Land Bridge

Abstract

The Baltic Sea and areas on its West Coast are once again bustling with economic activity and future potential, partly due to now being free from Soviet holds and partly due to being on the verge of entry into the EU. Lines of competition in the European port market are also being redrawn. Port of Göteborg, AB (POG) is envisioning a strategic shift by banking on this “sea of opportunities” for increasing its hinterland. At present, unitised sea-borne cargo transport to and from Baltic States and Russian Region (BSRR) to destinations around the world passes through mainland European ports, mainly Hamburg and Bremerhaven. This is considered inefficient as compared to potential alternatives available. This study looks into one of those alternatives. Inter-modality has introduced an element of efficiency into long distance cargo transportation through combined transport solutions. In this thesis the concept of combined transport has been applied to Trans-ocean shipping to scale advantages in transportation cost and time variables as compared to sea mode. My thesis is that a Land Bridge between East and West Coast of Sweden for BSRR cargo using combined transport system and solutions is possible. For this ports’ connectivity with respect to POG has been evaluated and transhipment activities and costs at terminals have been looked into. Both modes of land transportation have also been explored to judge for suitability as part of a combined transport system.