Finland lies in a strategically important position along routes from both Western Europe and the Far East, so it is easy to see why it is such a popular base for worldwide shipping companies. International freight is heavily encouraged by low berthing fees, and a new container port to serve Helsinki, the country’s capital, was completed in 2008. The country also has a very well maintained road network, as well as more than 3,600 miles of railway lines which facilitate internal travel between major cities and the more remote regions.

One of the country’s biggest commercial successes is the mobile phone company Nokia. While it has well and truly put the country on the map, many more Finns are enterprising and innovative, which is proved by the country’s status as the one which holds the greatest number of registered patents per head of population in the world. The World Bank credits Finland as being one of the easiest nations in the world with which to do business, ranking it 16th in a 2010 poll based on this criterion.

Doing business in Finland is so much easier when you have a reliable and cost-effective parcel delivery service helping you get your goods to where they are needed, when they are needed. Online couriers pull together the massive resources of the world’s best-known courier companies so that when you need to send a parcel to Finland, you can leave the hard work to us. With its highly liberalised commercial market, Finland welcomes businesses which have something to offer its people.

Finland has the second highest penetration of broadband internet in the world (second only to the US) and it has the very highest penetration of mobile phones in the world. These statistics are indicative of how very outward looking, innovative and connected Finland is.

In fact, driven by its success in high-tech, including its most famous brand Nokia, Finland is the most competitive country in the world, according to the Global Competitiveness Report. It also has a strong biotechnology, paper and shipbuilding industry. Believe it or not, 25% of all cruise ships are made in Finland. Little wonder then that freight transport in Finland is trouble-free and efficient, which is good news for both the freight company and its customers.

Finland is a EU member country and shares a border with Russia, so it has a unique position in freight services at the epicentre of a fast developing marketplace that includes North West Russia, Scandinavia and the Baltic republics. So Finland is an extremely important gateway for shipping companies.

Finland’s gateway position as a freight forwarding route to Russia is significant. Over 40% of the EU’s road freight to Russia are shipped from Finland or travel via Finland. Because of its excellent international freight infrastructure, many foreign companies use Finland as a base for their transportation and marketing to Russia and the Baltic countries, especially Estonia.

The freight transport system is effectively based on its road and rail network, which is supported by a large number of freight services companies. There are more than fifty shipping ports in Finland, of which more than ten are on the inland waterways, which are connected to the Baltic Sea by the Saimaa Canal. Just under half of the ports are open the whole year round, so a shipping company can rely on freight transport in the region being stable and reliable.

The ports of Hamina, Kotka and Mustola, which are near the Russian border, focus on bulk cargo, free zone activities and forestry goods. All ports in Finland make good use of automated techniques, meaning that freight forwarding is efficient and fast. One aspect which really helps freight transport is that Finland’s rail gauge is the same as Russia’s.

The combination of its excellent road and rail network with its efficient range of year-round ports means that Finland is an important hub for shipping companies. The country’s freight services will only continue to increase in importance as the economies in Russia and the Baltic countries expand.