Sweden’s competition regulators cleared APM Terminals’ 25-year concession to operate the port of Gothenburg’s Skandia container terminal, the country’s biggest box facility.

    A.P. Moller-Maersk’s port operating arm plans to invest $115 million over the next five years, mostly on equipment to make the port more competitive as a North West European hub for the Nordic and Baltic markets.

    The port of Gothenburg will transfer management and operation of the terminal to APM in January.

    Gothenburg handled 880,000 20-foot equivalent units in 2010, nearly 60 percent of Sweden’s total container traffic.

    “We are very pleased that the matter has been dealt with so quickly. It is positive for both the 450 employees at the terminal and for our customers,” said Sven Hulterstrom, chairman of the Port of Gothenburg.

    “This is a clear example of the business friendly environment Sweden offers to investors,” said Keld Petersen, AMP Terminals’ newly-appointed managing director of the Skandia terminal.

    The terminal concession is part of the port’s sweeping privatization program which has already seen Danish ship-owner DFDS and its Belgian partner Cobelfret acquire a 25-year concession to operate the roll on-roll off terminal, which handled 564,000 units in 2010.

    Swedish logistics group Logent has taken a 10-year concession on the car terminal, which handled 233,000 vehicles last year.

(Source:JOC)