For the 20th year in succession, the Gothenburg Region has been ranked the best logistics location in Sweden by the Swedish trade journal Intelligent Logistik. The Port of Gothenburg is described as being crucial to this ranking, due in part to its ongoing investment programme, its global service network, and its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the port has challenges going forward.
In an effort to speed up the transition to fossil-free fuels in the transport sector, Volvo Group, Scania, Stena Line, and the Port of Gothenburg have joined forces to bring about a significant reduction in carbon emissions linked to the largest port in the Scandinavia. The aim is to cut emissions by 70 per cent by 2030.
Global logistics in 2020 was marked indelibly by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in considerable fluctuations in demand for industrial products and transport. At the Port of Gothenburg, container volumes for the year showed no sign of being affected by Covid-19. On the contrary, volumes have increased.
The Port of Gothenurg has been working for a long time to encourage ships calling at the port to connect to the shoreside power system when at berth instead of keeping their engines running. The system is currently undergoing tests at yet another quay, enabling even more ships to connect shoreside power within a few weeks. There is the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 650 tonnes per year.
The Skandia Gateway project in Gothenburg has reached a crucial milestone. The environmental impact assessment has been completed, and documents have been submitted for examination by the Land and Environment Court.
What is the smartest way to transport captured carbon dioxide from facility to quayside? To discover the answer, five major energy companies in western Sweden have joined forces in the CinfraCap project. A prestudy commenced in May to determine whether a joint solution could be found for an efficient, sustainable infrastructure for captured carbon dioxide.
180,000 cubic meters of dredged material are currently being reused as filling material in the construction of the Port of Gothenburg's next major investment. When the masses have been stabilized and solidified and further surface work have been completed, 140,000 square meters of new, long-awaited terminal space, will be available in the Port of Gothenburg.
The coronavirus pandemic keeps affecting the world and global trade. Right now, Port of Gothenburg customers are experiencing a sudden deficit of empty containers for export cargo, To mitigate, the Port of Gothenburg community is launching an “Empty Container Initiative” campaign, aimed to support container storage during the holiday seasons, from today lasting through January.
A new freight service will commence at the turn of the year, linking Gothenburg to the industrialised Western Region in Norway via the ports in Stavanger, Bergen, Sunndal and Ålesund. The service will also include the Polish port of Swinoujscie, which will in turn open up further trade options with central Europe. Vessels will visit Gothenburg on a weekly basis.
Starting next year, the Gothenburg Port Authority will make use of new procurement stipulations for selected contracts with the aim of reducing carbon emissions at the port and promoting the use of greener construction equipment and methods.
Freight volumes at the Port of Gothenburg have remained stable, despite the ongoing effect the Covid-19 pandemic is having on world trade. Container volumes remain unchanged while other segments are regaining lost ground following the downturn earlier in the year. This can be seen from the volume report for the year to September.
Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth has presented the government’s newly established Electrification Commission. Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive Elvir Dzanic has been invited to sit on the Commission, which will identify measures to speed up electrification in the transport sector.