2018 – A good year

The turn of the year is approaching and a new year is just around the corner. 2018 looks like being another good year for the Port of Södertälje. A year in which money has been invested in its facilities, machinery and the training of personnel.

This summer there was a long stoppage for one of the cranes, a faithful old servant dating from 1991. The Port of Södertälje sees great future potential for the container business and is therefore investing heavily in cranes and forklift trucks.

Also coming in 2019 is the announcement of a strategic cooperation on the container side aimed at simplifying the flow of goods to ships and the railway. But above all, it gives companies in central Sweden a stable transport solution for goods in and out of the country, with connections to the continent.

Increasing steadily

The number of vehicles handled during the 2018 has remained high, although the port has seen a slightly more irregular flow than in previous years, which is due to the new tax rules for diesel engines and emission controls. The RoRo business area is keeping good volumes into 2019 and BMW is expected to come in with its first deliveries during the year.

The fuel port continues to grow steadily, a trend that has continued since 2016 when volumes increased by 20 per cent compared to the previous year. In 2017, the increase was 20 per cent and the increase of for 2018 is 10 per cent. The Port of Södertälje forecasts that the volume for 2018 will be more than 500,000 tonnes.

Good location

Growth in 2019 is expected to continue at the same pace as in recent years. Large volumes will move across in the next few months when the fuel port in Loudden closes.

– Here we believe that our position speaks for continued growth. We see that it is not only we who are investing in the fuel port, but also the depot owners, which makes for an exciting future, says Robert Tingvall, CEO of the Port of Södertälje.

More customers

The solid bulk business area has also done well during the year. The greater part is from handling wood chips on the Igelsta quay, but building materials for large infrastructure projects in the region still account for a considerable proportion.

It is particularly gratifying that more and more building module manufacturers are choosing the Port of Södertälje for their transhipments.

The container business area shows growth in 2018 and can look forward to a very exciting 2019.

– At the end of the year we have gained a couple of new end customers who wish to use the Port of Södertälje. They say that our location is unbeatable and we can only agree. The location just gets better and better with every day that passes and soon we will be Stockholm's nearest port, says Robert Tingvall.