G6 Starts Gothenburg Calls
The G6 alliance of container lines has started calling at Port of Gothenburg today through a new weekly direct service between Sweden and Asia.
The first ship in the new service called at the recently upgraded container terminal operated by APM Terminals, and will leave Gothenburg on August 28, carrying mainly forest products, steel and machinery. The ships used in this rotation can carry around 14,000 TEUs.
“With what is virtually a new terminal, new cranes, new straddle carriers and upgraded land areas we have the capacity to handle vessels of this size rapidly and efficiently. We hope to secure increased volumes from both Sweden and Norway and more customers of this size,” said Patrik Thulin, CCO at APM Terminals in Gothenburg.
The rotation covers the following ports: Qingdao (China) – Shanghai (China) – Hong Kong (China) – Yantian (China) – Singapore (Singapore) – Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Hamburg (Germany) – Gdansk (Poland) – Gothenburg (Sweden) – Antwerp (Belgium) – Southampton (United Kingdom) – Singapore (Singapore) – Yantian (China) – Qingdao (China).
Up to now, Sweden has had just one direct container service to the Far East – the weekly service operated from Gothenburg by MSC and Maersk Line.
“A wide range of services is crucial for Swedish industry and that is why it is very encouraging indeed that the G6 Alliance believes in the Swedish market and in the Port of Gothenburg as a freight hub. Direct services mean rapid, safe transport with excellent reliability,” said Claes Sundmark, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg.
The G6 Alliance comprises the Singapore-based company APL, the Korean company Hyundai, the Japanese companies MOL and NYK, the German company Hapag Lloyd and the Hong Kong-based company OOCL. The last time the G6 Alliance operated out of Gothenburg was in 2012.
“We have noted an increase in trade between Scandinavian and China, in particular exports to China. That is why we are returning to Gothenburg with the largest and most modern ships in our fleet,” said Fredrik Håkansson Säll, General Manager at Hyundai Merchant Marine.
