Ports of Stockholm hosted Sweden’s first container barge shuttle service on inland waterways between Stockholm Norvik Port and the Port of Vasteras.
In a statement, Ports of Stockholm said the container barge shuttle service carries the equivalent of around 200 road haulage vehicles, alleviating road network congestion and significantly decreasing carbon dioxide emissions in the region.
Services will be operated by German company Reederie Deymann, which introduced the EU-class inland waterway container barge ‘Emelie Deymann’ into Lake Malaren to operate services linking the two ports.
This is the first inland waterway cargo barge shuttle service in Sweden and will reduce congestion on the road network in the region, as well as significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Stockholm Norvik Port is the container terminal located closest to the area that is by far Sweden’s largest consumer region.
Stockholm Norvik also has approach lanes closer to the open sea than any other port on the east coast. The introduction of the new inland shipping shuttle service provides the possibility to sustainably transport goods as close to their end destination as possible.
Fredrik Lindstål, Chairman, Ports of Stockholm, said, ““We are highly in favour of inland waterway transport.
“This provides us with a unique opportunity for more efficient transport options in the Stockholm region, reduces congestion on our roads, and provides our shipping companies and cargo owners with additional possibilities.”
Ports of Stockholm described the shuttle service as the “first example in Sweden” of what is known across the EU as the ‘fifth mode of transportation’ using smaller EU class vessels on inland waterways.
The Emelie Deymann has a shallow keel, is 110m in length and has a capacity of 208 TEU, the equivalent of around 200 haulage vehicles. The sailing time is around 15 hours and services will begin with two sailings a week.
Lars Rexius, Head of Logistics and Marketing, Barge Transport Sweden AB, one of the companies helping with the service, said, “All kinds of consumer goods, such as jeans, sneakers, smart phones, TV screens and furniture will be shipped by this barge cargo shuttle service, as well as industrial materials.
“Swedish export goods, such as sawn timber, cartons of beverages, machinery, pulp and cardboard will be shipped in the opposite direction.”
