New terminal companies at the Port of Gothenburg

The newly established companies at the Port of Gothenburg will commence operations today and the work involved in the transfer to external operators will enter a new phase.

"Today is a milestone in the history of the Port of Gothenburg and marks the start of a new era for the largest port in the Nordic region. It will help us to become an even more efficient and attractive port," states Sven Hulterström, Chairman of the Port of Gothenburg.

The Gothenburg City Council had previously decided that the Port of Gothenburg would be divided into a Port Authority, owned by the City of Gothenburg, and three terminal companies to be run by external operators. Today, February 1, 2010, the three newly established companies will begin operating independently.

"The task of establishing the new structure has gone extremely well and we have already noted considerable interest from operators throughout the world," reports Sven Hulterström.

The external operators will purchase the right to use quays and terminals at the port although the Port Authority will continue to own the land and infrastructure and thus control the port and its future development.

The process leading up to the transfer of operations at the three terminals will now commence although at present it is not possible to say when the new operators will be in place.

"We are unable to say at which point the external operators will take over operations. It is vital that we enter into concession agreements with the right operators and this process could take time," states Sven Hulterström.

For further information, please contact Sven Hulterström, Chairman of the Port of Gothenburg, tel. +46 (0)70-553 62 40.