COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers has launched a new ro-ro shipping route between the port of Gothenburg and ports in China, via Singapore.
Cargo consists mainly of vehicles, with the majority being Swedish export cars destined for the Asian market, but the import market for Chinese cars and heavy vehicles to Scandinavia is also growing. The newbuild ships are powered by LNG and capable of handling project cargo.
“Gothenburg is an important automotive hub in northern Europe, but until now has lacked a direct ro-ro connection to Asia. We are very happy to start this service, which is highly demanded by our customers,” said Erik Lund Eriksen, partner director at COSCO Shipping Lines Nordic.
The new service calls at Singapore as well as the three Chinese ports of Xinsha, Tianjin and Shanghai. “With this service, our Swedish customers can also avoid transhipment in other ports or pre-transport by road to more distant ports. Overall, this provides significant advantages for those looking to reduce their transport emissions,” added Lund Eriksen.
Richard Mellgren, senior business development manager at the port of Gothenburg, said: “A direct ro-ro line to Asia is a fantastic addition to the port’s overall offering which really strengthens both the port’s and our customers’ competitiveness. It’s exciting that the service is now up and running, and that the initial calls have attracted such strong interest.”
