Gothenburg: Hinterland Penetration and Deeper Draught

On this basis, and if this trend continues, then Gothenburg is negatively impacting the likes of Gavle and Stockholm’s new Port of Nynäshamn. Hutchison Ports opened a new facility at Nynäshamn in 2020, offering 16.5m water depth and 450m of quay line, and while it technically could attract direct deep-sea vessels, to date this has not occurred.

One important area for Gothenburg, where momentum is being gained, is the movement of rail container volumes. The volume increased to 385,000TEU for the first three quarters of 2022, reflecting growth of 13 per cent on the 340,000TEU noted for the comparable period of 2021. The Port Authority highlights that long-haul traffic to/ from Stockholm and northern Sweden represents a major growth area for the movement of cargo on rail.

Moving forward, Gothenburg is deepening and widening access channels for larger ships. APM Terminals is the operator of this facility and also a partner in the project, which it noted as “essential” with work commencing before the end of November 2022. Importantly, this initiative will help alleviate the current situation whereby the very largest ships in service can only call part-loaded.

If things proceed according to schedule, Skandia Harbour will be able to welcome fully laden container vessels of up to 24,000TEU into the Port of Gothenburg by 2026, by offering a maximum draught of 17.5m (compared to the existing 13.5m) and ships that are 430m LOA and with a 65m beam.

The challenge moving forward remains workforce volatility, which has hampered Sweden’s port industry in recent years. At present, the jury is still out on this.