The Swedish container market had a slight downturn during the first half of 2019 with a one per cent fall, but the Port of Gothenburg is reporting a steady rise in both market share and volume. Between January and September this year, the figure stood at four per cent, due largely to continued influx of hinterland rail volumes at the port.
According to the current timetable, the UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October. But what does withdrawal mean for those who ship freight between Sweden and the UK via the Port of Gothenburg? And will it affect those handling non-UK bound freight at the port?
Last week, the Gothenburg Port Authority launched a digital solution designed to make bunkering at the Energy Port easier and more efficient. The new ‘Bunkering App’ is one of the first in the world to offer this range of functionality.
We have the pleasure to invite you to interview Port of Gothenburg CEO Magnus Karestedt on his visit to Tokyo on the 3rd and 5th of April. The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia and the gateway to the region for marine transports from the Asian region.
During 2018, 398,000 TEUs were transported to or from the port by rail. The figures were strongest during the final quarter of the year when rail-borne container freight increased by 27 per cent. “The fact that long-distance freight transport is recovering at a higher rate is a clear indication of the growing confidence in the Container Terminal throughout the country".
Port of Gothenburg freight figures for 2018 have just been compiled. Container volumes rose by 17 per cent compared with the previous year. Energy products, intra-European ro-ro* units and new cars all fell by one per cent, albeit in relation to the high comparative figures for these three segments in 2017.
The prospects for ro-ro traffic between Sweden and the continent are certainly looking bright. Volumes between Gothenburg and Belgium have increased for the ninth year in succession. Shipping companies are also in the process of expanding their networks from Gothenburg across large parts of Europe – often via the Belgian ports in Ghent and Zeebrugge, large hubs for intra-European ro-ro traffic.
Freight volumes passing through the Port of Gothenburg during the year to date are as follows. Container traffic is up 20% compared with the preceding year, and energy product flows remain consistently strong. New car figures rose by 4% but now appear to be levelling off, albeit at a high level.
During the first six months of this year, container volumes at the Port of Gothenburg rose by 19 per cent, from 318,000 to 378,000 TEUs. The number of cars and intra-European ro-ro* units shipped increased by ten and four per cent respectively, whilst the energy segment fell by three per cent. The figures are taken from the Port of Gothenburg’s recently published mid-year volume report.
In 2015, the Port of Gothenburg introduced an environmental discount on the port tariff in an effort to increase the number of calls by ships running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Gothenburg Port Authority is now set to extend the discount period and is already outlining a renewed environmental discount.
Swedegas, which is currently constructing a permanent LNG facility at the Port of Gothenburg Energy Port, has entered into an agreement with a gas supplier for the facility, which will to become operational in August.
Container volumes rose by three per cent during the first quarter of the year, up from 184,000 to 188,000 TEU. The number of cars shipped rose by 20 per cent, whilst intra-European ro-ro units and energy products increased by five and three per cent respectively. The figures are taken from the Port of Gothenburg’s recently published Q1 volume report.
