Page 33 - Port of Kokkola Handbook & Directory

“All of these new investments are financed from thePORT INVESTMENTSport’s own resources with a little help from the EU,” says VuokkoKalliokoski, Port of Kokkola’s Finance Manager. “In order to make a profit, we have to invest in making our port bigger, better, more efficient and customer-friendly.“We have worked hard to gain a reputation that is second-to-none in the port and shipping industry. And we aim to keep that reputation and stay on top of our game.”In 2015 around €6.3 million was invested in purchasing and installing new handling machines, €0.6 million in the port’s rail tippler terminal and €2.6 million in refurbishing existing cranes throughout the port.€1.75 million in 2016. Projects included laying additional rail tracks into the area and others leading directly to the rail tippler terminal, which opened in June 2008. The Deep Port now handles a throughput of around 7 million annual tons of bulk cargo, including raw materials for the steel industry.The following year saw Kokkola spend a further €8 million on purchasing additional cranes, crane grabs and new lifting systems for older cranes. €1.8 million was invested in purchasing new material handling equipment and re-positioning the loading bay at the rail tippler terminal.In 2017 €11.5 was allocated to capital projects in all three ports. €2.7 million was assigned to the Deep Port, including €0.9 million to create a custom-built substation for the electrification of new railway tracks entering the port and €0.7 million to refurbish older tracks. Over €1 million will be invested in the Deep Port in 2018 and similar sums in both 2019 and 2020.Developments at Kokkola’s Deep Port have been on-going on for several years and over €1 million was invested in the harbour in 2015 and a furtherVuokko Kalliokoski, Finance Manager, Port of Kokkola“We have worked hard to gain a reputation that is second-to-none in the port and shipping industry... we aim to keep that reputation and stay on top of our game.”Investments in the harbour’s quays and the port’s deep access channel have resulted in considerable savings for clients in the form of lowering freight costs per ton for operators of Panamax and Capesize class vessels. Large vessels carrying outsize cargo volumes demand efficient loading and discharging systems. The Deep Port’sHANDBOOK & DIRECTORY PORT OF KOKKOLA31©Merius Oy