Port of Gothenburg Completes Largest Expansion in 40 Years

 

 

Sweden’s Port of Gothenburg inaugurated a new 144,000-square-meter port terminal. This becomes the port’s largest expansion in 40 years, delivering more capacity to meet increased cargo volumes from the Swedish industries.

The new terminal, Arendal 2, has been under construction for the past six years and cost approximately $66 million. It is part of the Gothenburg port’s strategy to concentrate its terminal operations in the outer port area, further from the city center.

The expansion to Arendal is aligned with the planned relocation of Stena Line’s operations from the city center to the outer port area. Parts of the new terminal will be used by Stena Line, with plans for a future ferry terminal at the site. Arendal 2 was also developed to support Stena Line’s plans to gradually introduce new sustainable fuels into its fleet of vessels. This will require additional infrastructure and well-functioning supply chains, for which Arendal 2 can assist.

The terminal operator Gothenburg RoRoTerminal has also benefited from the expansion. Previously, the operator had its operations divided between two different areas at the current port location. With Arendal 2, the terminal operator gets a larger contiguous terminal area with more access to the hinterland.

“Overall, Arendal 2 is a solution where the involved actors get even better conditions to conduct their respective operations while the Port of Gothenburg as a whole is further optimized and becomes competitive,” said Göran Eriksson, CEO of Port of Gothenburg.

Last year, the port handled 914,000 TEUs, setting a record for the highest container volume in the port’s history. This year, the port is also on track for yet another all-time high container traffic. The first half of 2024 saw a 5 percent increase in container volumes, reaching 467,000 TEU compared to 446,000 recorded during a similar period last year. APM Terminals manages the majority of the volumes at the port.

The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia and handles 57 percent of Sweden’s container traffic.