GOTHENBURG: The Port of Gothenburg has announced an increase of 2% in its container traffic during the second quarter of 2015 compared with the corresponding period last year.
The Swedish port announced in its six-monthly report published today (07 September) that its container freight volumes went up to 213,000 teu in the three-month period from April to June 2015 from 209,000 teu in the same period of 2014.
However, the figures for the first six months of 2015 showed a 1% fall in container traffic from 425,000 teu in the period between January and June 2014 to 418,000 teu in the corresponding period this year.
According to the report, while the first quarter showed a fall of 5% in the number of containers shipped through the port, volumes recovered during the second quarter with a 2% increase for the period from April to June 2015.
Magnus Kårestedt, CEO of Port of Gothenburg, said: “The container market has been weak for some time but we could see a distinct improvement during the second quarter. Not a major improvement, but an improvement nevertheless.
“Things are looking brighter for Swedish foreign trade, a trend that has carried over into the second half of the year.”
The ro-ro traffic, which accounts for a large proportion of intra-European freight transport, decreased by 8% from 142,000 units in the period from April to June 2014 to 130,000 units in the same period this year.
According to Kårestedt, “the fall is a direct result of a downturn in the flow of paper between Sweden and Finland.”
In the second quarter of 2015, car volumes went up by 12% to 52,000 compared to 47,000 in the same period last year, while the volumes for energy products increased by 8% year-on-year.
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in Sweden for container traffic, handling almost 60% of the country’s volumes.
