With shipping traffic continuing to increase, the Port of Naantali decided to extend its coal and grain jetty. The goal was to extend the approximately 400 metres long jetty by nearly 100 metres, and Terramare was awarded the contract for the work.
“The contract began in September 2019 and it was completed in May the following year 2020,” says Project Manager Marko Saarelma. “We built a concrete deck structure on steel piles to a length of 83 metres. Now the total length of the jetty is over 450 metres,” explains Saarelma.
The investment will improve the utilisation rate of the jetty by creating conditions for safe and efficient cargo handling. The idea is to minimise ship waiting times and access to the jetty as well as the total time needed to unload ships along the entire quay line.
“In practice, the extension of the jetty creates one more ship berth,” says Saarelma.
At the Port of Naantali, shipping traffic is increasing due to, among other things, the conversion of the neighbouring power plant from coal to wood chips in its heat production and by the future storage and shipments of transit grain arriving from the east. In addition, large Panamax class vessels are also now expected to make grain transports more quickly and frequently.
The Port of Naantali, moreover, is Finland’s largest grain port: up to half of Finland’s annual grain exports travel through Naantali.
Terramare implemented the extension of the jetty, cooperating really well with the customer and the other parties involved. The construction site was challenging, as there was little storage space at the location and the jetty next to the site was constantly in use for frequent shipping traffic. Despite the challenging conditions, the contract was completed on schedule.
– Hannu Kallio, Development Manager, Port of Naantali Ltd
