The Port of Helsinki's West Terminal 2 opens on Monday 27 February
The Port of Helsinki Ltd's West Terminal 2 in the West Harbour will be opened to passengers on the morning of 27 February 2017, the company said in its press release. The new terminal, featuring a breathtaking view of the sea, offers a whole new level of travel comfort and convenience. The nearest tram stop is right next to the entrance, and the spacious terminal itself is easy to move about in, while the glass walls of the departure lounge offer an uninterrupted view of incoming and departing ships. Walking distances to the ships are short and those traveling by car will be served by a fast check-in system.
The terminal's restaurant and café services with the longest bar on the Baltic can be found in the departure lounge, and are provided by Panorama Bistro & Bar Helsinki. To support the idea of fast travel, the restaurant and café serve light snacks and foods without compromising on freshness and quality, while the bar offers a wide range of beverages, including specialty beers and high-quality coffee.
The Port of Helsinki is Finland’s busiest passenger port. This coming summer promises to be especially hectic for sea traffic: On the busiest days, there will be 24 departures to Tallinn from the South Harbour, the West Harbour and Katajanokka Harbour.
The new West Terminal 2 is specifically designed for fast scheduled traffic, serving 6–7 million passengers a year. The new terminal is only the Port of Helsinki’s second building designed from the ground up for passenger traffic, the first being the Olympia Terminal. As a result, the building has been designed first and foremost with travel comfort, the needs of ship traffic and various environmental aspects in mind.
The new quays are located right next to the terminal. One of the new quays features an automatic ship mooring system as well as a dual ramp solution, thanks to which vehicles can be driven in and out of a ship on two levels simultaneously. Together, these two systems will significantly shorten ship turnaround times.
