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.
With the aid of AI and digital linking, the Port of Gothenburg will become quicker, more cost-effective, and climate smart. A customised digital platform is due to be rolled out during the second half of 2021. It will enhance freight flow transparency and have a direct impact on productivity, lead times, and delivery capacity throughout the entire transport chain.
A new weekly rail shuttle service has commenced, providing Oslo and Norway with a rapid, dependable, climate-smart link to the largest port in Scandinavia. The service is can transfer 2,000 trucks from road to rail, with a resulting reduction in carbon emissions of over 700,000 kg per year.
On Thursday, Gothenburg City Council passed a resolution to grant more than €120,000,000 to finance the Skandia Gateway project, aimed at deepening the fairway leading into the Port of Gothenburg. As a result the project is fully funded. The parties now have a firm basis for entering into an implementation agreement.
If Gothenburg, Sweden, the EU, and the world are to meet the climate challenges facing the transport industry and shipping, local initiatives are required alongside international collaboration. The Port of Gothenburg has emerged as a driving force in the move towards greener shipping within the EU.
Port of Gothenburg freight volumes are continuing to rise in several segments. During the first half of 2020, containerised units rose by 4% and energy products by 22%. This despite the current Covid-19 pandemic, and while virtually all larger ports in Europe and the world show negative results.
On 31 July, the shipping company CMA CGM launched a new container service, adding a new link between Gothenburg and Hamburg. The new service includes calls at Gothenburg every Friday, initially using a vessel with a capacity of over 1,000 TEUs.
A completely new transshipment terminal, located between the Port of Gothenburg container and ro-ro terminals, is gradually emerging. The terminal will receive incoming forest products by rail from Swedish mills and then transfer the products to containers for onward transport to various parts of the world. Volumes equivalent to 60,000-100,000 TEU:s will be handled at the terminal each year.
