Gothenburg port box traffic up 3pc with more Swedish rail freight

CONTAINER throughput at the port of Gothenburg rose last year by three per cent to 772,000 units on the back of the emerging trend to channel box traffic from the whole of Sweden by rail to the port of Gothenburg. In total, a record 456,000 TEU was transported through the port by rail, up 14 per cent.

Much of the long-range export goods consists of basic industrial goods such as steel and forest products from all over Sweden. They are usually transported by rail to the port of Gothenburg for transport on containerships to export markets on the European continent, reported St Petersburg PortNews.



'Growth in rail volumes is reassuring on several levels. The fact that we are the port of Sweden - from north to south - is very obvious. It is also confirmation that our investment in the port's transshipment potential and rail infrastructure is the right path to follow,' said Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive Elvir Dzanic.



'In 2019, the port authority adopted a new environmental goal where the company was set the target of reducing the port's CO2 emissions throughout the whole of the Gothenburg region by 70 per cent through to 2030. To achieve this goal, the ongoing transition from road to rail is vital,' said Mr Dzanic.



In the first three quarters of 2019, the port of Gothenburg boosted its share of the Swedish container market by one per cent.



Uncertainty in the European economy was reflected in the port's intra-European ro-ro volumes, down six per cent on 2018. Prior to that volumes were historically high, reflecting the strong European economy at the time.



Handling of new cars at the port of Gothenburg declined by five per cent to 276,000 units, mainly due to a drop in imports. Volumes rose during the second half of the year, driven largely by an increase in exports by Volvo cars.


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