This can be seen in a presentation of port volumes for the year presented today.

With total freight of 42 million tonnes, Port of Gothenburg volumes increased by one per cent during 2012.

“We handle a great deal of Swedish foreign trade and although we noted a slowdown last year it was far from the dramatic events of 2009,” says Magnus Kårestedt, Port of Gothenburg Chief Executive.

Three distinct patterns Three distinct trade patterns emerged at the Port of Gothenburg during 2012: a rise in trade with other continents coupled with a fall in European trade; an increase in exports and a decrease in imports; growth in freight volumes from the Swedish east coast passing through the Port of Gothenburg.

Magnus Kårestedt explains: “A fall in demand in Europe has forced industry to find new markets farther afield. In 2012, we saw a substantial increase in volumes on our deep sea services to other continents while many of the short sea services in Europe have lost volumes.” 

Container exports via the Port of Gothenburg, largely paper, wood, steel, vehicles and industrial components, rose during the year by three per cent while imports fell by five per cent.

Two new deep sea services to Asia, in combination with three new rail shuttles, including one to Sundsvall, have led to more companies on the east coast choosing to run their freight through the Port of Gothenburg.

According to Magnus Kårestedt, the chance for companies throughout the country to transport freight for just five to eight hours by rail shuttle straight to the quayside is an attractive proposition. From there they can reach 140 destinations directly without transshipment.

The number of containers transported by rail to and from the port rose by 10 per cent during 2012 – a new record.

Containers up, ro-ro and cars down 900,000 TEU were handled at the Port of Gothenburg in 2012, one per cent up on 2011 and a new all-time high. Ro-ro traffic (trailers and other rolling goods) fell by four per cent during 2012, closing the year at 534,000 units.

The most significant decrease during 2012 was the number of vehicles shipped – down 31 per cent. This can be attributed largely to the fall in car production at the Volvo Torslanda plant.

Full speed ahead at the Energy Port Gothenburg has the largest energy port in the Nordic region. Half of Sweden’s crude oil imports pass through the port. Ethanol, diesel, asphalt and a range of other products are also produced. In total, 22.2 million tonnes of energy products were handled in 2012, up 9 per cent on the previous year. The upturn is mainly due to higher volumes at the refineries. One product that has shown a marked increase is diesel – up 35 per cent.

For further information, contact Cecilia Carlsson, Corporate Communications Manager, Port of Gothenburg, phone +46 31 731 22 45.

(See attached word-file for a table of the development of specific goods.)

The past year at the Port of Gothenburg

Five new shipping services

·  The G6 shipping alliance to Asia (replaced by a feeder service during the winter)

·  Maersk Line to Asia (Maersk’s second direct deep sea service from the Port of Gothenburg)

·  CMA-CGM to the Netherlands and Norway

·  MacAndrews to the UK and Spain

·  North Sea Roro to the UK

Five new rail shuttles

·  Oslo

·  Årsta

·  Hallsberg

·  Sundsvall

·  Jönköping

All new terminal operators now in place
In January, APM Terminals formally took over as owner of the Container Terminal at the Port of Gothenburg. In April, the EU approved the acquisition of Älvsborg Roro by DFDS Seaways and C.Ro Ports. All the new terminal operators are now in place. (The Car Terminal is operated by the Swedish logistics company Logent and the ferry and passenger terminals are operated by Stena Line).

The new terminal operators have embarked on an extensive investment programme. One example is Älvsborg Roro, which is investing SEK 65 million in terminal development and renewal.

Cruise record
In 2012 Gothenburg was visited by 69 cruise ships carrying over 80,000 passengers. This can be compared to the five ships that called in 2002, carrying 2,400 passengers. The increase is the result of active collaboration between the Port of Gothenburg and the city’s marketing and events company Göteborg & Co.

New forest terminal
In June, the logistics company RPG Logistics opened a new logistics terminal at Arendal specialising in the forest industry. The terminal handles transshipment of containers carrying forest products brought to Gothenburg by rail or road from forest companies and sawmills throughout the country.

Port of Gothenburg and Swedish Maritime Administration enter into collaboration
The Port of Gothenburg approach planning system and the Swedish Maritime Administration VTS and pilot scheduling system have merged to form a joint traffic centre – Gothenburg Approach.

LNG alliance with Rotterdam
The ports in Rotterdam and Gothenburg have joined forces to speed up the development of liquefied natural gas, LNG, as a maritime fuel. It will be possible to bunker LNG at both ports when the sulphur regulations come into effect in 2015. In Gothenburg, Swedegas and Vopak signed a letter of intent regarding investment at the LNG Terminal at the port.

Fact file: Port of Gothenburg
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region with 11,000 visits by vessels each year. One-third of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as 65 per cent of all container traffic.

The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world’s largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 26 rail shuttles that depart each day mean that companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct, environmentally smart link to the largest port in the Nordic region. The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, ro-ro, containers and passengers.

The order, for spreaders which will be fitted to automatic stacking cranes, is one of many major new contracts that Bromma has won over the past year for the supply of spreaders to automated terminals. First in spreaders for automation, Bromma now has more than 400 crane spreaders on order or in service at automated terminals around the world.

Bromma has a full range of spreader solutions for container terminals, and in the case of the DPW Rotterdam World Gateway automated stacking crane project Bromma will be supplying YSX45 single-lift hydraulic spreaders. The spreaders will be delivered with a headblock which is automated through micro-motion. The Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) terminal is due to begin initial operations starting in July 2013, with all 52 Bromma spreaders delivered on site to RWG by September 2014.

Unmatched Experience in Spreaders for Automated Operations

Automated terminals require highly reliable spreader performance, which is why Bromma has won a long series of 2011-2012 automated terminal orders in addition to the 52 spreaders headed to the Rotterdam World Gateway, including:

20 YSX45E crane spreaders for service on automated stacking cranes at the London Gateway in England — operational later in 2013

34 YSX45E crane spreaders for service on automated stacking cranes in Khalifa, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – now operational

10 YSX45E crane spreaders for service on automated stacking cranes at the TraPac terminal in Los Angeles, California (USA) — operational later in 2013

40 YSX45E crane spreaders for service on automated stacking cranes at Hutchison Port Holdings Terminal Catalunya (TERCAT) in  Barcelona, Spain – now operational

22 YSX45E crane spreaders for service on automated stacking cranes to Global Terminal and Container Services in New Jersey (USA) — operational later in 2013

“We are pleased to have been awarded this strategically important Rotterdam World Gateway order,” says Vikram Raman, Vice-President and Commercial Director at Bromma. “An automated terminal is no place to experiment with a spreader, and so we are gratified that leading new transshipment centres continue to choose Bromma spreaders to achieve their productivity goals.”

New Orders for Bromma Container Weight Verification Technology

Bromma has also just won orders for the supply of container weight verification from the spreader twistlocks to the DPW Brisbane, Australia terminal and the London Gateway project.  Bromma’s spreader twistlock CWV technology approach has several advantages over alternative solutions, including:

Weighing from the spreader twistlocks yields much more accurate information, as container weight precision is greater than 99%.

Unlike weigh bridges or crane-based container weighing, spreaders weigh each container separately when operating in twin-lift mode. When a Bromma spreader lifts two 20′ containers or two 40′ containers at a time, the spreader can provide highly accurate data on the weight of each separate container, and without any of the variables (fuel, driver) associated with the weigh bridge approach.

Finally, with a spreader-based approach you weigh containers from the spreader twistlocks without adding any extra operational steps or requiring any extra space or transit lanes. Terminals simply log container weights in the normal course of lifting operations – with a warning system alerting the terminal to overloaded and eccentric containers. Container weight verification during the normal course of terminal operations is a way to accomplish the weighing mission without impairing terminal productivity, and especially at busy transshipment terminals.

Bromma technology also offers a special technical advantage in its mounting of spreader-based container weight verification technology. On some spreaders, such as those supplied by Bromma, the load cell is mounted externally, locked with easy access to the spreader twistlocks. This means load sensors may be exchanged independently of the twistlocks. The result of this design advantage is that new load sensors are not needed when twistlocks are periodically replaced.

It will be for use by Spain Customs and Excise,  a department within the Spanish Tax Agency. With this order, Spain will obtain its first ZBV system, which will be used on their borders for trade fraud interdiction of items such as cigarettes. This also marks the first order for the recently introduced ZBV S-Class, which offers a reduced operational footprint and a sleek, contemporary appearance.

“Spain Customs and Excise joins many of the world’s most prestigious customs and government organizations that rely on the ZBV system to regulate trade fraud across their borders and collect unpaid revenue on smuggled goods,” said Anthony R. Fabiano, President and CEO of AS&E. “Our highly mobile ZBV screening system has proven time and again its ability to safely and successfully detect contraband, with many reported seizures of tobacco and alcohol. With the ZBV S-Class, Spain Customs and Excise will have a more streamlined chassis that provides added flexibility for scanning objects in space constrained areas on their borders.”

Z Backscatter Van (ZBV): The Number One Selling Cargo & Vehicle Inspection System in the World

A breakthrough in X-ray detection technology, Z Backscatter Van is the number one selling cargo and vehicle inspection system on the market, with more than 625 systems sold to more than 125 different customers in 57 countries. Since its introduction in 2003, the ZBV system has consistently received the highest marks for quality, reliability, and performance with a proven record of detection results. The ZBV system is a low-cost, highly mobile screening system built into a commercially available delivery van. It allows for immediate deployment in response to security threats, and its high throughput capability facilitates rapid inspections.

The ZBV system is used by leading government agencies, border authorities, military bases, law enforcement departments and security agencies worldwide, including: U.S. Customs and Border Protection on multiple borders; Abu Dhabi Customs to safeguard borders; NATO Communications and Information Agency at military checkpoints; Bulgaria Customs combating trade fraud on borders; Dutch Customs Administration to scan empty airplanes; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to protect a high-level facility; the Port of Venice to perform rapid inspections of suspect vehicles; Tunisian Customs to combat trade fraud; customs security for a Port Authority in Asia; and the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight the illegal export of timber. The U.S. government has deployed hundreds of ZBV systems for homeland security and force protection applications to detect VBIEDs (vehicle borne improvised explosive devices), drugs, stowaways and other contraband in war zones, military bases, and on U.S. ports and borders.

The ZBV system incorporates Z Backscatter technology — pioneered and perfected at AS&E — and provides a single-sided configuration, small footprint, user friendly operation, rapid scan speed and varied operating modes to provide maximum maneuverability and flexibility for multiple applications.

The ZBV system is now available in three configurations — ZBV C-Class, ZBV R-Class, and ZBV S-Class — to meet the diverse needs of ZBV customers:

ZBV C-Class: The original ZBV system built with a custom coach on a Mercedes-Benz® Sprinter cab chassis.

ZBV R-Class: Built for rugged terrain, the Ford® F550® chassis offers 4WD, additional ground clearance and a crew cab for extra space.

ZBV S-Class: The newest addition to the ZBV line, built in a standard Mercedes-Benz Sprinter panel van for a contemporary appearance and with a reduced operational footprint for scanning objects in the tightest confines.