Exponential rise in transhipment cargo at Port of Kapellskär

Business is booming at Ports of Stockholm’s northernmost port, Port of Kapellskär. Transhipment cargo handling operations have increased exponentially over the first eleven months of the year. The high demand and good prerequisites at Port of Kapellskär consolidate the port’s position as one of Sweden’s most important freight ports.

Goods tonnage handled at Port of Kapellskär increased sharply during 2021. From January to November this year, transhipment goods handling tripled compared to the same period last year. The majority of the goods arrive by sea, transported by the shipping company DFDS from Paldiski in Estonia, and are transferred to road haulage vehicles at the port.

“It is really pleasing to see such a large increase in the transhipment business. We have good collaboration with Port of Kapellskär, and this is also one of the reasons that the DFDS transhipment goods tonnage has risen by more than double this year compared to 2020. We are also looking forward to an even better 2022,” says Kerli Pettersson, Operations Manager DFDS.

The transhipment cargo is mainly comprised of four types of goods: OSB sheet materials for the Norwegian and Swedish construction industries, granulated UREA in large sacks that is used in AdBlue (which reduces hazardous emissions from diesel engines), construction sheds, and housing modules.

“The rise in transhipment has been incredible, but despite the impressive figures there is still lots of capacity for even more cargo. Port of Kapellskär has a high capacity for transhipment, with a large warehouse and generous space in the port area. The geographical location, in combination with the short approach, makes it efficient to handle goods for onward transport to and from the port,” explains Johan Wallén, Marketing and Sales Manager at Ports of Stockholm.

Kapellskär is Ports of Stockholm's northernmost port and is one of Sweden’s most important and modern ports. The port handles around 3 million metric tons of goods annually. This equates to 40 percent of Ports of Stockholm’s ferry freight to and from Finland, Estonia and the Åland Islands.