‘The Finnish maritime cluster is known globally for solutions and services encompassing the entire industry, from multi-purpose commercial and naval vessels to offshore wind farms and smart and green ports. The Finns integrate cutting edge, innovative technology in the areas of digitalisation, automation, autonomy, and sustainable solutions in a way that allows shipowners, yards and port operators to optimise operations in an efficient and sustainable manner.’
That is the message with which Business Finland, the interest organisation of the Finnish business community, visited the Netherlands in October, with a trade mission in search of possible cooperation partners. The trade mission led by Finnish Economy Minister Wille Rydman included representatives from about a dozen companies operating in the maritime industry. From 7-10 October, they toured firms in the Dutch maritime industry looking for opportunities.
This article appeared in SWZ|Maritime’s December 2024 issue and was written by SWZ|Maritime’s editor-in-chief Antoon Oosting, swz.rotterdam@knvts.nl.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s December 2024 issue: Finland and the quest for clean fuels
Green maritime technology
Finland’s maritime cluster is active in two key market segments: cruise/passenger ships and specialised ice-going vessels. Specifically, Finnish companies have designed about eighty per cent of all icebreakers in the world, and they have built nearly two thirds of them. These vessels feature green marine technology, such as a new generation of dual-fuel engines, which leads to a reduction of almost 100 per cent of sulphur oxide and 85 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions.
Additionally, sixty per cent of the world’s largest luxury cruise ships are designed in Finland and one third are built by Finnish shipyards. These vessels incorporate technology such as big data, automation and robotics aligning with international safety and environmental regulations.
In addition to maritime companies, PIA, the Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries Association, also took part in the trade mission to the Netherlands. PIA is the voice of approximately 200 Finnish member companies operating within defence, aerospace and security. PIA works in close cooperation with the Finnish Ministry of Defence, the Finnish Defence Forces and other security authorities in Finland.
PIA can be seen as the counterpart of the Dutch NIDV, the Netherlands Defence and Security Industry Foundation. With PIA’s participation, the Finns make no secret of the fact that they are also very interested in cooperating with the Dutch defence sector to strengthen their navy.
Maritime seminar Finland-NL
During a seminar at the Finnish embassy, representatives of the Finnish and Dutch maritime sectors exchanged ideas and views. The companies participating in the trade mission were Adwatec, Allstars Engineering Group, Koja, Marioff, Promeco, Siili Solutions, Uwira, Wärtsilä, and PIA.
- Adwatec designs and manufactures marine approved, high-quality water-cooling systems for power electronics on board ships. Their water cooling products are used in water-cooled frequency converters (VFD), which are used for marine heavy duty electric motor applications, such as propulsion systems, thrusters, winches, batteries and energy storage systems.
- Allstars Engineering Group is a specialist in glazing solutions.
- Koja Oy is a family-owned company that offers intelligent and energy-efficient air handling solutions for buildings and ships, as well as fan and air solutions for industry. Koja Marine is a leading HVAC expert.
- Marioff Corporation Oy is a Finnish company specialising in water mist extinguishing technology, which supplies sprinkler systems worldwide. The company’s HIFOG water mist fire protection systems suppress fires using significantly less water than traditional systems, reducing water damage and downtime. The systems are in use on thousands of marine vessels.
- Promeco is an experienced contract manufacturer of high-quality electromechanical systems and services.
- Siili Solutions Oyj serves its customers end-to-end in planning, development, and maintenance of demanding digital, data and AI software development services.
- Uwira praises itself as one of the most experienced manufacturers of double-walled pipes, precision prefabricated pipe components, and skids for the maritime industry. Its products are designed for various substances, such as methanol and ammonia, the new alternative fuels for shipping.
- Wärtsilä is a global pioneer in power, propulsion, and lifecycle solutions for the marine market with a strong presence in the Netherlands.
Also read: Finland seeks Dutch partners for sustainable maritime solutions
Strong Dutch-Finnish shipping ties
In her contribution to the seminar, Katja Eriksen, senior advisor of Business Finland, pointed out the strong economic and especially maritime ties between Finland and the Netherlands. Including the activities in the ports, Finland has a relatively big maritime industry that employs about 50,000 professionals and that realises an annual turnover of EUR 13 billion.
The industry exports more than eighty per cent of its production (counted in sales). The Finnish maritime manufacturing industry with three big yards – Meyer Turku, Helsinki Shipyard Oy and Rauma Marine Constructions – currently has a very healthy orderbook.
With the visit of 210 Dutch ships to Finnish ports during the winter season of 2023-’24, the Dutch flag was the biggest in Finnish ports. Those ships all have to be ice-classed, so specially reinforced against icy conditions, what makes shipping to and from Finland more costly than to other countries in a milder climate. Shipping to and from Finnish ports also increases emissions by five per cent compared to ships optimised for sailing in open waters. And according to Eriksen, the ice conditions in the waters around Finland are becoming more and more difficult to navigate.
Zero-emission shipping
With this, the Finnish economy and politics are also under extra strong pressure, especially from the European Commission with its FuelEU Maritime regulations, to make shipping to and from Finland more sustainable by reducing CO2 emissions. For Finland, this is a tough task, but very important for the Finnish economy.
Shipping accessibility and keeping Finnish ports open during the usually harsh Baltic winters are crucial for the Finnish economy. With a 1340-kilometre-long border with hostile Russia, of which all border crossings have been closed, Finland is practically a peninsula. So, ninety per cent of imports must come to Finland by ship. This means that some help from Dutch counterparts in finding solutions for building emission- free ships would be very useful for the Finns.
Also read: Finland battles the ice with high tech
Securing the sea lanes
In her presentation, Tuja Karanko of PIA highlighted the ‘very hightech technology’ the Finns have developed for securing sea lanes. ‘We were not allowed to develop submarine capabilities because of the Soviets, so we had to find other technology to protect our underwater domain,’ said Karanko.
This underwater situational awareness technology could be of use to the Dutch to protect their offshore gas pipelines, wind parks and communication cables. Also, in naval mine warfare, the Finns developed some special solutions.
Jeroen de Graaf, the new director of the merger organisation IRO-NMT for the maritime manufacturing and offshore industry, also sees ensuring the supply and availability of naval equipment as one of the most promising projects for Finnish-Dutch cooperation. One of the newest projects is focused on seabed warfare in combination with shallow water.
All the projects are being carried out close to home to stimulate local industry. De Graaf also hails the expertise of both countries in advanced shipbuilding and sees a lot of opportunities for cooperation. Damen Shipyards already opened an engineering centre in Helsinki and Thales Netherlands works for the Finnish navy. And the Dutch research institutes TNO and MARIN have teamed up with various partners, including in Finland, to enhance sustainable shortsea shipping.
Also read: IRO and NMT to merge from January
Offshore wind for Finland
One field in which the Dutch can help the Finns, is the offshore wind industry. In his speech, De Graaf pointed out that Dutch firms play a vital role in almost all offshore wind farms in the world, from the North Sea, the Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea, to the waters off the coast of the United States, around Taiwan and even in Japan.
‘At this moment, Finland has one offshore wind farm, near Pori. The wind farm has eleven turbines, but an extension of no less than forty more is planned. This shows how much Finland values a sustainable future,’ marked De Graaf. Besides, Dutch companies have extensive experience in building installation vessels for wind farms.
But also for the ICE (Icebreaker Collaboration Effort) Pact, that Finland agreed upon with the US and Canada to develop new icebreakers for especially the Arctic together, De Graaf sees opportunities for the future.
‘This is a superb initiative: Icebreakers are not only essential for keeping strategic routes open, but also for enabling resource extraction. But when I first heard about the ICE Pact, my immediate thought was that the Netherlands has something to offer in this area too! We are renowned globally for our expertise in dredging waterways and seabeds. Key players such as Van Oord and Boskalis have a long history in dredging harbours, coastal defence and land reclamation,’ De Graaf said.
Picture: Left: Wille Rydman, Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs, right: Jeroen de Graaf, new director of the merger organisation IRO-NMT (photos by the Finnish Ministry and NMT respectively).
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s December 2023 issue: Finland leads the way in shipbuilding
