This facility, named “Arendal 2”,
represents a significant investment of approximately US$66 million and has been
in development for the past six years to support the growing transportation
demands of the Swedish industry. "This terminal began planning
as early as the 1990s and then we talked about future-proofing. Now that the
future is here, this terminal is needed to meet the transportation needs of
Swedish industry today, which are also expected to continue growing over time,"
stated Göran Eriksson, CEO of the Port of Gothenburg.
The terminal is a key element of the
Swedish port's strategy to consolidate operations in the outer port area, away from the city centre, providing
direct connections to the port’s road and rail networks and the surrounding
industrial cluster.
Furthermore,
part of the newly available space will be occupied by Stena Line, which is set
to relocate its local operations from its current city-centre locations to the
outer port area. The project has included extensive groundwork, such as
filling, channelling, and water purification, to prepare for a future ferry
terminal.
"It’s
still a long way off, but the construction of this terminal has certainly taken
Stena Line’s relocation into account. Stena Line will use parts of the new
terminal area, while other adjacent terminal areas can also be made available
in the relocation process," commented Göran Eriksson. In constructing Arendal 2, 180,000 cubic meters of contaminated
materials dredged from the Göta River were encapsulated. These materials
were contained, stabilized, and solidified to form the terminal's foundation,
which was then asphalted.
Many sections of Arendal 2 are
already operational, with Gothenburg Roro Terminal, the
terminal operator, consolidating its previously divided operations into this
larger, more contiguous area. This new setup offers improved access to key
berths 712 and 713, enhancing the port's overall efficiency and
competitiveness. "Overall, Arendal
2 is a solution where the involved actors get even better conditions to conduct
their respective operations while the Port of Gothenburg as a whole is further
optimized and becomes more competitive," concluded Göran Eriksson.