HELSINKI: According to the Helsinki and Tallinn Twin-City project officials , the ports are investing €100 million for port infrastructure in order to achieve additional capacity and improve the flow of the densely operated Helsinki – Tallinn line, which serves 8.2 million passengers and 3.1 million tons of cargo annually. The Port of Helsinki and Port of Tallinn said they plan to continue to work together closely to develop the Helsinki-Tallinn maritime link.
The ports have called their project TWIN-PORT, which is also the name of the first cooperation project funded by the EU in the period 2012-2015. The current application is a follow-up project and will serve the same goals.
Last week the ports, together with AS Tallink Group, submitted applications for funding investments in the 2014 CEF Transport Multi-Annual Calls for Proposals. The goal is to develop an improved and stream-lined port infrastructure and ‘green operation ‘between Helsinki and Tallinn. The application is backed by both the Finnish and the Estonian governments.
“The investments in our ports will greatly improve both ports’ capacity to serve the maritime link between Helsinki and Tallinn. Infrastructure improvements within the ports and the connecting city areas will serve also both cities well,” said Ain Kaljurand, CEO of Port of Tallinn.
The ports of Helsinki and Tallinn are TEN-T core ports in the North Sea Baltic Corridor. In addition, Port of Helsinki is also situated in the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, and is part of the TWIN-PORT project and TEN-T Corridors.
