So the largest ships in Gothenburg harbor can provide thousands of jobs

Container ships have gotten bigger, which means the port must be deeper. On Thursday, the Gothenburg City Council decided to go ahead with the project to deepen the street in the Gothenburg harbor. This means that work on the project, which is estimated to cost SEK 2.5 billion, can start soon.

The depression in the waterway will allow the largest container ships to enter the port fully loaded. This, in turn, will make transportation cheaper for exporting and importing companies, which is expected to have positive effects on the economy of the entire Gothenburg region.

– For you and me, this means that the goods we buy will be cheaper, because it doesn’t cost as much to import them. And for Swedish companies, the consequence will be that they will be able to compete with other European companies on the same terms, says Elvir Dzanic, Managing Director of the Port of Gothenburg.

READ MORE: Monster ships have gotten too big for Gothenburg

It should provide faster and cheaper transportation.

In the street it is quiet except for the sound of the wind and the roar of the waves. From the water, it seems calm and quiet in the container port. It is not possible to see it, but it is one of the most important ports in Scandinavia. No other port here can accommodate the largest ocean vessels.

But it needs to go deeper. Currently, the dock and the port street have the capacity for vessels up to 13.5 meters deep. Now the capacity will be increased to 17.5 meters.

Rather than shipping multiple smaller ships, the larger variants will be able to carry more goods at once. They also won’t have to stop anywhere else in Europe to dump parts of the cargo before they can reach the Gothenburg port, and fewer goods need to be trucked to Sweden from major ports in Europe.

– It’s almost as if Landvetter has direct flights to major cities in the world. This streamlines transportation for all large Swedish companies, says Elvir Dzanic.

According to him, each container will be between SEK 300-500 cheaper to transport when the full capacity of the larger vessels can be used. Also, everything will go four or five days faster.

READ MORE: The simulated ship shows where the street should be deepened

Expect thousands of new jobs

According to him, it helps to maintain and attract large companies to the region, which in turn will generate employment.

– The increased competitiveness of Swedish companies means that large companies will be able to continue to locate in Gothenburg. Our estimate is that it will generate between 8,000 and 10,000 jobs in western Sweden, says Elvir Dznaic.

The city of Gothenburg will account for about half of the total price. It is mainly about strengthening the quay at the container port. On the street itself, the state is responsible for the work and is responsible for the costs.

It will not be visible from the ground

Before you can start, the approval of the Land and Environment Court is required. The plan is for all the work to be completed by 2026.

Jan Andersson, project manager for the port portion of the street depression, emphasizes that the project is significantly larger than what will be seen from land.

– It is really interesting, because it is a job that costs 2,500 million, but it will not be visible when we finish. Most of the work will be done below the surface of the water, he says.