by Jaakko Jääskeläinen

Ports are often viewed as the barometer of the economy and of industrial demand and output.

Signs of the economic turning points, the theory goes, can be sensed through the ports' pulse, sometimes long before official statistics reveal that something must be going up.

"This is particularly true for Finland, an 'island state' since around 90% of its trade passes the country's seaports," says Patrik Hellman, CEO, the Port of Kaskinen.

He emphasises that whether big or small, the harbours dotting the vast Finnish coastline must be flexible, competent, and efficient to serve commerce at any moment of the economic cycle.

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