Sawmills throughout the Nordic region can now ship lumber through the Port of Gothenburg now that a transloading timber terminal has opened by the family-owned Soren Thyr AB - and thanks to new eco fuel rules that kick in January 1.

What makes the project economical is implementation of emission control areas, raising the price of marine legal fuel 50 per cent in the Baltic, making seafreight too expensive and driving the lumber trade to the railways and roads to the Port of Gothenburg on the Atlantic side.

Paper, pulp and timber products account for a large proportion of exports that pass through the Port of Gothenburg. Up to now, the port has lacked a dedicated terminal for transloading sawn timber products.

The Port of Gothenburg has therefore invested in a completely new forest terminal that will be operated by the Gavle-based company Soren Thyr AB, said port CEO Magnus Karestedt.

The new forest product terminal is near to the port's ro-ro and container terminals. Linked to the rail system, it can handle more than one million cubic metres of timber each year.

"The terminal makes it possible for sawmills to send their timber by rail or road. On arrival in Gothenburg, the timber is loaded into the correct unit a container or trailer for example for onward shipment worldwide," said the port press release.