Archives



Freight News, Sea


Gothenburg boxes grow for eighth quarter in a row

[ October 28, 2022   //   ]

The Port of Gothenburg said that this year’s third quarter is the eighth in a row in which container volumes have grown.

However, the overall situation in the global transport system continues to be strained with closures, congestion and bottlenecks. Freight volumes at the Port of Gothenburg are, however, continuing to increase in most segments.

Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive, Elvir Dzanic, said: “We see a continuation of the upward trend that began in connection with the pandemic. Product owners are attracted to the major freight hubs, which is very clear at the Port of Gothenburg.

“We have a broad, global route network, large vessels with direct services to important markets, the robust infrastructure, reliable terminal management and the hinterland railway links that the industry needs to secure its competitive strength.

The port is increasing its market share in the country, according to Ports of Sweden figures. Gothenburg now has a 53% share of the Swedish container market, an increase of three percentage points compared with the first half of 2021. Gothenburg also increased its market share for containers compared with nearby major ports in Northern Europe.

“There’s no loyalty in the logistics system. The winners are the ones who best meet the needs of customers, based on a combination of efficiency, reliability, flexibility and climate benefit. If you don’t deliver on these parameters, the freight will quickly find other routes.

“So it’s a question of constantly continuing to develop and create added value for customers. Otherwise you’ll soon find yourself playing catch-up,” says Elvir Dzanic.

Despite uncertainty in the market, more and more containers continue to be handled at the Port of Gothenburg, and the rate of growth has accelerated during the year. In total, 655,000TEU were handled up to and including September, an increase of 6% compared with the same period last year. This year’s third quarter is the eighth in a row in which the port has seen growth in container volumes. Most containers are handled by APM Terminals.

The trend towards rail transport of containers  is also becoming increasingly clear with a 13% increase to 385,000TEU in both long-distance and short-distance traffic, although the biggest increase is evident in long-distance traffic to and from Northern Sweden.

The vehicle segment continues to be adversely affected by issues including the component shortage and low levels of new car sales both in Sweden and abroad with the number of new vehicles handled down 18% compared with 2021 to 155,300. But compared with the market as a whole, Gothenburg has performed better than many other ports, both in Sweden and on the continent. The port continues to be Sweden’s biggest vehicle port, now by a bigger margin than before.

Intra-European ro-ro traffic continues to increase. During the first nine months, the volume of ro-ro traffic increased by 2%, to 426,000 units in comparison with the same period in 2021.

The handling of energy products increased by 11% during the January-September compared with the same period last year. Both unloading of refined products and storage of unrefined products are maintaining high volumes.

Handling of dry bulk continues to increase. A total of 284,000 tonnes were handled, representing an increase of 56%. It is primarily exports of forestry products on side-loading ships, as well as stone that account for this increase.

Tags: