Distressing consequences due to the port conflict

By: Thomas Ström 11/13/17

It causes 124 tons more carbon dioxide emissions every day

 

A few weeks ago I wrote about the damage the conflict in the port of Gothenburg has had on the Swedish business community.
This weekend I took part of an article in Svenska Dagbladet, where it’s clearly shown that it has also a major negative climate impact.
According to Svenska Dagbladet, the conflict causes 124 tons more carbon dioxide emissions every day!

The reason is that the entrepreneurs no longer trust the port. They are worried that there will be new disturbances and problems with their goods. Therefore, they have stopped shipping all the way to Sweden and Gothenburg. Instead, they choose to reload the goods on trucks in other European ports, such as Hamburg and Rotterdam.
A trip between 65 and 100 miles, just because the industry can no longer trust the port in Gothenburg.

This year, the container volume in the port of Gothenburg has been the lowest for a very long time. The third quarter shows a decrease of 28 percent compared to the same period in 2016.
In a press release, the President of the Gothenburg port, Magnus Kårestedt, says:
– Despite the fact that the container terminal was able to handle the goods that passed, basically without any disruptions during the third quarter, we see a huge decline in volume. It is clear that the industry has not regained confidence in the port's container terminal.

Personally, I think it is very regrettable that the conflict has had such extensive consequences.

The danger we’re facing is that the industry will not dare to invest in Sweden in the future. This is because there are very few companies currently working on large stocks. The transports simply must work and in this context, the port of Gothenburg is very important for the whole country.

An investigation has been appointed to review if the legislation needs to change. However, it will not be ready until May. The question is if that will be too late?