Economic hot point on top of Europe

The most northern areasof Finland, Sweden, Norway and North-West Russia are facing rapid economic growth due to huge mining and energy sector investments in the near future. Iron, chrome, gold, nickel, oil and gas are already being exploited. Until the end of 2011 Northland company will decide to export 3 million tonnes of iron concentrate. Port of Kemi at the pole position can offer year round sea route to markets, soon via 12 metre sea channel.

Stainless steel company Outokumpu Plc is investing 440 MEUR in Kemi chromium mine. Other substantial investment in the area will be Fennovoima's nuclear power plant of 6000 MEUR and Bio fuel plant of 600 MEUR.

An extension of the Motorways of the Seas, namely Barents Transport Corridor (BTC) runs via Kemi to the Barents area and to the city of Murmansk, Russia. Multinational companies Gazprom, Total and Statoil have decided to exploit huge oil and gas deposits of Barents Sea by 35 billion EUR. This will also expand project cargo and the industrial equipment deliveries via the Port of Kemi.

Already today BTC route could relieve congestions in St. Petersburg: Murmansk area, with around one million inhabitants, is supplied mainly from the South via E-18 road (1.400 kms). Modal shift from road to sea via the Port of Kemi would save environment, time and financial resources. This fact was studied, tested and documented in co-operation with Russian partners by partly EU funded project (www.barents-transport.fi).

The Port of Kemi supplies transit cargo flows to Norway, Sweden and Finland. Expanding to Russian areas would also balance the vessel traffic by filling the empty space in vessels that sail up to Kemi for loading paper industry products. Around 500 vessels call at Kemi each year. The Port handles about 2,5 million tons and 60.000 converted TEUs annually (www.portofkemi.fi). Effective logistics infrastructure is vital for the supply of iron and energy from these Europe's High-North areas.