Can the port of Göteborg act as a transhipment hub for the Baltic states and Russia?

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and analyse the most cost and service efficient routes for unitised transit cargo to and from the Baltic States and Russia Region (BSRR). We have identified the most efficient route from the following three alternative transport systems: direct sea-links to the Port of Göteborg, direct sea-links to the Port of Hamburg, or sea-links across the Baltic Sea combined with a land bridge (road/rail) across Sweden to the Port of Göteborg. In order to make the calculations of costs and transit time we have created a model in Microsoft Excel. We have got results, in terms of average cost per unit and throughput time, for LoLo and RoRo traffic in different routes between the BSRR and the ports of Göteborg and Hamburg. The most efficient routes are the direct calls to the Port of Göteborg, in terms of cost and time variables compared with direct call to the Port of Hamburg, and compared with the land bridge alternative only in terms of cost. The Port of Göteborg is famous for excellent service and unique tailor-made customer solutions, which gives very strong competitive advantages. For future research, we think it is a good idea to apply a cluster concept for analysing seaports, which can help us to answer the question how competitive seaports are vis-à-vis other seaports.