.

“First we requested for offers from around the world, but they all turned out to be too expensive for even considering to be installed on old ves-sels”, Mr Langh says.

Experience in water purification helped

According to Mr Langh, a large part of the scrubber systems available on the market are based on open circulation. It means that sea water is pumped through the scrubber and the dirt removed from the flue gases is flushed into the sea. Langh Ship wanted to use the long experience of Industrial and Ship Cleaning Services Hans Langh in the purification of indus-trial cleaning water and develop a closed cycle system in which the harmful components are separated from the water. In addition to sulphur, the scrubber cleans the fine soot particles from the flue gases.

The development work started in 2012 with

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Shipping companies respond to environmental requirementsTExT: KallE KiRSTilä PHoToS: RObERT SEgER, laNgH SHiP Oy, ViKiNg liNE abP

TEKES support, and the first scrubber was in-stalled on M/S Laura in May 2013. The experi-ence has been positive and the ship has been in operation all the time. The goal is to install scrubbers on the company’s other four vessels and also offer the technology to other players.

”We’re talking about a 2–3 million euro in-vestment per ship, but the repayment period is only two years, as we operate exclusively in the Sulphur Directive area.”

M/S Meri runs on fish ent-rails

Jussi Mälkiä, Managing Director of the Turku-based Meriaura Group, sees two possible trends for Finnish seafaring: either it can end up in a crisis or the new environmental requirements can encourage Finnish seafaring to seek for competitive advantage on the market through new innovations. The tightening environmental

Langh Ship’s goal is to install scrubbers in all its vessels and also offer the technology developed by the company to other players. ”It’s an investment of 2–3 million euro per ship”, Hans Langh says.

M/S Laura will be able to use fuel with high sulphur content in the future as well. This is allowed by the closed cycle sulphur scrubber developed and patented by Langh Ship with funding provided by TEKES.

Meriaura’s special purpose vessel M/S Meri operates in the Baltic Sea and in the North Sea from the English Channel to Nort-hern Norway. The vessel runs on bio-oil made of e.g. fish bones and entrails. The fuel has been developed by group company Sybimar Oy in Uusikaupunki.

20 Aboard 1/2014

requirements mean, however, that the shipping companies have to make investments.

Meriaura has a total of nine vessels sailing under the Finnish flag. one of them, special pur-pose vessel M/S Meri runs on bio-oil processed using e.g. rainbow trout bones and entrails. The fuel has been developed by Sybimar oy in Uusi-kaupunki which is part of the Group.

“We have developed a product called VG Ma-rine Ecofuel. The Sulphur Directive was not the only reason for that; we are looking further into the future. Recyclability also means that the fuel has a favourable carbon balance.”

Mr Mälkiä believes that the Sulphur Directive is just the beginning and the next step for the emission regulations will be taken soon. Hence the development work focused especially on greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and meth-ane).

“We should try to find more far-reaching over-all solutions.”

Major investments ahead

Bio-oil-driven M/S Meri started operations in June 2012. The special purpose vessel operates in the Baltic Sea and in the North Sea from the English Channel to Northern Norway. Meriaura is planning to invest in a new set of energy-efficient dry cargo vessels and in increasing the bio-oil production.

”We aim to switch our vessels to use bio-oil as we are able to increase the oil production. our goal is set at early 2015. In the future I see us producing bio-oil to others, too.”

on the global scale the use of bio-oil is so far marginal.

”Small-scale trials are run here and there.

There’s plenty of interest, but the use in seafaring is only just beginning. The availability of bio-oil is a problem.”

Viking Line chose LNG

”When making plans for a new vessel, it was clear that we were seeking for sustainable envi-ronmental development. According to our studies, LNG was the best available option”, says Kari Pihlajaniemi, Vice President Marine operation at Viking Line.

Viking Grace was the first vessel in its size class and of its type in the world that runs on LNG. Mr Pihlajaniemi says that the pioneering work was worthwhile. The experiences have exceeded all expectations, and the passengers also appreciate state-of-the-art environmental technology.

”Nobody denies the poor condition of the Baltic Sea anymore.”

According to Mr Pihlajaniemi, LNG, or liquefied natural gas, is best suited to new vessels that operate scheduled traffic in the Baltic Sea and already have the infrastructure for using LNG. LNG will be Viking Line’s choice in future ship purchases, too.”

”We definitely made the right choice.”

Reduction in emissions through technical optimisation

Regarding the company’s other ships, Viking Line will switch from low-sulphur (0.5%) heavy fuel oil to low-sulphur (0.1%) fuel. According to Mr Pihla-janiemi, the increasingly tight sulphur restrictions mean that the availability of cheaper fuel with higher sulphur content will be limited in the Baltic Sea region.

”According to our calculations, the repayment period of sulphur scrubbers will be too long, unless fuel with high enough sulphur content is available, which would make the price reason-able.”

Reduction in emissions is targeted on Viking Line’s old ships by enhancing the methods of operation, implementing technical engine im-provements, and utilising the development of technology.

“It’s a continuing project that requires training for the personnel and adjusting the technology on all ships to optimal condition. The goal is to make the engines as efficient as they were when the vessels were handed over.” •

One of the environmental requirements of the future is related to the ballast water. The purpose of new restrictions is to prevent the transfer of organisms from one region to another. ”We have avoided using ballast water for a long time. Instead, we handle the water on board as ballast”, says Kari Pihlajaniemi from Viking Line.

Viking Grace runs on LNG. The company aims to reduce emissions on its old vessels by enhancing the methods of opera-tion, implementing technical engine improvements, and utilising the development of technology.

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Intelligence makes transports more efficientElectronic logistics systems are a requirement for high-quality, cost-efficient and faultless transport operations. Electronic transport information helps the transport service providers to do their part in the logistics chain, which ensures a high stand-ard of service to the end customers.

Information has been forwarded electronically in the different parts of the order and supply chain for a long time. Intelligent logistics is, however, much more: integration of these systems and better utilisation of information. Intelligent logistics means that all the information related to the movement of the goods is carried alongside the goods – or even ahead of it.

Faster flow of information allows for reducing the logistics costs. It’s a well-known fact that the more the goods are han-dled, the higher the total costs. The same goes for informa-tion. The costs increase when the same information has to be processed again, for example, in another system or in several destinations.

Intelligent logistics also reduces the potential for errors. When the information flows unchanged from start to finish, there will be no faulty deliveries or delays due to unclear or incomplete transport information. The increased information also cre-ates a basis for new kind of thinking. Clearer statistics help to streamline the ways of working and seek benefits in all areas of the supply chain, including the environmental aspects.

Regarding the rest of Europe, Finland is lagging behind in the utilisation of intelligent logistics. At present, less than 60 per

cent of the transport information is forwarded to the transport companies in electronic format, while e.g. in Sweden the figure is around 90 per cent. The same goes for individual transport orders. In Finland, over 40 per cent of the transports are or-dered manually, while in Sweden the figure is only 5 per cent.

Promoting intelligent logistics is a common challenge for the whole logistics industry. In addition to logistics companies and their customers, we need the contribution of the whole IT sector. By creating electronic processes we can make the order-supply chains efficient and thus strengthen everyone’s competitiveness.

You are welcome to join the activities of the Finnish Associa-tion of Purchasing and Logistics (LOGY). Let’s make a change together!

Pekka Orne

Chairman of the Finnish Association of Purchasing and Logistics

Pekka Orne is the Chairman of the Finnish Asso-ciation of Purchasing and Logistics (LOGY). He is also an entrepreneur in AD-Lux Oy which imports daylight lamps and Managing Director of logistics company Lo-gistiikkatalo Turku Oy.

22 Aboard 1/2014

On a spring evening, there’s plenty of hustle and bustle in the Port of Turku before the evening ferries depart. Professional drivers stay calm and take it easy on the road and when dealing with customers.

Pohjolan Matkat carries thousands of people abroad through the Port of Tur-ku every year. The job of a charter coach driver involves much more than transpor-ting people safely from one place to another.

A busload of passengers from Riihimäki are on their way to Viking Grace to the annual spring party arranged by travel agency Poh-jolan Matkat. The destination is getting closer and the passengers’ minds are already on the ship.

A moment later, Emmerich ”Eppu” beek-mann parks Pohjolan Matkat oy’s coach number 264 in the Port of Turku. They have a 2.5-hour drive behind them, and the ship will depart in exactly one hour.

”All right, welcome to the Port of Turku”, the driver says to the passengers and gives brief directions on practical matters for em-

barking and the evening’s programme.”If you have any questions during the trip,

don’t hesitate to ask us in blue jackets.”

Coach parked, guiding the passengers to ship

It is the busiest time of day in the passenger harbour – there are 11 coaches of Pohjolan Matkat oy on the parking lot , among many others.

“The further-most have come from North Karelia and have started early in the morning. We had a shorter drive today”, Eppu says.

Quite often the coaches continue early in the morning from the port of Stockholm, for example, to Kolmården or Legoland in Den-mark. This time the coach is left in Turku, be-cause the passengers are going on a 23-hour

Eppu takes people on a tripTExT: KallE KiRSTilä PHoToS: RObERT SEgER

cruise.“We’ll soon get on board to have fun, but

I’ll pick up the tickets first”, Eppu says to the microphone and goes to get the tickets.

It takes just 5 minutes to get the tickets from the group counter on the second floor of the terminal. Eppu gives the tickets to the passengers in the coach and reminds every-

one to check their entrance gate from the ticket, so that they can quickly find their cabin. The luggage is unloaded and everyone gets their bags.

The driver picks ups his own stuff, checks the vehicle and locks the doors.

There’s still time for a quick cup of coffee in the terminal before it’s time to get on board.

”For us drivers these are just ferry trips, a necessary part of our work. We spend the time on board by resting and eating. one has to be ready for work at all times. We usually

” With the customers you can get to many places that you otherwise wouldn’t visit.

22 Aboard 1/2014 23

Once the customers have left for the ship, it’s time to check the coach and lock the doors. This time the coach stays in the port, although Eppu embarks the ship.

Eppu likes the diversity and social nature of a charter coach driver. ”In this job each day is diffe-rent. Sometimes I go to a museum tour in Finland, and next I’m heading to see gardens in Sweden.”

The drivers also collect ferry tickets from the group counter and give them to the customers.

get started early in the morning and one has to be fresh. As a sociable person I can always find people to talk with, other drivers or customers, which helps pass the time.”

Each trip is different

Eppu has been driving Pohjolan Matkat oy’s charter coaches for three years and says that he loves the job. For a sociable person driving on a regular line became too monotonous.

“In this job each day is different. The custom-ers affect it, but the programme also changes. Sometimes I go to a museum tour in Finland, and next I’m heading to see gardens in Sweden.”

The increasingly popular garden trips to Swe-den and Estonia are among Eppu’s own favour-ites. It’s no wonder, as he also has a gardener’s training and his own garden is one of his dearest hobbies.

“With the customers you can get to many places that you otherwise wouldn’t visit. There

are some places near my home which I didn’t even know about.”

In addition to the destinations and themes, there’s variation in customers.

“This time we carry many pensioners, many of whom are our regular customers and compile groups, but in the summer, when we head to, for example, Kolmården, the coach is full of families with children.”

The driver works in a service profession

The job description of a charter coach driver in-cludes working as a guide and receiving all kinds of customer feedback.

“We can only improve our services on the basis of feedback. of course it sometimes feels unfair, because most often any surprises are not due to us. Schedules may be delayed because of traffic problems, and technology may also fail, a tyre may blow, it can’t be helped.”

There is usually just one driver on trips to Sweden and the Baltic States. Then the daily drive time is limited to 9 hours by the law. It’s important that one can fall asleep easily.

”You need to be able to sleep when you get the chance.”

Eppu says that a coach driver works in a service profession and success is indicated by returning customers.

“The best thing is to meet somebody who has been on a trip before and comes to shake my hand and says thank you. Then you know you have done well.” •