Project summary
The Baltic Sea Region has been an area of high economic growth. The dominant mode of transport in this area is sea (about 76% of trade) and only 24% come by other means of transport. In addition to their own import and export, Finnish and Estonian ports handle a major share of the Russian transit traffic. Studying of the risks involved in the maritime supply chains was started properly since the sinking of M/S Estonia in 1994. Typically the research has been focusing on specific parts of the supply chains, where the holistic picture of the risks influence to overall security of supply might be diminished. However, in modern worlds’ disintegrated supply chains the threats supply chain disruptions companies are facing derive more and more from the risks that other companies face. There exist only few studies on how the very large maritime volumes could be handled, when the operational environment radically changes e.g., a port or several ports or sea routes would be closed down due to e.g. an economic crisis or an environmental hazard.
In the STOCA project, cargo flows in the Gulf of Finland will be examined from holistic viewpoint, where the risk facing different actors are taken into consideration from the whole supply chains supply security’s viewpoint. The found risks in the operational environment will be examined and evaluated from the continuous and sustainable growth point of view. Risks and their possible consequences in the operational environment will be explored to reveal the potential discontinuities and their effects on the development of the cargo flows in the region. Finally, when identification of possible sources of dangers, such as environmental or human made, and how they influence cargo flows, the re-routing of cargo flows with minimum risks and affects will be studied.
As a result from the study, analyses of the alternative risk scenarios of operational environment in extreme situations are built. For example, the possible risks that could affect the Gulf of Finland cargo flows and the consequences of possible emergency situations for the actors in business and public sector will be analyzed. In addition, the environmental effects of road and rail transportations on the alternative transport routes and the opportunities and threats for the operations of sea ports in the area of Baltic Sea Region and inland logistical centres in the Gulf of Finland will be examined. Furthermore, the Gulf of Finland traffic flows and potential of transport infrastructure will be analyzed. Finally, the importance of each cargo flow for different actors: national security, business actors, and maintaining functioning society and the effects and costs of potential emergency situations are studied in Finland and in Estonia.
Coordinating partner:
- Kotka Maritime Research Centre
Main partners:
- University of Turku, Centre for Maritime Studies
- Lappeenranta University of Technology, Northern Dimension Research Centre
- Lappeenranta University of Technology, Kouvola Research Unit
- Estonian Maritime Academy
Funding: Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013, Regional Council of Southwest Finland, and National Emergency Supply Agency app. 860 000 €
Project's duration: 1/2009 – 04/2011
Project’s home page:
http://www.merikotka.fi/uk/STOCA.php
Contact information:
Juha Heijari
Project Manager, Kotka Maritime Research Centre
Tel. +358 44 522 2809
E-mail: firstname.lastname@merikotka.fi
Jyri Vilko
Project Manager, Northern Dimension Research Centre
Tel. +358 400 919 230
E-mail: firstname.lastname@lut.fi
Jukka Hallikas
Professor, Responsible Director, LUT School of Business
Puh. +358 40 550 7499
E-mail: firstname.lastname@lut.fi
