COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers has kicked off a one-per-month route that will see vehicles transported between Gothenburg, Singapore, Xinsha, Tianjin and Shanghai, with room for project cargo as well.

Cars made in Sweden and China will flow in opposite directions, with heavy-duty vehicles also transported increasingly more from Asia to Europe.

The new service will be operated with COSCO's latest series of vehicle carriers that are 199.9-metre long and 38 m-wide, each offering a capacity of 7,500 across 13 decks (four of which are height-adjustable designed to accommodate high and heavy shipments). The carriers run on liquefied natural gas. According to COSCO's own calculations, these gas-run vessels offer 27% CO2 reduction vs conventional fuel propulsion.

"With this service, our Swedish customers can also avoid transshipment 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 Erik Lund Eriksen, Partner Director at COSCO Shipping Lines Nordic.

The Port of Gothenburg's Senior Business Development Manager, Richard Mellgren, also commented, "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."

In Gothenburg, COSCO's new service calls to the Car Terminal operated by Logent Ports and Terminals (which also takes care of other vehicle services - of Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Höegh Autoliners that connect the Swedish seaport with North America and Oceania & South America, respectively). Lund Eriksen said in this regard, "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."

Photo: Port of Gothenburg