Friday, December 11, 2020

Nordic Port Goes All Out to Retain Top Position for Container Freight Traffic

Construction of New Terminal Involves Careful Environmental Management
Shipping News Feature

SWEDEN – The Port of Gothenburg's reputation as the only one in the country able to handle the world's largest container vessels will doubtless be enhanced by the current works being undertaken there.

180,000 cubic metres of dredged material are currently being reused as filling material in the construction of the port’s next major investment. When the masses have been stabilised and solidified and further surface works have been completed, 140,000 square meters (equivalent to approximately 20 football pitches) of new, long-awaited terminal space, will be available in the Port of Gothenburg.

Construction of the brand-new terminal, directly adjacent to other major terminals at the port, got under way in autumn 2018. Since then, 1,500 piles have been sunk into the bedrock, and the Arendal bay has been embanked with blasting stones from an adjacent hill in the largest port expansion in Gothenburg since the 1970s. Joakim Grenmarker, Project Manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority, explained:

“The terminal is a crucial aspect of the port's long-term expansion plans and will further strengthen Gothenburg as the Nordic logistics capital. By almost exclusively using recycled material in the project, we are also able to expand with environmental consideration.”

The embanked bay will constitute the coming terminal area. However first the embanked bay will be filled with that 180,000 cubic metres of contaminated dredging spoils, and that work is currently underway. When the material fills the basin, water is forced out and needs to be purified and checked before it is returned to the sea. Kristina Bernstén, Environmental Engineer at the Gothenburg Port Authority, said:

“This is done by adding carbon dioxide to the water from the backfill basin, which lowers the PH value so that pollutants can precipitate. The water is then pumped on to a sedimentation basin and on to a sand and active carbon filter. We examine and send water for analysis once a week to ensure that the water is ready to be pumped into the sea.”

The terminal, with a total area of 220,000 square metres is expected to be completed by 2023, although certain sections might be brought into use before then. It will have a 12 metre draught alongside and possibly a direct rail link, with an option of adding a further 80,000 square metres of terminal surface.