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Published in: Helsingin Sanomat, 6th of September, 2003 |
- THE DEMOLITION OF THE OIL CONTAINERS IN LAAJASALO BEGINS - FORTUM DOESN'T NEED ANYMORE IT'S OIL TERMINAL IN EASTERN HELSINKI |
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- The power company Fortum has began the demolition job of the oil containers in Laajasalo. The job will be finished in the October and after that, open view will open up from the rocks of Laajasalo, towards the Helsinki Cathedral and other sights in southern Helsinki. Fortum still had a lease to the land, until the end of this decade, but they decided to return the area to Helsinki earlier, as there was no need for the terminal anymore. - When the oil containers were build in the early part of the sixties, Finland had only one oil refinery. Gasoline and fuel oil were transported by ships from Naanatali to Helsinki and then from Laajasalo the trucks would deliver the products to the customers. The oil containers in Laajasalo, holds up over a 36 000 cubic meters of oil. Four decades ago, the oil was transported by ships that could hold a ton or two of oil, but now the oil containers can be filled by two ships that serve the coastal traffic. Fortum is concentrating it's oil terminal business to Porvoo. The new containers in Kilpilahti, Porvoo, can hold up over a thirty times of oil, than the old containers could. The new containers in Kilpilahti have a capacity of over a million cubic meters in the containers that are above the ground and additionally, there's even more containers under the ground that can hold up four million cubic meters of oil. - In practice, the demolition job is made by a giant "cutter machines". These machines cut pieces from the container walls, that are 1,5 centimeter thick, like they would open up a piece of can. The metal pieces are then transported to melting plant and are processed so that they can be used for example to spare parts for cars. Around the containers, there's ladders, that lead up to the roof and most of these will also be melted and used again. The rock wool that is used as an insulation in the containers will be mostly used again and will end up to the construction areas as a blasting wool. - We are removing every bit of contaminated soil and our intention is, that we can give Helsinki a piece of land, that can be used for dwelling area as it is, says the project director. The job is done as carefully as possible and this job is my first bigger assignment and that's why I need to do everything really carefully, so that we don't have to do the job again, says the project director. Because you don't know if you will be living here someday? - The city of Helsinki however cannot start building houses here yet, even when the area around the containers will soon be free. The surrounding area still contains lubricant factory and other warehouses. Additionally, Esso has also oil containers in the area. |
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Published in: Itä-Helsingin Uutiset, 10th of September, 2003 |
Published in: Alueuutiset, 10th of September, 2003 |
- A GIANT CUTTER IS CRUNCHING AWAY THE CONTAINERS |
- THE OIL CONTAINERS IN LAAJASALO, ARE CUTTED AWAY |
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- The Fortum oil containers that are in Laajasalo, are meeting their end. The containers, that have been in use from the sixties and can hold about 35 cubic meters of oil are chopped to pieces by a giant "cutter machine", that resembles a bit of excavator. It's hydraulic cutter is invisible against the container walls that are nearly a two centimeters thick on some points. The "jaws" are chopping away the containers determinedly. The scrap metal that is gained from the containers, will me melted and used again. The area will also be cleaned from oil and new plans for residential houses are already under way. Additionally to the shores of Kruunuvuori area, Stansvik, Kruunuvuori and the wooden area along the Koirasaarentie and few nearby scar's will have some new residential houses. The whole area is nearly a 290 hectare large and contains 190 hectare of land. The city of Helsinki owns most of this area. In the city development plan of 2002 it's planned, that there would be a subway connection from Katajanokka to Kruunuvuori. When the final plans are being made for this area, they will decide the possible alignment for the subway tunnels and the road and bridge solutions. Alternative solution for public transportation is the ferry connections to the central Helsinki and perhaps another connection from the Herttoniemi subway station. |
- The shore of the oil terminal in Laajasalo opens up slowly as Fortum is demolishing it's old containers that are not in use anymore. The containers will be chopped to pieces by a giant hydraulic cutters, so that they can be then transported to the melting plant and used again. There's five large containers and each of them will be demolished and used again. The communication director from Fortum says, that the containers could have been also cut to pieces with a blowpipes, but that would have disturbed the people even more and would have caused a problem due to the particles that would have been released in the process. Now the only problem to the nearby people, is the noise that these cutters are making. The most closest residential area is within half a kilometer. |
NOTE: If the new residential area will be build to Kruunuvuori, it will also mean, that the Villa's Of Kruunuvuori will probably be also demolished. If they haven't collapsed on their own before that...
