Coastal tourism around the Baltic Sea benefits from new services in the small ports

The CBSmallPorts project aims at supporting the sustainable development of small ports in the Central Baltic region with environment-friendly activities and investments. Enhancing the energy efficiency of the ports – both the energy supply and its use by boaters, as well as other small port users – is the key of all activities. This is not an isolated case as, in the past years, around 150 small ports have received funding for improving their services and infrastructure. Among them, CBSmallPorts is currently working on the enhancement of small ports in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia.

New services are in use in Finnish small ports

– In Finland, the past spring has been extremely busy for the small ports that are part of CBSmallPorts, tells the project leader Minna Keinänen-Toivola. In Seili (Pargas) two newly renovated saunas are ready to welcome visitors that would like to spend some time in the Turku Archipelago. While sailing in the area, not far away from Seili, visitors of the Airisto Marina (Pargas) small port will be arriving to some brand-new piers, which have just been deployed, while the planned solar power plant is on its way. In the Gulf of Finland, the small port of Sapokka (Kotka) has also just introduced some new piers which will soon include service posts, with light, water and electricity, and will be complemented by a solar power plant, scheduled to be installed in July 2021. In Tervasaari (Hamina), new piers are now available with new LED-lightning lampposts that will be available latest in July. Finally, in Keihässalmi (Pyhtää) the construction for transferring the air cables underwater is still under process, but the construction will hopefully start soon in the next weeks.

Not only are these new services available, but they were also tested. During the summer 2021 CBSmallPorts has happily engaged in a partnership with the Sailing FUGA expedition. The crew of the Sailing FUGA has undertaken a voyage as CBSmallPorts ambassadors.

– Our aim has been to raise awareness concerning the Baltic Sea and to show that a more energy efficient way of sailing is possible, tells S/Y Fuga’s captain Pellervo Kunnaala.

With several devices to improve the energy efficiency of their ship, Sailing FUGA left from Rauma at the beginning of May and sailed south towards Pargas and Kotka, before travelling over the Finnish Gulf through Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Bläse Kalkbruk (Gotland) and Åland – even though some of the ongoing restrictions did not allow a visit in the small ports of some of these countries.

In addition to their visit and promotion of the new services in the small ports, Sailing FUGA delivered, on behalf of CBSmallPorts, an invitation to take part in a survey concerning the energy efficiency of the small ports. A second journey will start in August and a more detailed schedule will be available during the summer.

Central Baltic CB SmallPorts

CB845 CBSmallPorts – Energetic small ports in Central Baltic region – is funded by the Interreg Central Baltic Programme. Within the project, altogether ten partners from four countries, led by the University of Applied Sciences, will work together for energetic small ports in the Baltic Sea region from 1^st of March 2020 until 30^th of November 2022. Other Finnish partners are the University of Turku, the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and Airiston Matkailukeskus Ltd. Partners work with energy efficiency, green investments and marketing tasks. Finnish Sailing and Boating Federation is an associated partner.

The project website can be found at sub.samk.fi/projects/cb-small-ports.

Contacts:

Project manager Minna Keinänen-Toivola
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finland
E-mail: minna.keinanen-toivola@samk.fi
Phone: +358 44 710 3063 More information about Sailing FUGA