Terramare has finished the EU co-financed project on schedule and under budget, deepening Helsinki's cargo harbour from 11 to 13 metres.
The works started in spring 2020 and were officially completed on 30 November 2021, costing €26.5m, some €10m less than the original estimate. The project was granted 20% co-funding from the Connecting Europe Facility.
"The biggest single factor contributing to staying under budget was that the Vuosaari contract was tendered at the same time as the City of Helsinki's Hernesaari dredging and filling contract, which made it possible to get a good bid for both. The chosen contractor, Terramare Oy, also has high-quality equipment and experienced personnel, which make for efficient work," Seppo Paukkeri, Project Manager, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, explained.
Jukka Kallio, VP Cargo, the Port of Helsinki, added in this regard, "In addition to the concurrence of the two projects, the contractor's previous experience in the construction of the Vuosaari fairway contributed to staying under budget."
A total of 1.1m m3 of soil was dredged, and 800kt m3 of rocks were excavated. The latter was transported 21 km by sea to Hernesaari, where it will be used for reclaiming land from the sea for a tourism and leisure residential area, with port and industrial functions moving elsewhere.
"The transport by sea significantly reduced lorry traffic on the streets of Helsinki. The solution replaced about 40,000 lorry loads and reduced fuel consumption by 1.1 million litres and carbon emissions by about 2,500 tonnes," Mikko Suominen, Land Mass Coordinator, the City of Helsinki, highlights.
Paukkeri also explicated, "The Vuosaari fairway has the busiest vessel traffic in Finland. The dredging and excavation work had to be carried out in the fairway in such a way that large cargo ships could safely pass. Every week, we had a joint traffic meeting in which we went through the upcoming work with the pilots of the vessel traffic service, the shipping companies and the contractor and agreed on the rules to ensure safety. Although the work required additional signage and speed restrictions, all parties involved in the project were willing to be flexible and contribute to the safe implementation of the project."
Ramboll CM Oy acted as the construction consultant and supervisor. The company also worked as the project's planner, geotechnical, risk management and environmental expert, safety coordinator and was responsible for communications.
Shortly, Vuosaari's buoy gate will be widened. Further works will be carried out in 2022 involving the deepening of the Kuiva Hevonen marina and the construction of a breakwater.
Photo: Terramare