Gothenburg uses two globally recognised indexes as a basis for the discount system, for which one-third of vessels that call at the port are eligible. Vessels that switch to running on LNG, receive a further 20% discount.
“We expect a significant rise next year in calls by vessels running on LNG and there will be a resulting rise in the number that qualify for our LNG discount,” said Magnus Kårestedt, chief executive, Gothenburg Port Authority.
“The transition that is taking place is encouraging, and we look forward to welcoming more LNG-powered vessels to the port with a 20% discount per call.”
Cost control
Mr Kårestedt added that the port has managed to avoid cost increases through good cost control. The port wants to boost its own growth whilst helping to curb rising logistics costs for stakeholders.
“If we all share the responsibility for making logistics more cost effective, this will prove crucial to our stakeholders’ competitiveness,” he said.
As well as holding costs, the port authority also announced it was to extend the discount period for calls by cruise ships until the end of December in a bid to attract more calls and in turn more cruise passengers.
Port of Gothenburg’s charges are based on vessel type and gross tonnage and are used to finance a range of activities, including fairway maintenance, traffic information and port safety.