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A sudden shift in demand for Swedish imported goods in the wake of the Coronavirus has led to a need for interim storage of goods that have already been ordered and are on their way to Sweden, mainly in containers. This has emerged following ongoing discussions with port customers. The Gothenburg Port Authority has produced a solution within the port’s Railport system. A number of Railport terminals with direct rail links to the Port of Gothenburg are now ready to step in as interim storage points for containers and trailers, bringing the goods closer to their final destination.
Things move quickly in the face of a pandemic – the rate of change and unpredictability are creating disruptions and imbalances in the transport system that require speedy solutions. Long lead times, mainly for transoceanic goods, combined with rapid changes as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, have led to problems forecasting just-in-time flows for imported goods. Deliveries that are surplus to requirements give rise to a temporary imbalance in supply and demand and the goods need to be put into storage – preferably close to their final destination for rapid delivery to the retail point once a balance has been re-established.
Thanks to collaboration between the Port of Gothenburg and a number of inland terminals linked to the Port of Gothenburg Railport system, interim storage space has been secured throughout Sweden close to large import warehouse clusters. Imported goods can be transported directly to these locations from the Port of Gothenburg using the Railport Scandinavia rail system. Logent Ports and Terminals also has temporary storage space at the port.
“We have had an incredible response, with both the inland terminals and Logent reporting that they have the capacity to receive containerised goods and trailers for temporary storage. We are pleased that together we can offer this opportunity in times such as these, which require resourcefulness and a high degree of flexible, innovative thinking,” said Claes Sundmark, Vice President, Sales & Marketing at the Gothenburg Port Authority.
