From now on, the Port of Gothenburg offers not just one but two direct container services to and from Asia.

“The biggest winners are Swedish import- and export industries,” says Claes Sundmark, Vice President Sales and Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg.

In July, the Gemini Alliance – a partnership between shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd – announced adjustments to its Asia–Europe loop. Previously, the loop ended in Bremerhaven, but the Port of Gothenburg has now become the new end destination in Europe.

On Thursday morning, the 18,270 TEU Morten Maersk became the first vessel to call under the new arrangement. With this addition, the Port of Gothenburg has two weekly direct links to Asia: MSC’s service every Sunday, and the Gemini Alliance’s new service every Thursday.

“With these two services in place, our offering as a port is increasingly strengthened. The big winners are Swedish import and export industries, which gain access to more frequent sailings to and from Asia while also reaching more ports in China than before,” says Claes Sundmark, Vice President Sales and Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg.

The port’s expanding Railport Scandinavia network connects the Asia services with 26 inland terminals across the country, giving Swedish business nationwide access to global markets.

“In parallel with the expansion of the port’s liner network, we are continuing to develop the infrastructure in and around the port, both on land and at sea. Rail is one part, another is the fairway deepening project Skandia Gateway, which when completed at the turn of 2027/2028 will provide additional capacity for the port to handle even more and larger vessels. This will further strengthen the ability of Swedish industry to reach global markets in an efficient and sustainable way,” concludes Claes Sundmark.

Fact file: Morten Maersk

Type: Container vessel (Triple-E class)
Capacity: 18,270 TEU
Length: 399 m
Beam: 59 m
Flag: Denmark
Built: 2014
Shipyard: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, South Korea
Gross tonnage (GT): 194,849
Deadweight tonnage (DWT): 214,000

Fact file: Gemini alliance – updated AE5/NE4 Service
Service name: AE5 (Maersk) / NE4 (Hapag-Lloyd)
Port call in Gothenburg: Every Thursday
Updated rotation: Qingdao – Yantian – Tanjung Pelepas – London – Hamburg – Bremerhaven – Aarhus – Gothenburg – Rotterdam – Tanjung Pelepas – Qingdao
Vessel capacity: All vessels above 15,000 TEU

Source: Port of Gothenburg