Press release -
Rise in car exports though the Port of Gothenburg
During 2014 the Port of Gothenburg reported a rise in car exports and a fall in oil volumes. This can be seen in the Port of Gothenburg volume report which is released today.
One-third of Sweden's foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg, which is the largest port in Scandinavia. Car and passenger volumes rose during 2014 while container traffic and energy products fell.
Upward trend for cars
The port reported a two per cent year-on-year rise in car volumes. In total, 166,000 cars were imported or exported via the port.
"2014 was a strong year for car sales in Sweden and it was also a good year for Volvo Cars. Both these factors contributed to an upturn in car volumes passing through the port," said Magnus Kårestedt, Port of Gothenburg Chief Executive.
Around one-fifth of all cars that enter or leave Sweden do so via the Port of Gothenburg. Apart from Volvo cars, Nissan, Renault and Ford cars are also handled.
Decline in global trade flows
Almost 60 per cent of all containers that enter or leave Sweden are shipped via the Port of Gothenburg although container traffic in 2014 was down three per cent on 2013. A total of 837,000 containers (TEU*) were handled.
Slight increase in freight to Europe
The Port of Gothenburg has several direct ro-ro services to the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and Belgium. This traffic category improved during the spring before falling back slightly during the autumn. Volumes remained on more or less the same level as 2014 at approximately 549,000 units.
Downturn in oil volumes
Half of Sweden's crude oil is imported via the Port of Gothenburg. It is then processed into petrol, diesel and a range of other energy products at the three refineries.
Oil and energy products slumped by six per cent in 2014. The year began with low refinery margins and a weak storage market but towards the end flows had increased thanks to improved refinery margins and a stronger storage market in the wake of plummeting oil prices. 19.2 million tonnes of oil and energy products were handled during 2014.
Sharp increase in passenger traffic
1.8 million people chose to travel to or from the Port of Gothenburg during 2014, eight per cent up on the previous year. Stena Line accounts for the majority of the passenger volumes with its daily services to Frederikshavn and Kiel. The number of cruise tourists also increased significantly – 108,000 visitors arrived at the Port of Gothenburg in 2014 compared with 47,000 in 2013.
| Percentage change 2014 | 2014 | 2013 | |
| Containers (TEU*) | -3% | 837,000 | 858,000 |
| Ro/ro units | 0% | 549,000 | 547,000 |
| Cars | 2% | 166,000 | 163,000 |
| Passengers | 8% | 1,821,000 | 1,692,000 |
| Calls by cruise ships | 87% | 73 | 39 |
| Energy products, million tonnes | -6% | 19.2 | 20.4 |
| Total, million tonnes | -2% | 37.1 | 37.9 |
* 20-foot equivalent units
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Fact file: Port of Gothenburg
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region with 11,000 visits by vessels each year. 30 per cent of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as 60 per cent of all container traffic.
The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world's largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 25 rail shuttles that depart each day mean that companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct, environmentally smart link to the largest port in the Nordic region. The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, ro-ro, containers and passengers.
