Starting on 12 March 2012, the Port of Gothenburg will have a regular direct service to South Africa and Oceania. The Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners will operate the new service, with departures from the Port of Gothenburg every other week.
The new service will include a call at the Port of Gothenburg every other week, commencing on 12 March. On arrival at the final destination, Auckland in New Zealand, the vessel will return to Gothenburg, taking in ports throughout East Asia.
The new service will present further opportunities for Swedish import customers to bring goods into Sweden and Scandinavia. With the new service, goods can also be linked up with other global markets via ports on the continent.
Höegh Autoliners currently operates the world’s largest PCTC vessels* with a carrying capacity of 8,500 car equivalent units. Shipments from Gothenburg are expected to include cars, heavy vehicles, construction equipment, and large project loads.
“We are working closely with our customers to offer them sustainable transport options and we are pleased to be starting up a service in Gothenburg that will meet freight flow requirements to and from Sweden for the automotive and the high-and-heavy sectors,” said Oskar Orstadius, Chief Sales Officer at Höegh Autoliners.
Höegh vessels will call at the Port of Gothenburg transocean vehicle and ro-ro terminal, and the freight will be handled by the terminal operator Logent Ports and Terminals. Scandinavian Shipping Logistics is the liner agent for Höegh Autoliners in Sweden.
The following ports will be included in the new direct service operated by Höegh: Exports: Gothenburg – Durban – Port Elizabeth – Maputo – Port Louis – Tamatawe – Fremantle – Port Kembla (Sydney) – Brisbane – Melbourne – Auckland. Imports: To Gothenburg via ports in Japan, Korea, China, and other countries.
*Pure Car and Truck Carrier.
Fact file: The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region. 30 per cent of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as half of all container traffic.
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 25 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.
Photo: Together with its sister ships, Höegh Trigger is the world’s largest ship of its kind. Several of the ships in the so-called Horizon class will now operate in the Port of Gothenburg regularly. Photo: Höegh Autoliners.
