Pilotage fees will increase 2.8% from 1 January 2027

Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd will increase its pilotage fees by 2.8% as of 1 January 2027. The increase concerns both basic and mileage-based pilotage fees. The fees related to other aspects of the pilotage process, such as standby, cancellation and order transfer fees, will remain unchanged.

Economic growth in Europe has remained subdued, and geopolitical tensions as well as developments in global trade are also reflected in Finland’s maritime transport sector. The outlook for the international economy remains uncertain. Pilotage volumes in 2026 have developed as budgeted, and the total number of pilotage assignments for the year is estimated to reach approximately 16,000. Looking at a four-year period, pilotage volumes have decreased by approximately one fifth (2022: 20,315 pilotage assignments).

Maintenance of the network and service level in the face of fluctuating demand

Finnpilot provides pilotage services on all piloted fairways in Finland and seeks to ensure uninterrupted availability of the service under all circumstances. Forecasting resource requirements at lower traffic volumes is challenging, as pilotage demand in Finnish ports fluctuates significantly on a weekly and even daily basis.

“Customer surveys and discussions repeatedly highlight service availability and operational reliability as the most important quality factors in pilotage services. Ensuring the service level requires maintaining a nationwide network also during quieter periods. Together with our customers, we want to focus in the near future on evaluating the service level of fairways with lower traffic volumes,” says Kari Kosonen, CEO of Finnpilot.

“Advance information on pilotage needs also remains an important part of efficient service production, and cooperation with our customers in this respect has been good. By further improving advance information, we will be able to respond to fluctuations in demand in a cost-effective manner in the future as well,” Kosonen continues.

Cost development, personnel competence and preparedness behind the increase

Rising training, energy, service and financing costs are driving the increase in pilotage fees. Fuel costs, in particular, have risen sharply in recent years, significantly increasing the company’s overall costs. Maintaining a service essential to maritime safety and Finland’s security of supply also requires greater investment in preparedness and continuity management.

At the same time, safeguarding the service level requires long-term investments in competence development and knowledge transfer. In the coming years, a significant number of Finnpilot employees across different personnel groups will retire. Each replacement recruitment will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that personnel resources continue to meet future service needs.

Training new pilots requires them to work alongside experienced pilots at the beginning of their careers, which increases personnel costs during the transition period. The smooth progression of the training phase is supported by Finnpilot’s statutory training system, through which the competence required for pilot duties is acquired gradually and in a controlled manner.

The price of pilotage in Finland remains competitive compared with other Baltic Sea pilotage providers. For example, pilotage fees in Sweden are on average around 40% higher than those in Finland when comparing equivalent vessels.

The level of the pilotage fees was decided by the Board of Directors of Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd at its meeting on 30 September 2026. The new pilotage fee charts have been published on Finnpilot’s website.

Further information

Kari Kosonen, CEO, kari.kosonen@finnpilot.fi, tel. +358 40 741 4625
Timo Siren, Financial Director, timo.siren@finnpilot.fi, tel. +358 40 145 9848