The Port of Gothenburg and the war in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine has had a minor impact on operations in the port. As a general rule, the Port of Gothenburg has very little traffic to and from Russia. In 2021, cargo associated with Russia represented less than 0.5% of the volume of cargo handled at the port.

Business partners that handle oil at the Energy Port have had to take action, including reviewing their logistical flows and where their feedstocks originate. Many purchasers of transport services that previously traded with Russia have ceased all trading with that country.

Contingency planning.

For a number of years, the City of Gothenburg has been undertaking a civil defence project, which has resulted in departments and companies in the City having to draw up contingency plans for heightened preparedness, in the event of war or the risk of war, and to analyse the need to station personnel for war. The Gothenburg Port Authority undertook work during the year to enhance preparedness, and drew up and implemented a contingency plan. This work took on extra urgency with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It involves, among other things, reviewing various parts of the contingency plan, describing the basic mandate, making relevant prioritisations, securing competence in the Authority in the event of a crisis or war, raising knowledge levels in the area of civil defence and preparing employees. In the event of war, for example, the port is important for securing the flow of goods for the whole country, so competence is needed to deal with this at the port.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and the ongoing war have affected the port’s operations, albeit on a small scale. We are monitoring developments closely and have taken certain measures such as enhanced surveillance and alertness.

“In practice, it is about being especially observant about what is happening and whether anything is deviating from the normal situation. We have updated certain procedures and instructions concerning surveillance and alertness.

The port and the entire cargo hub form an important part of Sweden’s supply and logistics chain. The level of security remains at 1, which is the same as before. Any changes to the level of security for all Swedish ports are made by the Swedish Police National Operations Department (NOA) in consultation with the Swedish Transport Agency. If the level is increased, there are plans in place that will then be executed. This may involve checks, surveillance, staffing, procedures, instructions, rules and forms of collaboration.

The Gothenburg Port Authority follows the programme of sanctions recommenced by government agencies and participated in various collaborative groups. These include the Maritime Security Committee, which consists of the Swedish Security Service, the Swedish Police, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Western Military Region (MRV), AMF 4, the Swedish Transport Administration, the emergency services, the City of Gothenburg, the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Swedish Customs and the Swedish Coast Guard.

Apart from heightened awareness, operations and all employees are working as normal regardless of department and function.”

- Thomas Fransson, Head of Security, Gothenburg Port Authority.