More than half of container freight passing through the Port of Gothenburg was transported by rail in the first quarter of 2022.
In the period of January to March 2022, a total of 126,000 TEU was transported by rail – around 60 per cent, the highest figure in the port’s 400-year history.
This rise in intermodal transport provides a great climate advantage and is also helping mitigate the current truck driver shortage affecting many other ports. This shortage has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Last year, several new rail shuttles were introduced and the number of departures and volumes on existing routes grew significantly.
Most recently, Green Cargo launched a new freight shuttle between the Port of Gothenburg and Rosersberg.
Overall volumes at the port increased 4 per cent year-on-year to 212,000 TEU in Q1 2022, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly rise.
Russian trade via the Port of Gothenburg has historically been very small, one of the factors behind why the EU’s recent sanctions on Russia have not had a massive impact on the port’s container handling results.
“Ultimately, the Port of Gothenburg’s volume upturn is the result of exemplary handling at all levels, from when the vessels arrive in the port area until they leave,” said Elvir Dzanic, Gothenburg Port Authority Chief Executive.
“When conditions are difficult and vessels call irregularly, extraordinary efforts are required from everyone involved, both on the sea and land side. It is the sum of these efforts we now see in black and white.”
It was also recently announced that the Port of Gothenburg increased its market share in Sweden from 48 to 51 per cent in 2021.
Last year, the port handled a total of 828,000 TEU and grew further in relation to other ports in Europe.
While the top five ports across the continent increased by an average of 5 per cent in 2021, the Port of Gothenburg increased by 7 per cent in terms of handed container volume.
