The largest containerport on the swedish east coast is doubling its capacity

Since its inception ten years ago, the Port of Gävle has reported large volume increases in its container traffic almost annually. In order to achieve continued growth, the Port of Gävle and Yilport Gävle are now doubling the container capacity. In a joint venture worth SEK 700 million, a second dock is being built with cranes and depth to accommodate more and larger container vessels. The expanded container port will be able to handle four ships simultaneously. The expansion, which increases the capacity to 600,000 TEU annually, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“Within a 250 kilometer radius of Gävle, almost 17 million tonnes of steel, paper, and timber are produced every year. A lot of it is already being exported by sea, containerized and through us, and that volume will definitely grow,” says Eryn Dinyovszky, General Manager of Yilport Nordic.

The shipping town of Gävle has a proud history going back hundreds of years — a history that inspires. When the municipality and Yilport now make large and long term investments in the port, it is not just important for the fast growing town of Gävle, but also for the surrounding region where several of the country’s largest industries are located. Apart from the fact that the port will attract more export business, the Port of Gävle and Yilport also expect increased imports. Among else, Sweden’s National Food Agency is building a laboratory for examination of imported foodstuff in connection with the expanded port.

“With stricter requirements for more environmentally sustainable transportation solutions, we are in an optimal location. The Port of Gävle is just two hours from Stockholm. First class road and rail connections make it beneficial for cargo owners, not only just in our region, but also in other parts of Sweden, to increase their imports through the Port of Gävle. Our extensive new investments generates a completely new environment for what I like to call The Northern Port of Stockholm,” says Fredrik Svanbom, CEO of Port of Gävle.

Within the port, there is about 170,000 square meters of storage space. In the logistics park that is blossoming outside of the port gates, another 20,000 square meters of land is available for companies benefitting of a close proximity to the largest container port on the Swedish east coast. Also available are extensive bulk cargo resources, and one of the country’s major oil and chemical terminals.

The expansion of the container port is made possible through a close cooperation between the owner of the infrastructure, municipal Gävle Hamn AB, and Yilport Gävle, which has operated the port since 2014 with its own personnel, cranes, trucks, and other mechanical equipment.