24 >> 23


Issue 8 2019 - Freight Business Journal


demand. Brexit uncertainty also poses something


of a risk; the UK is an important export market for Denmark.


Strong prospects in Norway


Norway’s economy, dominated as it is by the offshore sector and fishing, is rather different from Sweden and Denmark’s. It has in fact been performing quite well lately, says the IMF in its


recent Country Focus. The


Norwegian krone is also weak, and this has helped exporters,


unemployment is low and oil prices “remain materially above break-even levels, supporting investment”. Although there are clouds in the form of global trade tensions and uncertainty about European growth, Norway’s outlook remains positive, it says. OECD does though point to


the fact that Norway’s growth has


slowed in recent the highest years,


although GDP per capita remains among


in OECD.


Income inequality too remains well below the OECD average, though it has increased in recent years. Greenhouse gas emissions


Gothenburg to double rail volumes by 2022


APM Terminals Gothenburg plans to double the volume of containers transported by rail to and from the port by 2022, in recognition of the economic advantages and a reduction in emissions of up to 98% compared to road transport. APM Terminals Gothenburg,


which offers the biggest container shipping network in Scandinavia, is connected to more than 300 inland destinations in Sweden by rail with more than 60 shuttles per week. For example, there are six services a week to and from Insjön in Dalarna, 460kms from Gothenburg. With a lead time of only eight


hours, cargo is loaded onto rail during the day in Insjön, and is off-loaded late in the evening in Gothenburg. Lead times are greatly superior to trucking, says APMT but it is also the impact on the environment that makes this solution so attractive. Plans to expand the rail terminal


in Insjön are underway, an initiative that is strongly supported by APMT. Through the Gothenburg Gateway initiative, APMT plans to double the amount of containers moving via rail to and from the port by 2022. It will require all partners in the rail cluster to work together, to ensure that both infrastructure and digital solutions are in place to support this. In fact, Gothenburg is the leading


major world port in terms of the proportion of goods entering or exiting by rail. In 2018, the proportion was 59%, and it has continued to increase during 2019. Meanwhile,


under a new


management structure aimed at unlocking synergies at APM Terminals’ Scandinavian operations, Dennis Lenthe Olesen, currently global head of operations


will assume the role of managing director for APM Terminals Nordics. The joint management structure will enable APM Terminals Aarhus and Gothenburg to strengthen collaboration but the terminals will remain separate legal entities


in Denmark and


Sweden. Head of terminals Europe, Igor


Van Den Essen, commented: “Both our facilities in Scandinavia have over the past years focused on operational excellence, productivity, cost efficiency, safety and improved customer experience. They have become broadly recognised market players and significant contributors to the economies in Denmark and Sweden and to respective local communities. This important role will continue going forward under the new management structure.” Dennis Olesen joined Maersk


in 1991 and has been with APM Terminals


since 2005, holding


various positions, most recently as global head of operations. He said: “I am very much looking forward to this new assignment, as we continue to increase our competitive edge, take advantage of new digital systems and continuously build solutions for our customers.” Gothenburg Port Authority


has appointed handler MIMAB to operate a new, rail-connected cross-docking terminal which will be operational in the summer of 2020. Between 60 and 100,000teu are expected to be transloaded at the terminal every year. In 2020, Gothenburg will open


its Svea Terminal dedicated cross- docking site adjacent to the ro ro and container terminals. Port of


executive Elvir Dzanic said: We APM Terminals


per capita are also below the OECD average, but have failed to decrease over the past


two


decades. Focus Economics says that


Norway’s economy probably gained further impetus in the third quarter, aſter growth accelerated in the second quarter as investment soared. However, a subdued global growth outlook continued to hit the external sector, with merchandise exports declining notably year-on-year. Focus Economics is hoping for


better things in the fourth quarter, with state-owned energy firm


have now come to an agreement with a recognized operator with a fantastic track record at the port, which also has ambitions to develop our Railport concept with us.”


MIMAB has been commissioned


to operate the new cross-docking terminal on a three-year contract with an option for two more years. The company has been active in the port for over 20 years and has already almost doubled its volumes since 2016. With the new cross-docking terminal, operations can be expanded considerably, says the port authority. MIMAB chief executive, Michael


Bergman, explained: “We have had a tremendous development in recent years. With a new terminal, we can take the next step, develop further and continue to serve Swedish industry with fast and efficient cross-docking in the port of Gothenburg.” The world’s largest storage tent


– 21,600sq m (or around three football pitches) – will be built on the 45,000sq m terminal site, which will allow transloading to take place without being exposed to the elements. There will also be open storage


areas and five rail tracks. The track leading into the tent will be a production track and the other four tracks will be used as marshalling tracks for the facility. The Svea Terminal, closely


linked to the Railport system, is the latest in a series of rail investments made at


the Port


of Gothenburg in recent years aimed at increasing capacity and reliability. In 2018, Gothenburg Port Authority completed the Arken Combi Terminal, which has significantly boosted rail capacity at the port. The Swedish Transport Administration is in the process of double-tracking the rail


line Gothenburg chief


into the port, and APM Terminals has already modernised rail operations and increased the capacity at the container terminal.


DHL puts Swedish retailer in control


DHL International Supply Chain has developed a purchase order management and visibility solution for Swedish home furnishings retailer Mio, giving it more control over inbound orders from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, and Taiwan. The logistics firm, which has a


secured to


implement


three-year and


contract optimise


the solution, says it will reduce detention and demurrage costs while improving planning and giving Mio more control so that


orders may be speeded up or slowed down as needed. It enables Mio and its logistics


partners to plan and execute the movement of shipments from the


The Port of Gothenburg reported a 4% rise in its container volume in the first three quarters of 2019, despite a slight downturn in the Swedish container market as a whole – a performance it attributed largely to the continued influx of hinterland rail volumes. Container traffic continued to


grow at the Port of Gothenburg following a downturn in 2016- 17, it said, with the recovery particularly noticeable in 2018 with road-based traffic from western Sweden and its hinterland also


gradually returning to


Gothenburg. The trend continued into 2019, attributable in the main to higher volumes from the rest of


Sweden. The vast majority of inland


freight arrives at the Port of Gothenburg by rail however, with volumes increasing by 20% between January and September. Long-distance volumes from northern and eastern Sweden are also making a comeback, it says. Port


chief executive Elvir


Dzanic commented: “The Port of Gothenburg serves the whole of Sweden and the current trend is underpinned by our continued nationwide upturn in the container sector. The focus at the Port of Gothenburg is on ensuring industry has uninterrupted access to external markets, despite an


Equinor beginning production at the Johan Sverdrup offshore platform in early October, which should account for roughly one- third of Norway’s oil production once it is fully up and running. Growth will probably


accelerate in 2020 thanks to the increased oil production and an expected pick-up in the housing market, coupled with solid labour dynamics, which could push GDP growth up 2.1% in 2020.


Finland – outlook uncertain


It’s a more gloomy picture in Finland where, in September, the Research Institute of


///NORDIC REGION


the Finnish Economy (Etla) downgraded its growth outlook for 2019–20. Etla expects the GDP to grow


by no more than 1.1% per cent this year and 0.9% in 2020. Once again, the slowdown


in the Eurozone and the world economy is to blame, with Germany’s economic situation and Brexit in the UK both cited as factors. Etla expects a tailing off in


Finland’s export growth from 3.8% in 2019 to 1.3% in 2020. Indeed, there is a sizeable risk of a recession, Etla warns, with the economy contracting in two successive quarters.


Focus Economics sees the Finnish economy slowing next year on weaker export and fixed investment growth and, like Etla, it sees subdued global demand trade


growth and tensions weighing


rising on


Finland’s external sector, while “miserable” business confidence will hit investment. However, fiscal


stimulus and resilient


household spending should cushion the overall slowdown it adds. FocusEconomics panelists expect GDP growth of 1.1% in 2020, which is down 0.1 percentage points from last month’s forecast, and 1.3% in 2021.


uncertain business climate and a cautious domestic market.” However, uncertainty in


the economy has affected non-container volumes. From historically high levels in recent years, the port’s intra-European ro-ro traffic fell by 5% in January- September. The downturn was most noticeable on the Belgian routes in the wake of the unusually high volumes reported by the automotive industry in 2018. New cars through Gothenburg


fell by 8% compared with the previous year, due mainly to a decrease in imports as a result of the fall in new car sales in Sweden during the same period. But a turnaround was noted in September with 26,500 cars handled. Oil and energy products were


down 10% at 15.9 million tonnes for January-September, with a fall during the first half of the year countered by an increase of 5% during the third quarter, driven by higher crude oil inventories and the fact that the refineries are back at full production following the maintenance shutdown earlier in the year.


port into the retailer’s warehousing network via multiple modes. Visibility extends to all partners and Mio can take control earlier in the process and control demurrage and detention. It will provide management and


visibility for about 4,500teu into Sweden.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28