The Port of Gothenburg in southwest Sweden handled 378,000 TEUs during the first six months of 2018, an increase of 19 percent from the corresponding 2017 period.
The port said the sharp increase in container volumes resulted from the prior-year period being “historically weak” due to a labor dispute that, at the time, had a significant impact on customers’ willingness to use the port.
The Port of Gothenburg handles around 60 percent of Swedish container traffic, split evenly between imports and exports, and is ice-free all year. Although container shipping plays a huge role at the port, it also has roll-on/roll-off (roro), car, passenger, and oil and energy terminals.
In terms of liner services that sail to regions outside Sweden, BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool shows the Port of Gothenburg is called by 11 services, nine that deploy fully cellular containerships and two that deploy roro vessels or pure car/truck carriers.
The port handled about 152,000 cars during the first six months of 2018, up 10 percent year-over-year. “It is Volvo Cars’ highly successful model range that not only accounts for the majority of the motor vehicle throughput at the port, but also the surge in new car sales in Sweden,” the port said.
Energy products shipped through the port during the first six months of 2018 totaled 11.7 million metric tons, down 3 percent from the record breaking first-half figure for 2017.