Ro-ro companies SOL Continent Line and P&O Ferries to establish a new service between the Port of Gothenburg and the British ports of Tilbury and Teesport
A new alternative is now available to Swedish import and export companies seeking to reach the important UK market. Ro-ro companies SOL Continent Line and P&O Ferries have joined forces to establish a new service between the Port of Gothenburg and the British ports of Tilbury and Teesport.
The ro-ro companies SOL Continent Line and P&O Ferries have teamed up to create more regular traffic between the Port of Gothenburg and the United Kingdom. This new collaborative venture involves the transshipment of freight at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, to which both companies have regular direct services. Four SOL Continent Line ships depart each week from the Ro-Ro Terminal at the Port of Gothenburg bound for Zeebrugge. P&O Ferries has daily departures from Zeebrugge to the UK ports of Tilbury and Teesport.
"This arrangement allows us to offer our customers a convenient, frequent, rapid link between the largest port in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom and it has been well received by the market," said Ragnar Johansson, Chief Executive of Svenska Orient Linien AB.
Despite the fact that the companies each cover just part of the route, customers only need to make one booking via the SOL Continent Line booking system.
Claes Sundmark, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg, said:
"This new arrangement is entirely in line with the port's ambition to constantly develop its service network."
The United Kingdom is Sweden's third-largest export market. In 2014, Swedish exports to the United Kingdom totalled 80 billion kronor, equivalent to 7.2% of total Swedish export volumes.
The flow of goods between the United Kingdom and Sweden is extremely varied. There is a constant flow of products from the UK, including raw materials and components for Swedish industry as well as consumer goods and foodstuffs. In return, large volumes of steel and paper are shipped from the Port of Gothenburg to the UK.
