Sörnäinen Harbour (Finnish: Sörnäisten satama, Swedish: Sörnäs hamn) was for nearly one and a half centuries a major harbour and freight terminal in the Port of Helsinki, located in the Sörnäinen district on the eastern shore of the Helsinki city centre area.[2]
| Sörnäinen Harbour | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Sörnäinen Harbour in 1994, looking north, with the Hanasaari Power Plant seen on the left | |
 | |
Native name | Sörnäisten satama – Sörnäs hamn |
| Location | |
| Country | Finland |
| Location | Sörnäinen, Helsinki |
| Coordinates | 60°10′46″N 24°58′31″E / 60.1795°N 24.9752°E |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1863 |
| Closed | 2008 |
| Operated by | Port of Helsinki |
| Owned by | City of Helsinki |
| Type of harbour | Coastal natural |
| Draft depth | 9.6 metres (31 ft)[1] |
It was opened in 1863 to serve mainly the country's timber export trade, in 1889 an oil import terminal was added, and more recently containerised cargo and some passenger traffic.[2][3] The harbour was finally closed down after 145 years of operation in November 2008, when the new Vuosaari Harbour was opened in the eastern suburb, and the facilities moved there.[3][4] The only remaining functions relate to the adjacent Hanasaari Power Plant, which is itself being gradually decommissioned.[2]
The port facilities were connected to the rail network at Pasila station via a branch line called Sörnäinen harbour rail, which originally ran through Vallila, but which in 1965 was re-routed around the inner city area via Kumpula.[5]
Since its closure, the harbour area has been redeveloped for residential, retail and leisure use, as part of the Kalasatama development.[2]
The harbour was also commonly referred to as 'Sompasaari Harbour', after a small island which originally was located immediately to its south, but which the harbour development had subsumed under reclaimed land.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Fairway card - Helsinki 9.6m" (PDF) (in Finnish). Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Pilvenpiirtäjien varjossa – radioessee Kalasatamasta muistuttaa sataman kolmesta vaiheesta". Radio 1 (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Historia" (in Finnish). Port of Helsinki. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Sörnäisten satama muuttaa yhdessä yössä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 17 November 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Kumpulan satamarata käyttöön (reprint)". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 19 October 1965. Retrieved 13 August 2023.