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Port of Bergen with growth in container traffic of 3.9%

    Loading of a ship at the port of Bergen

    A demanding year due to Covid-19, the port of Bergen had a volume growth in container traffic of 3.9% and thus passed the peak year in 2012.

    40,671 TEUs in 2020 represent an increase of 3.9%, and the port thus passes the peak year of 2012. The number of containers in the port is the source of traffic growth. The development provides a better directional balance between imports and exports, traditionally a challenge for the shipping lines. Export volumes have increased by 6% compared to 2019.

    A decline in Ro-Ro traffic

    In stark contrast to the upswing in the container market, the reduction in trailer traffic over the Port of Bergen is 4,500 trailers for 2020.

    Fjordline’s Ro/Pax ships are essential for the Port of Bergen both in terms of passengers and the transport of trailers. In 2019, Fjordline transported almost 11,000 trailers over the quayside in Bergen, but Covid-19 restrictions abruptly stopped the company’s sailings.

    It isn’t easy to draw any concrete conclusions from the year 2020, but we observed this summer that Fjordline’s customers returned quickly when the route became operational again. We believe that the same customers will find their way back when the pandemic subsides, and we hope that by the autumn of 2021, we will return to a more routine operation.
    Nils Møllerup, Marketing Manager at the Port of Bergen

    According to the Port of Bergen’s analyses, very little of the volume reduction in trailer traffic is transferred to the other players in the port. In practice, this means that these trailers are back on the road during this period.

    In total, Bergen port experienced a decrease of 33.6% in the number of trailers and a corresponding reduction in freight volume of 36.4% vs. 2019 for trailer traffic

    New freight port on Ågotnes 2027

    The Port of Bergen has started planning a new freight port at Ågotnes with a scheduled operational start in 2027.

    A project is planned to evaluate how to handle growth in the existing area efficiently. Despite the pandemic challenges, the Port of Bergen see that the shortsea market, in particular, is growing. There is a great deal of interest among large importers and exporters using the sea route directly to/from Western Norway.