The Port of Gothenburg has reported record-breaking container figures in November.
Reports from the Gothenburg Port Authority show successful figures for a very unprecedented year with the COVID-19 pandemic having a large effect on ports across the globe. Despite this, the Port of Gothenburg has managed to remain open throughout, with systems in place to ensure the volume of freight passing through the port can be increased sustainably.
“The most recent report shows a 7% increase in freight volumes from January to November, the highest figure since 2015. The November figures also show that 74,250 TEU was handled, which is the highest November figure ever at the Port of Gothenburg,” said Elvir Dzanic, Chief Executive of the Gothenburg Port Authority.
In other recent news, on 12 December, the port was used as an emergency port for the first time in its modern history, as a bulk carrier loaded with timber caught fire. After seven days at anchor, the vessel finally docked, and the fire could be brought under control. Normal port operations continued as normal throughout this process.
“No port wants a burning vessel in its midst but once the decision had been made, we mobilised all our resources to help her to quayside. We also knew that if any port was equipped to meet this challenge it was the Port of Gothenburg,” continued Dzanic.
Furthermore, as the year drew to a close, the Port of Gothenburg outlined its major milestones of 2021, pinning them into three separate categories – growth, environment, and digitalisation.
Growth
- Continued volume growth and the securing of further market shares.
- Introduction of new rail shuttles to destinations including Piteå and Malungsfors in northern Sweden, and an increase in the number of departures for existing shuttles.
- New services, including the Hoegh Autoliners service to South Africa, Australia, and Asia, the Sea-Cargo service to Poland and Norway, the Wallenius Wilhelmsen service to the North American west coast, and the X-Press Feeders container service to Hamburg.
- An historically high turnover, with the Gothenburg Port Authority delivering a stable, predictable result for its owner, the City of Gothenburg.
- Joint venture with real estate partner Castellum to keep developing warehousing property at the best logistics location in Sweden.
- Additional land purchases to expand port operations at the outer port areas.
Environment
- 600 million kronor ($65 million) allocated to carbon emission mitigation.
- The Tranzero Initiative. Working in partnership with Scania, the Volvo Group, and Stena Line, The Port of Gothenburg is seeking to accelerate the transition to fossil-free fuels both on land and at sea within the Gothenburg region.
- Continued investments in rail transport, which has now reached a share of over 60% on the container side.
- Initiated work to enable hydrogen production in the port together with the Norwegian energy company Statkraft.
Digitalisation
- Development and roll-out of PortOptimizer Track & Trace, a new digital tool for real-time monitoring of freight as it moves through the system.
- Development and roll-out of Berth Planner, a new digital berth planning tool to ensure smart, safe calls at the Port of Gothenburg.
- Establishment of Project and Innovation portfolios.
