A newly launched RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) shipping route between the Port of Gothenburg and ports in China via Singapore is now in operation.
The cargo consists mainly of vehicles, but the newly built ships, powered by LNG, are also designed to handle project cargo. The shipping company COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers is responsible for the service, which will initially operate once a month.
“Gothenburg is an important automotive hub in northern Europe, but until now has lacked a direct RoRo connection to Asia. We are very happy to start this service, which is highly demanded by our customers,” says Erik Lund Eriksen, Partner Director at COSCO Shipping Lines Nordic.
The bulk of the cargo consists of Swedish export cars destined for the Asian market, but the import market for Chinese cars and heavy vehicles to Scandinavia is also growing.
In addition, COSCO Shipping is targeting other types of cargo, where the company see great potential to further fill their vessels.
The new service calls at Singapore and the three Chinese ports of Xinsha, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
The new shipping route is served by vessels from COSCO Shipping’s latest series, which was launched earlier this year.
The ships are powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas), which, according to COSCO Shipping’s own calculations, results in about a 27 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional fuel propulsion.
The new vessels measure 199.9m by 38m, have 13 decks and space for 7,500 vehicles. Four of the decks are height-adjustable, which means they can transport a wide variety of cargo, such as high and heavy cargo and more unusual, bulky project loads in addition to cars.
At the Port of Gothenburg, the ships are handled at the Car Terminal by terminal operator Logent Ports and Terminals, which has extensive experience in handling both vehicles and project cargo.
The terminal also manages, among others, the vessels of Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Hoegh at the port, which offer similar direct services to North America, Oceania, and South America.
