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Export trade keeps Gothenburg strong

[ November 2, 2023   //   ]

While Swedish purchasing power remains low in the wake of economic downturn, resulting in reduced container imports, exports have increased as industry continues to thrive, said the Port of Gothenburg in its volume report for the third quarter of 2023. Overall container handling in Gothenburg is increasing, with the forestry sector leading the way, it says.

This is in the face of a fall in total number of handled containers in Sweden and internationally, it says, with the Swedish market decreasing by 4.5 and an even greater decline in other large European ports.

During the same period, the number of handled containers in the Port of Gothenburg increased by 3% overall, at 677,000teu in the first none months of 2023 compared with 655,000teu for the same period in 2022.

Exports of forest products saw a continued increase from already high levels. Sundmark continued, “One explanation is the transfer to the Port of Gothenburg from other ports, but the Swedish forestry industry has also strengthened its position in the global market with more applications and increased demand, especially since the Russian forest is practically absent from the world market,” Sundmark explained.

Some 60% of containers transported to and from the Port of Gothenburg from the hinterland go by rail, a figure that few other international major ports can match. However, the decreased container imports combined with maintenance work on the country’s railway infrastructure have led to a 9% decrease compared to last year’s record levels. Rail traffic was 350,000teu in the nine month period, compared with 385,000teu in 2022.

The number of new vehicles handled Gothenburg increased by 15% to 191,000 during the first three quarters of the year. Both imports and exports are increasing, and the port has maintained its position as Sweden’s largest vehicles port by a good margin, it says.

Ro-ro – trailers and other rolling cargo – decreased by 6% to 401,000 units during the first three quarters of the year compared with 426,000 in 2022. Like the container segment, import volumes have gone down, but the upturn on the export side has not compensated to the same extent.

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