Trend favouring larger ports continues

Recent figures confirm that the trend is continuing – larger ports with a good balance between imports and exports are given higher priority, while the smaller Swedish ports are facing tougher conditions. At the same time, demand for smart rail solutions is booming.

Significant increase in import volumes

The total Swedish container market remained virtually unchanged from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021. APM Terminals in Gothenburg has grown by 3.5% during the first two quarters of the year, while the third quarter has begun with a total volume increase of 10%, corresponding to around 2,500 TEU/week, compared with the same period the previous year. Import volumes going through APM Terminals increased by as much as 15% during the first seven months of the year.

Growth is primarily driven by recovery in the Swedish economy, with basic and forest industries as strong drivers for exports, while imports are driven by raw materials for industry and an increase in domestic consumption.

“Thanks to our large capacity, APM Terminals Gothenburg has done well in managing the challenges of the pandemic. We have been able to offer our shipping line customers extra weekly calls and tailored services such as Storage as a Service to help our customers when they need it most,” says Martin Karlsson, Operational Manager at APM Terminals Gothenburg.

25% growth in rail – Green Gothenburg Gateway growing

It is very clear that more people are choosing climate-smart ways to transport goods – by rail. Growth is strong and during the summer months APM Terminals Gothenburg has seen an average increase of 25% in volume compared with the same period in 2020. Today, the proportion of goods transported to and from the terminal by rail exceeds 50%.

“We are pleased to see that our Green Gothenburg Gateway concept is growing and that we are reaching more and more long-distance destinations. Compared to the previous year, we have six more fixed rail shuttles a week and three completely new destinations around the country. There has been great demand for rail solutions, and almost every week we have offered extra shuttles to meet the needs,” says Svante Altås, Sr Sales Executive at APM Terminals Gothenburg.

Trend spotting: Ports with an even balance between imports/exports are growing
The strained situation in the global value chain is expected to continue throughout the year, which will require ports to be highly flexible. We will continue to see great pressure in basic industry, while Swedish consumption is expected to increase further.

“It is becoming clearer and clearer that when the global logistics chain is under pressure, ports with a good balance between imports and exports are prioritised over ports that have a shortage of incoming empty containers and imbalances in their flows. We are also seeing that ports that are further away from the large hubs are given lower priority than those that are close and have strong intermodal transport solutions and potential triangulation,” says Per Wahlström, Market Analyst at APM Terminals Gothenburg.

Recent port statistics are available from Eurostat.

APM Terminals Gothenburg is prepared introduce extra calls and train shuttles to meet your needs. Please contact sales.got@apmterminals.com and let us know how we can best support your logistics flow.