New Master Plan marks out the future at the Port of Gothenburg
Source:transportweekly 2014-4-4 9:48:00
More and larger terminal areas with a major investment in further land earmarked for warehousing and logistics. These are the focal points in the Master Plan through to 2035 recently adopted by the Port of Gothenburg.
The Port of Gothenburg is the freight hub for the whole of Scandinavia with 11,000 calls by ships each year. Almost 30 per cent of Swedish exports pass through the port. In order to be equipped to meet market demands in the future, a plan for the coming 20-year period has been prepared.
"The Master Plan marks out how we are planning our physical expansion. The Port of Gothenburg is the freight hub that underpins the Swedish transport system. It is vital that both the market and the public agencies concerned have a clear picture of our long-term development," says Arvid Guthed, Vice President Port Development at Gothenburg Port Authority.
The Port of Gothenburg has over a number of years expanded its investment in land for warehousing and logistics directly adjacent to the terminals. In December 2013, a warehouse for import goods was completed with Schenker Logistics as the tenant.
"There is considerable demand for warehousing and logistics land close to the port. It is therefore reassuring that we can already in 2015 offer a completely new logistics area, Halvorsäng, comprising 400,000 square metres," says Arvid Guthed.
Terminal areas for transshipment of export goods are also a priority.
"We have quite a lot of land earmarked for freight arriving by road or rail that will be reloaded into containers or trailers before being shipped. However, this land needs to be developed and made more efficient," says Arvid Guthed.
The Port of Gothenburg is also planning to develop new terminal areas and berths for energy products. These will be located in the outer port areas (Risholmen and Arendal).
According to Arvid Guthed, the trend in shipping and infrastructure is moving constantly towards larger vessels, longer trains and longer trucks. To deal with this trend, it is important to outline our ambitions in advance in the form of a Master Plan.
"By identifying the needs of the market and presenting our plans for the future we are sending important signals to all parties concerned that investing in Gothenburg means long-term security."