Port of Gothenburg announced strong cargo flows in the first half of 2026, with container handling holding at record levels and all other cargo segments posting positive growth.
Between January and June, the port handled 462,000 TEUs, in line with the same period in 2025, which was the strongest year by volume in the port’s history.
Laden containers increased while empties declined, meaning actual cargo volumes rose even though total unit numbers held steady.
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The growth was driven primarily by continued gains in import volumes, while exports remained close to the previous year’s level.
The figures also point to a clear rise in the share of containers moved on the port’s direct services to and from Asia.
Claes Sundmark, Vice President Sales & Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg, said: “The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden to offer direct services for containerised cargo to and from Asia. For Swedish importers and exporters, direct services mean efficient, sustainable and reliable transport with fewer disruption-prone stages. Given the current congestion at many ports across Europe, the advantages of direct services without trans-shipment are becoming even clearer.”
More than 60 per cent of containers handled at the Port of Gothenburg are moved by rail to or from inland destinations. Rail volumes reached 268,000 TEUs in the first half of 2026, an increase of two per cent on the same period last year, putting rail traffic to and from the port on course for another record year.
The port’s intra-European RoRo traffic, comprising trailers and other rolling cargo on frequent services to Northern and Central Europe and the UK, saw unit numbers rise by two per cent to 278,000, driven primarily by growth in services to and from Central Europe.
The volume report points to a terminal operation increasingly reliant on rail connectivity and direct Asia links to manage growth without expanding total container throughput, as European port congestion pushes shippers towards more predictable routings.