Port of Gothenburg has published increased container volumes in its 2020 first-quarter report, in contrast to the majority of other European ports.
According to Elvir Dzanic, Port of Gothenburg chief executive, the open approach adopted by Sweden to the world, and the fact that Swedish industry has continued to export during the Covid-19 pandemic, are factors that make the Port of Gothenburg the exception in the European port statistics table.
“We offer a wide range of services, a highly efficient rail infrastructure, and the capacity to remain sustainable even more testing times. Freight flows from all over the country are being concentrated increasingly on Gothenburg as companies reassess their logistics concepts,” he commented.
The Swedish facility has seen an increase of 8% in its box volumes, while there have been no cancelled calls during the first three months of 2020 and none are planned.
Large numbers of calls by ocean-going vessels were cancelled at European ports during the first quarter, disrupting freight flows. In Gothenburg, no direct calls have been cancelled – services to and from Asia using the world’s largest vessels have continued, week in, week out, according to the port’s announcement.
“Weekly services between Gothenburg and Asia have proved to be the most important lifeline for Swedish imports and exports,” added Dennis Olesen, chief executive of the container terminal operator APM Terminals Gothenburg. “We also see more goods able to become rail born and move through Gothenburg, which is reassuring as it brings continuity to Swedish trade with the world.”
Despite the difficulty of predicting when the Covid-19 pandemic might end, Elvir Dzanic is upbeat about the future, both for the port in general and for container traffic in particular.
“Together with the other companies at the port, we are working to satisfy the needs of the market through a series of key initiatives, including deepening of the fairway, enhancing transhipment potential, and expanding the port’s rail concept,” highlighted Dzanic.
