87 per cent less carbon emissions and a reduction in the transport time of almost one week. That will be the outcome following a decision by yet another forest producer in the north of Sweden to transport its products out into the world via the Port of Gothenburg and its rail network.

“There are considerable environmental benefits to be gained with this shuttle. It also offers access to the port’s extensive service network with frequent departures. Good availability of empty containers at the Port of Gothenburg enhances reliability even further. Other shuttle movements to and from the Port of Gothenburg are seen to be working very well, which is reassuring,” said Nikolas Rowland, Managing Director of the forwarding company behind the new shuttle, First Row Shipping and Logistics.

The new rail shuttle came into operation this past weekend, with a round trip to the Port of Gothenburg scheduled each week. 500 metres long, the train will carry 72 containers (TEU*) of Swedish forest products, destined primarily for Asian markets.

These additional volumes at the Port of Gothenburg were previously shipped from Piteå via the Baltic Sea using smaller feeder vessels. Transloading then took place at ports in central Europe.

The new rail solution to Gothenburg will result in considerable time savings and reductions in carbon emissions. In combination with frequent feeder services from the Port of Gothenburg and direct services to Asia, the transport time will be cut by 5-7 days, and the carbon footprint will be reduced by 87 per cent** compared with the previous arrangement.

The new shuttle service is operated by CFL Cargo Sweden, which is responsible for several of the 25 rail shuttles linking the Port of Gothenburg with the rest of Scandinavia.

“The Port of Gothenburg has been a major destination for us for many years and we are extremely pleased to be able to add yet another new, long distance route,” said Mikael Nyman, Senior Sales Manager at CFL Cargo Sweden.

After making the 1400-kilometre journey from the town of Piteå just south of the Arctic Circle, the trains roll directly into the Port of Gothenburg container terminal, which is operated by APM Terminals. From there, the cargo can be loaded directly on ships for further transport out into the world.

*Twenty-foot equivalent unit.
**Source: IVL, Swedish Environmental Research Institute.