Gothenburg’s container traffic hit an all-time high in the first half of 2012 as strong Swedish exports to markets outside Europe outweighed lower imports and weak trade flows within Europe.
Scandinavia’s largest port boosted box traffic by 3 percent from a year ago to 458,000 20-foot-equivalent units in the six months to June 30.
The increased volume, contrasting with lower traffic at most north European ports, was partly driven by the launch by the G6 Alliance of a new deep-sea service to Asia in the spring.
“The bulk of container exports from Sweden pass through the port of Gothenburg and these strong freight flows, mainly to Asia and the USA, are extremely encouraging,” said Magnus Karestedt, chief executive of the Port of Gothenburg.
Roll-on roll-off traffic dipped 4 percent from the first half of 2011 to 280,000 trailer units, as slowing economic growth across Europe depressed volumes, particularly paper exports.
The downturn in car traffic in 2011 continued into 2012, with volume slumping 28 percent in the first half of the year to 88,000 units.
The Journal of Commerce Online
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