Rauma (Finland)

Rauma is a port city in Finland, with population around 40,000. Rauma is approx 92 km (57 mi) north of Turku (Finland's capital until 1812) and approx 50 km (30 mi) south of Pori. Rauma is connected with Turku-Pori via European Road E8. In Port Rauma starts Valtatie 12 (national road) linking to Huittinen-Tampere-Lahti-Kouvola (Kymenlaakso Region). The seaport is also directly railroad-connected with Kokemaki (Satakunta Region), but the railway is used for freight cargoes only.

The nearest airport (Pori) offers regularly scheduled (only domestic flights) to Helsinki.

Port Rauma (code FIRAU) is currently ranked Finland's 5th-largest by annual cargo volumes (~6 million tonnes). Close to the city (in Eurajoki) is Olkiluoto - one of the country's two nuclear powerplants (the other is near Loviisa). The current-day city economy is based on the paper and pulp industry, marine shipping and shipbuilding.

As a Baltic cruise port, Rauma is included in itineraries scheduled mainly for smaller-size luxury ships and rarely for large liners.

The next table shows the planned for 2021 "Baltikum Skandinavien 1" (10-day itinerary on AIDAvita leaving roundtrip from Germany.

Rauma was granted town status in the mid-15th century (1442). The town suffered two devastating fires (1640 and 1682) during which the downtown was almost completely destroyed. By the late 19th century, in Rauma was homeported Finland's biggest fleet (57 sailing boats).

The Old Town (Vanha Rauma) is a UNESCO site. The Annual Lace Week (9-day event in July) is since 1971 and held in the Old Town area. The festival attracts each year thousands of tourists. Other popular festivals are music-themed (classical, jazz, blues). Many residents own boats and use them for recreation purposes.

Rauma Shipyard

Rauma Shipyard specializes in the construction of large cruiseferries, small-sized cruise ships, icebreakers, Navi vessels (Pohjanmaa-class corvettes) and Coast Guard patrol boats.

The list of cruise ships, icebreakers and Ro-Pax/car+passenger ferries built at Rauma Shipyard (Rauman Telakka) includes:

• Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker (1987)
• Akademik Vavilov icebreaker (1988)
• Akademik Ioffe icebreaker (1989)
• Silver Explorer/Exploris One (1989)
• Society Adventurer/Hanseatic (1991)
• Fennica icebreaker (1993)
• Nordica icebreaker (1994)
• Nils Dacke ferry (1995)
• Robin Hood ferry (1995)
• Botnica icebreaker (1998)
• Ulysses ferry (2001)
• Cote des Dunes ferry (2011)
• Hjaltland ferry (2002)
• Hrossey ferry (2002)
• Hamnavoe ferry (2002)
• Tallink Romantika ferry (2002)
• Birka Stockholm/Gotland (2004)
• Tallink Victoria I ferry (2004)
• Silja Galaxy ferry (2006)
• Color Magic ferry (2007)
• Superspeed 1 ferry (2008)
• Superspeed 2 ferry (2008)
• Baltic Queen ferry (2009)
• Spirit of Britain ferry (2009)
• Spirit of France ferry (2012)
• SA Agulhas II icebreaker (2012/South Africa)
• Tallink MySTAR ferry (2022)
• Spirit of Tasmania IV (2024), Spirit of Tasmania V (2025)

Rauma's shipbuilding industry started in the 16th century with the construction of wooden sail ships but declined by the late-19th century. The building of modern ships developed after WW2 (1939-45) at two shipyards (Hollming, Rauma-Repola) which constructed vessels for the USSR (Soviet Union) as war reparations for Finland's participation in the World War on the side of Nazi Germany. Following the USSR's colapse in 1991, both shipyards were sold and merged into Aker Finnyards - owned by Aker Maritime (Norwegian petroleum industry supply company/1996-2004-defunct, part of the holding Aker ASA).

Between 2008-2012, Rauma Shipyard was owned by the Finnish shipbuilding company STX Finland (fka Aker Yards Oy/part of STX Europe) which also owned the shipyards in Turku and Helsinki. In September 2013, Rauma Shipyard was closed down and in 2014 January acquired (for EUR 18 million) by Rauma City. The shipbuilding facilities remained and soon the business was transferred to the 2014-founded Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC). In December 2015, RMC received funding from the state-owned Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) and became a minor shareholder of STX Rauma Shipyard, together with other Finnish investment funds (including Kasvattajarahasto) and private investors.

Until 2012, STX Europe was part of  STX Corporation South Korea (managed by the corporation's Offshore & Shipbuilding division) and operated a total of 15 shipyards in Europe (Finland, France, Norway, Romania), Brazil and Vietnam. In 2012, STX sold all its shipyards to Fincantieri (Italy) which renamed the cruise ship design and construction division VARD. In September 2014, STX Finland was sold to Meyer Werft Germany (70%) and the Finnish government (30%). In April 2015, Meyer Werft acquired the remaining 30%. In 2017, 50% of STX France (the shipyard in St Nazaire) was acquired by Fincantieri and renamed "Chantiers de l'Atlantique".