On Wednesday, April 9, we had the honor of having Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visit the Port of Trelleborg.
Once in the port, the Prime Minister met with the police, customs, border police and coast guard to discuss the crime prevention work in the port regarding the export of stolen goods.
Port of Trelleborg’s CEO Malin Collin had the opportunity to speak with the Prime Minister about the port’s unique strategic location, where shipping, road and rail meet, with four destinations in Europe. Scandinavia’s largest RoRo port in Trelleborg fulfills a very important function in the supply of goods to and from the entire country and is one of Sweden’s five core ports, designated as strategically important by the EU and an important part of the European transport corridors.
Security Manager Krister Jonsson shows the railway ferry berth. Photo: Magnus Liljegren Regeringskansliet
From a defense and NATO perspective, the Port of Trelleborg is of great importance as the shortest route to the continent. We are the Baltic’s largest railway port and Sweden’s only port with railway ferries in regular traffic, which transport railway wagons between Trelleborg and Rostock. Stena Line’s two railway ferries are the world’s largest and can take train sets over 1 km long on board. From a defence point of view, railway ferries are indispensable for transporting heavy vehicles, equipment and steel. Furthermore, Malin Collin highlighted the importance of redundancy as the Port of Trelleborg is the only remaining alternative for train traffic across the strait, in case the connection over the Öresund Bridge should stop working.
“The railway flaps in ferry berths 8 and 9, on the other hand, are incredibly costly to operate and maintain, and it is not commercially sustainable for us as a port to carry this ourselves in the long term. Therefore, it should be of national interest to secure this infrastructure in order to maintain redundancy in Sweden’s transport and supply chains”, said Malin Collin during the visit.
The Prime Minister showed great interest in the railway ferries, which we think is very positive.
After the visit, the Prime Minister stated that “The Port of Trelleborg plays an important role in Sweden’s trade with the outside world as well as for our defense.”
Also participating in the visit were Jan Isaksson, Chairman of the Board of the Port of Trelleborg, Krister Jonsson, Security Manager, Port of Trelleborg, Petronella Ljungh, Communications Manager, Port of Trelleborg, Bert Westerberg (M), Municipal Councillor, Trelleborg Municipality, and Gisela Öst, Municipal Director.
(Click to enlarge the photo)
