STORY: Finnish logistics company thrives on BRI
DATELINE: Sept. 12, 2023
LENGTH: 0:03:15
LOCATION: Helsinki
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the logistics company
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics

STORYLINE:

The Finnish enterprise Nurminen Logistics had already recognized Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a significant opportunity for collaboration back in 2015 when it decided to participate in the initiative.

That's according to Olli Pohjanvirta, the company's chief executive officer.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
"In 2014, we started the preparation work to start as a railway operator on this route. In 2015, we made an agreement with the Kazakhstan National Railways KTZ, to cooperate with them on this route. And as we have been working on rails for more than 25 years, we understand what possibilities this initiative will bring to our company and to our clients."

Pohjanvirta said that Nurminen's ambitious goal was to become the leading container train operator between China and Scandinavia, which it achieved in 2021 with its Chinese partners.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
"Our goals were to be the biggest operator between China and Scandinavia on this route and I think we succeeded in this. A very good mark was 2021, in our calculations, we were transporting around or more than 20 percent of the value of the Finnish-Chinese train."

The CEO said that Nurminen currently serves over 1,000 direct customers in 10 European countries, operating 10 to 15 full trains every month. The company has established an office in China's Shanghai.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
"We have carried more than 10,000 containers here. And We have had, in some months, almost 20 trains a month going on this route. We've got a lot of new clients from Scandinavia, from China. We have made it possible for many of our clients to increase their own trade, because of the faster service and the low emissions. So we have really brought value to our clients in Europe and in China."

He said that thanks to the initiative, not only has the railway infrastructure along the route been greatly improved, but a road of solidarity and cooperation has also emerged.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): OLLI POHJANVIRTA, CEO of Nurminen Logistics
"We can see that Kazakhstan has especially invested a lot. You can see they have invested billions of dollars. And our infrastructure in the Chinese-Kazakhstan border is really good. It's electrified, so CO2 emissions are very low on this route. Secondly, we can see it's also an investment in a way that the authorities are working together in different countries. So, for example, customs, the formalities are really easy now. So it shows that a multinational corporation is really possible. Trade is one way of building trust and communication between peoples, companies, structures, and organizations. So all these kinds of new initiatives are needed and they are beneficial to each party participating."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Helsinki.
(XHTV)