New service creates more jobs
WALLENIUS SOL has expanded its service with two vessels and additional calls at a number of ports. Among other things, the expansion means many new jobs in Zeebrugge and Kemi.
ON 1 JANUARY 2021, M/V Fionia Sea and M/V Jutlandia Sea began operations when WALLENIUS SOL expanded its service on the Kemi-Oulu-Husum-Zeebrugge-Antwerp-Vaasa route. This means greater container capacity and better lead times from the continent to Finland and Sweden. There will also be more calls in Zeebrugge (BE), Kemi (FI) and Oulu (FI).
For PSA Zeebrugge, this means a second weekly turnaround and 200,000 tonnes of extra goods for unloading at the terminal. To handle this increase, 30 new dockers have been taken on.
“This is extremely important to us. The new service also meets the demand for transport to and from the Gulf of Bothnia expressed by many of our customers. We have recently doubled the size of the terminal, increased our warehouse capacity and will soon begin construction of 6,000 m2 of additional covered space for this traffic,” says Theo Milliau, Head of Operations at PSA Zeebrugge.
Just as in Zeebrugge, the new agreements that WALLENIUS SOL has concluded with the forest and paper industry generate a larger, more even flow of goods to Kemi, the most northerly port in the Gulf of Bothnia.
“For us, the extra volume of 130,000 tonnes of kraftliner board has enabled us to establish a 24/7 service from Metsä Board’s mill to the port. Naturally, this means more work as well as new job opportunities. It’s also a good opportunity to develop our service to trade and industry in the whole Barents region,” says Kari Anttila, Managing Director, Kemi Shipping Oy.
For WALLENIUS SOL, this is the start of a long-term expansion in the Gulf of Bothnia that will be stepped up again at the end of the year when the newly built LNG fuelled RoRo vessels are put into service.
“It’s been a very good start to the year; we see robust volumes from all of our customers and we’re looking forward to continue developing our traffic and welcoming new customers and ports to our network,” says Jonas Wåhlin, General Manager, WALLENIUS SOL.
