Port of Gothenburg has recorded container volume increases in almost all sectors during the first half and the second quarter of the year, with the most exceptional rise registered in rail throughput.
Particularly, container transport via rail increased by 11% in H1 and by 19% in Q2, while the rail-borne box moves comprised 70% out of the ports’ total traffic, marking a record and “possibly the highest ever figure reported by a major international port,” according to the Port of Gothenburg.
This uptrend is mainly driven by growth in traffic on new routes and the addition of new rail destinations in the spring.
Chief Executive of Gothenburg Port Authority, Elvir Dzanic stated, “This is a tangible endorsement of our highly efficient rail concept, which is proving extremely popular among freight owners and something we will continue to develop.”
In addition, during the first half of the year container traffic at the Swedish Port rose by 2% compared to the corresponding period of 2020, with 411,000TEU being handled, despite the disruptions in global freight flows due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Bearing in mind the challenges we have faced during the first half of the year our volume figures overall are quite a feat and the positive trend during Q2 compared with Q1 can be seen in almost every area,” said Elvir Dzanic.
The only sector presenting a downtrend during the first half was energy products, with volumes of 9.8 million tonnes, decreased by 17% in comparison to the first half of 2020 when volumes were unusually high as a result of low oil prices.
Meanwhile, in June, the Gothenburg Port Authority signed a declaration of intent with the construction company Castellum for a joint venture, in order to develop, plan, build and manage logistics properties next to the port. The joint-venture company’s set-up is subject to approval by the City Council during the autumn.
The land area is approximately 270,000m², of which actual building land is 155,000m². The expansion is estimated to be completed within four years and the project is expected to begin during 2021.
Furthermore, the Port of Gothenburg will establish a new rail shuttle service as a part of its effort to facilitate transports, connecting Malungsfors in Dalarna with Asia.
The newly launched service is under the driving force of the Fiskarheden sawmill in collaboration with the forwarding company Träfraktkontoret, transferring timber products that were previously transported by road via the Port of Gävle.
The first train to depart will carry 32 40-foot containers from the Singaporean container carrier Ocean Network Express (ONE) and will arrive at the Port of Gothenburg on 30 August.
Consequently, the new arrangement via Gothenburg offers both logistical benefits and carbon savings, while it will reduce the carbon footprint of each container from 406 to 207 kilos of carbon dioxide.
