Värtahamnen Port shore power turned on

Ports of Stockholm AB’s new onshore power facilities at the Värtahamnen ferry terminals are claimed to be the most modern, and in wattage-terms the largest, in the Baltic Sea area

Värtahamnen and the adjacent Free Port are in Stockholm city, so clear air is a top priority. Värtahamnen caters for Tallink Silja ferries and has been completely rebuilt within the past few years.

The inauguration of the new onshore power facilities at Värtahamnen took place on Monday, 4 November. Together with Tallink Silja, Ports of Stockholm AB (SHAB) has invested in a range of sustainable solutions to enable more eco-friendly services, and now it is possible for vessels to connect to onshore power at every berth.

A total of SEK47M has been invested in the new power facilities, which have been built according to international standards and are also high voltage.

"Värtahamnen is one of Stockholm’s gateways to the surrounding world, and we need to create a welcoming district where the growth of the city and the port are integrally linked," said Joakim Larsson, Vice Mayor for City Planning.

"I am delighted that vessels can now connect to shore power at the Värtahamnen Port. This provides the prerequisites for greener shipping and a more attractive port, free from unnecessary emissions.”

For many years SHAB has offered environmental rebates to encourage customers to implement environmentally beneficial measures. The rebates focus on reduced emission of air pollutants and provide rewards for vessels that have better environmental performance.

In addition, a grant of SEK1M per vessel is offered to shipping companies that choose to invest in converting their vessels for onshore power connection.

“It is really pleasing that Tallink Silja can now directly connect to shore power at Värtahamnen," said Marcus Risberg, CEO, Tallink Silja Sweden. "We believe that taking away the need to run the engines when in port to supply power to the vessel is a major step towards improved sustainability and well-being. The shore power connections not only allow us to reduce emissions and noise levels when in port, but also mean a much better working environment in the engine room, where it is now completely silent during the day,”

“Our operating policy, based on the greatest potential benefit, is to develop the power connection facilities at our ports. We are continuing with this plan, but have already come far with our onshore power supply at Värtahamnen Port,” said Thomas Andersson, SHAB’s Managing Director.

“The results at Värtahamnen Port are a positive step in the right direction. We are continuing this prioritised work according to our established operating policy to develop onshore power supply at our ports.”

Source: WorldCargo News

Gothenburg claims Swedish market share increase

The Swedish container market had a slight downturn during H1 2019, with a 1% fall, but the Port of Gothenburg has reported a steady rise in lo-lo market share and volume

Between January and September this year, the increase stood at 4%, due largely to continued influx of hinterland rail volumes at the port.

Container traffic growth is continuing, following a downturn in 2016-2017 largely associated with strikes at the Maersk-operated Skandia container terminal.

The recovery was particularly noticeable in 2018 with road-based traffic from western Sweden and its hinterland gradually returning to the port, and the trend continued into 2019, attributable in the main to higher volumes from the rest of Sweden. This can be seen in the Q1-Q3 statistics published by Gothenburg Port Authority (GHAB).

The rise in freight flows is borne out by strong figures for rail-based container traffic. Most inland freight arrives at the Port of Gothenburg by rail, with volumes increasing by 20% between January and September. Long-distance volumes from northern and eastern Sweden are also making a comeback.

“The Port of Gothenburg serves the whole of Sweden and the current trend is underpinned by our continued nationwide upturn in the container sector," said Elvir Dzanic, GHAB’s CEO. "The focus at the Port of Gothenburg is on ensuring industry has uninterrupted access to external markets, despite an uncertain business climate and a cautious domestic market.”

However, the port’s intra-European general ro-ro freight traffic (excluding cars) fell by 5% in the January-September 2019 period. The downturn is most noticeable on the Belgian routes.

Throughput of new cars fell by 8% year-on-year, due mainly to a decrease in imports as a result of the fall in new car sales in Sweden. On the plus side, a turnaround was noted in September, with 26,500 cars handled.

Source: WorldCargo News

A special visit by Chris Hills from MAKINEX!

We are honoured to have the presence of Chris Hills from MAKINEX.

Wilson Wong (left), Chris Hills (middle), Eddie Yip (right)

MAKINEX is an Australian owned, global company that provides innovative solutions to the construction, hire and rental, landscaping, flooring and related industries. They design, manufacture and distribute unique products that vastly increase productivity, saving time and physical effort. Their Products provide contractors and tradespeople with a better way to do their jobs - faster, safer and easier.

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