Decision for a deeper fairway in the Port of Gothenburg
The Land and Environmental Court has now granted a permit for deepening and widening the fairway, strengthening the quay and the disposal of dredge spoil in a designated location at sea. An application for dispensation regarding the disposal of contaminated material at sea was however rejected, and these materials must be dealt with differently. The decision will allow the Skandia Gateway project’s dock reinforcement work to start according to schedule.
The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden that can receive the world’s largest vessels. At present they are unable to do so fully loaded. Therefore, the fairway needs to be deepened and quays strengthened.
“We're aware that the ruling can be appealed, which is a step in the process that we must await. But if the ruling is not appealed, our preliminary position is that we may now begin reinforcement work on the quays, even though it is not yet clear how we will dispose of the contaminated dredge spoil,” says Jan Andersson, project manager for Skandia Gateway at Göteborgs Hamn AB.
Allocation of responsibilities
The Skandia Gateway project will be carried out in multiple stages, each in order to enable today’s ocean-going container ships to be fully laden, thus utilizing all available load capacity at each port of call, which is not possible today. Göteborgs Hamn AB will carry out quay reinforcement and deepening of the dock basin. The Swedish Maritime Administration is responsible for deepening the fairway and the removal of dredge spoil. If things proceed according to schedule, Skandia Harbour will be able to welcome fully laden ocean-going vessels into the Port of Gothenburg by 2026, at the earliest.
Skandia Gateway, background
Direct shipping across the oceans to and from the Port of Gothenburg without any transhipment is essential if Swedish companies are to reach global markets in a climate-friendly, cost-effective way. But as the biggest vessels have continued to grow and draw more water, greater fairway depth is required in the port. Today, the biggest vessels can only call at the Port of Gothenburg semi-laden, and the trend toward ever larger vessels continues. The Skandia Gateway project will enable the Port of Gothenburg to continue being as important for imports and exports from the Swedish and Scandinavian markets as it is today. By providing this efficient supply function for Swedish foreign trade, it will help strengthen the international competitiveness of Swedish industry.
In a nutshell: Skandia Gateway
- Planned fairway deepening: From 13.5 to 17.5 metres maximum draught.
- Maximum vessel dimensions: Length 430 metres, beam 65 metres and max draught 17.5 metres.
- Cost: SEK 2.5 billion.
- Funding: State (Swedish Transport Administration): A little over SEK 1.2 billion. Municipal (Gothenburg Municipality): Up to a little over SEK 1.2 billion.
- Dredging requirements: Around 13 million cubic metres.
- Construction process: If things proceed according to schedule, construction will begin at the end of 2022 for completion in 2026 at the earliest.
Skandia Gateway is a joint project between Göteborgs Hamn AB, the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Swedish Transport Administration.