The new service has been set up to carry timber products from the Fiskarheden sawmill in Dalarna in mid-west Sweden to Asian markets via the Port of Gothenburg.

The first shipment, 32 forty-foot containers of the Japanese ONE carrier, arrived in the seaport on 30 August.

"The new arrangement via Gothenburg offers both logistical benefits and carbon savings. Transporting freight from the Fiskarheden facility in Malung-Sälen by rail to the Port of Gothenburg and on to the final destination in Japan reduces the carbon footprint of each container from 406 to 207 kilos of carbon dioxide per TEU," the Swedish seaport said in a press release.

Timber products had previously been transported by road via the Port of Gävle.

Fiskarheden - producing more than 370k m3 of sawn timber per year, of which over 90% is purchased outside Sweden – has invested in the rail terminal in Malungsfors to facilitate container handling.

"The fact that we can handle and stuff containers here in Malungsfors is a major step forward. It is a long-term investment that will open up new markets for us via the Port of Gothenburg and it is definitely the right path to follow in our ambition to reduce our climate footprint," Magnus Larsson, Fiskarheden's Chief Executive, highlighted.

According to Statistics Sweden, more than 80% of Swedish forest products are sent abroad (23.4mt last year), making the country the world's fifth-largest forest product exporter.

Larsson underlined in this regard, "The trademark of Swedish forest products is quality. Slow-growing trees produce high-quality raw material with a good structure, complemented by the first-rate delivery assurance offered by Swedish forest product companies."

Photo: Port of Gothenburg