China does not allow food transported in thermally regulated containers into the country by rail. As a result, train transport of Norwegian fish from Narvik via Haparanda, Tornio and Vainikkala to China has still not started.
5.4. 06:51 • Updated 5.4. 08:43
A huge number of Norwegian fish are still waiting to reach the railways.
Already in 2020, the Finnish company Nurminen Logistics entered into an agreement with the Port of Narvik for container transport to China. The Norwegians wanted the train connection to serve the fishing industry in particular.
However, the corona epidemic stopped traffic before it even started, as China banned the import of food transported in thermally regulated containers across its land borders.
– The situation is the same. For now, we can only wait for China to one day open its borders, says the sales director Marjut Linnajärvi About Nurminen Logistics Plc.
Of course, it was also hoped that Norwegian fish transport would accelerate other container train traffic by rail, as large enough freight would make transport profitable.
Of course, Nurminen Logistics has transported a lot of goods between Narvik and Helsinki, but nothing on trains yet.
– Now we have come to the conclusion that when the goods from China have come to Narvik, the containers have been unloaded in trucks in Helsinki and driven directly to the recipients in the Narvik area or elsewhere in northern Norway and Sweden, Marjut Linnajärvi says.
However, the Port of Narvik recently announced the launch of a regular container train service between Narvik and Haparanda. The shift will run regularly every other week from the end of April. The partner is Nurminen Logistics.
According to Marjut Linnajärvi, container train traffic will now be launched to serve non-fish export companies. Numerous companies have expressed interest in this route.
– However, China is becoming a consumer goods, building materials and health care products. Later on, we will hopefully be able to increase the number of fishing trips to China.
Haparanda-Tornio could be a major freight hub
Finland’s only rail connection to Europe runs from Tornio to Haparanda in northern Sweden. Marjut Linnajärvi sees that container train traffic could bring a lot of opportunities to the area.
– The intention would be to use this Tornio-Haparanda as a logistics center, where the customer can even bring goods from Rovaniemi. That train will then take you to Helsinki, from where the journey can continue even by sea to Egypt. This route does not need to be directly connected to Chinese container train traffic.
Correspondingly, cargo could also be profitably imported from Helsinki to customers in northern Finland and to northern Sweden and Norway.
According to Marjut Linnajärvi, the different track gauges in Finland and Sweden are not a problem. At the Chinese-Kazakh border, containers are also lifted from one wagon to another.
– Hopefully a train opening soon will enliven the route. However, truck transport from Helsinki to Narvik is quite valuable and not very environmentally friendly, Linnajärvi says.