The construction of a new passenger ferry terminal in Kotka which will enable service to St. Petersburg, Russia is expected to begin this spring.
The terminal's final design is still in progress, but building work is expected to start as early as May this year. The terminal, which will also include facilities for Customs and Border Guard officials, will be built on the site of an old storage facility in the city's harbour.
If construction goes ahead as planned, the facility will be ready for use by next spring, according to traffic operations director at the Port of Hamina-Kotka, Ville Kuitunen, who said that the port wants to generate regular passenger traffic to St. Petersburg.
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The Port has held preliminary talks with ferry operators interested in the route, but plans are still at an early stage, Kuitunen said.
"In spite of the coronavirus situation, discussions have taken place with certain parties. There is nothing locked in," he noted.
The port is also interested in possibly opening up a passenger ferry route to Estonia. Kuitunen said that ships from abroad could also use the new terminal.
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International cruise ships began stopping in Kotka in 2017, but all such traffic came to a halt last year due to the coronavirus crisis.
In spite of the pandemic, the ports of Kotka and Hamina are expected to see lively passenger traffic later this year, with ten cruise ships already scheduled to visit this season. The first is due to arrive at the end of June.
However, due to coronavirus-related restrictions, international ships are required to follow precise operating instructions as well as provide adequate levels of medical personnel and coronavirus testing capabilities.
International cruise passengers who want to visit the Kotka-Hamina area will not be permitted to move freely on city streets but instead will need to be part of guided tours.
Although Kotka and Hamina have very busy shipping ports, passenger traffic has been rare, as the few attempts at opening new passenger routes have been unsuccessful in recent decades.
Currently Finland's only passenger terminal providing service to St. Petersburg is located in Helsinki.