The maritime strategy of Helsinki sets ambitious goals for the development of the city’s water transport. We have accelerated this maritime transition through agile pilots and partnerships that have propelled Finnish companies into international markets, brought new accessible services into the daily lives of residents, and advanced emission reductions in both the archipelago and maritime freight.
In this article, we dive into five concrete ways we have advanced Helsinki’s maritime future toward ambitious emission reduction targets, better accessibility in the archipelago, and the city’s overall maritime strategy.
1. Electrification of water transport and emission reductions
Our work has played a key role in advancing the electrification and low-emission development of Helsinki’s water transport by providing agile piloting platforms for companies. In 2020, we organized the first electric ferry pilot to Vartiosaari and helped enable an electric boat pilot in Merisatama, where the Finnish Callboats vessel transported passengers in the Helsinki inner archipelago. The lessons learned and user experiences from these trials have helped the city make smarter fleet decisions when planning future water transport. For Callboats, the pilots facilitated by Forum Virium served as their first references, helping them secure customers in places like the Mediterranean and, starting from 2027, a 15-year contract to operate a large electric water bus in the Sipoo archipelago.
“We brought the first pilot of the Vaasa-based company Callboats’ new electric boat type to Vartiosaari in East Helsinki because we had Finland’s most favorable piloting environment. The pilot fulfilled the residents’ wish for an electric boat route, voted for through the OmaStadi participatory budgeting initiative, and advanced innovative Finnish boat-building expertise.”
Raimo Tengvall, Special Advisor in Electric Mobility, Forum Virium Helsinki
In the Hologistics project, we are currently collaborating with the Estonian shipping company Tallink to design new zero-emission freight transport services between Helsinki and Tallinn. This includes, for example, developing electrified ferry connections and combined ferry-rail services. The goal of the project is to achieve a 55% reduction in emissions within the project network’s logistics by 2030.
2. On-demand boats and autonomous water transport
In 2018, we launched development work for an on-demand water transport service as part of the Last Mile project in Jätkäsaari, where Bout piloted its water taxi service, acting as a digital marketplace often dubbed the “Uber for boats.” The piloting environment provided by Forum Virium has supported the Finnish company’s development during a period of transition toward digital services and electrification in water transport, heading into international markets. In the summer of 2024, Bout was selected to handle the official water taxi rides for the Paris Olympics on the Seine River.
In 2020, we continued our cooperation with Callboats, which began testing the history’s first electric water taxi on a regular scheduled route to the islands of East Helsinki. The on-demand vessels responded directly to the challenges of archipelago accessibility and offered a more flexible alternative to traditional ferry transport.
In Helsinki, Callboats also developed the world’s first commercial autonomous on-demand boat system, which TIME magazine named to its list of Best Inventions of 2023. In the future, the transition to autonomous water transport is seen as a decisive factor in archipelago transport. Autonomous electric boats could ease captain shortages and lower operating costs, as remote control capabilities allow a single captain to monitor multiple boats simultaneously.
3. Maritime MaaS and flexible ticketing
In the Maritime MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) project, we developed an open ticketing interface for Helsinki’s archipelago transport. The goal of this reform was to promote seamless local tourism so that Helsinki’s island destinations would be just as easily accessible as any other public transport destinations in the city.
In a pilot carried out in the autumn of 2020, JT-Line’s island-hopping tickets were integrated for the first time into a broader travel chain via the Whim application, allowing travelers to purchase a ticket directly through a familiar mobile app without needing to search for separate channels. Thanks to this digital ecosystem, it will be possible in the future to package tickets, dining, and cultural services into flexible service bundles.
4. Visitor tracking for archipelago tourism
In the international Urban Eco Islands project (2019–2021), we searched for new digital solutions to develop archipelago tourism while respecting fragile nature. The pilot site for the project was Helsinki’s Vasikkasaari, which we developed into a smart nature tourism destination in cooperation with the Stockholm Environment Institute. Using sensors, drones, and anonymous Bluetooth tracking, we collected real-time data on weather conditions, trail usage, and visitor numbers. This data allowed us to monitor and anticipate environmental wear and tear on the delicate archipelago nature. A practical guide was compiled to bring together the project’s findings on how urban island destinations can be developed proactively and responsibly.
5. Water temperature sensors
Real-time temperature monitoring at Helsinki’s swimming beaches has been one of Forum Virium Helsinki’s most popular and long-running data pilots. The service began in 2020, when we installed sensors at eight popular beaches that measure water temperature every 30 minutes. This digital solution was built to meet a real need for residents, as swimming water temperatures can vary significantly—depending on winds and currents, temperature differences of up to ten degrees have been recorded between beaches. Because the sensors are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions and freezing, they also provide valuable data for winter swimmers.
The pilot is an excellent example of how collaboration between the City of Helsinki and Forum Virium creates services that utilize open data to make daily life easier for residents. The City of Helsinki is expanding the pilot into a permanent monitoring operation, installing year-round gauges at most of Helsinki’s supervised beaches.
Photo: Vesa Laitinen
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