Port of Gothenburg to Expand in 2017
Image Courtesy: Port of GothenburgThe construction of a new terminal at the outer area of the Swedish-based Port of Gothenburg is set to commence in 2017 in order to meet the growing demand for additional capacity as freight volumes are anticipated to increase in Europe.
The new terminal was cleared for construction beside the existing ones after the port received a consent of the Land and Environment Court. The exact location will be between the Älvsborg Harbour and the Arendal Harbour, covering 220,000 square meters (equivalent to 30 football pitches).
The terminal will be built using dredging spoils and is estimated to become operational at some point after 2020.
The investment costs are estimated to be more than USD 160 million.
“We are very pleased to receive this decision, which will strengthen Gothenburg as the logistics capital of the Nordic region. The terminal is an important part of our future expansion and will present us with an opportunity to handle the increase in demand for sea transport via the Port of Gothenburg,” said Magnus Kårestedt, Port of Gothenburg’s CEO.
The traffic will take the form of intra-European freight transport - either as a final destination or a link to major transshipment hubs. The terminal will be run by an external operator in the same way as the port’s current terminals and it will be connected to the rail system. The maximum draught for vessels will be 11 meters. What type of goods will it handle is still to be decided.
As Kårestedt noted, there is also a political ambition in Europe to switch more transport from land to sea. This will alleviate pressure on the roads and mitigate environmental impact.
