With SEK460m (approx. €45.5m) put on the table for the years 2021-2024, the Sundsvall-based timber, pulp, and paper manufacturer will set up a new container terminal, plus other cargo handling areas.

The 100k TEUs of yearly handling facility will be able to serve ships with a draft of 15 m (currently 12 m of draft vessels can call to the Port of Sundsvall). The company also intends to build land south of the current port to create new space for cargo handling.

"SCA's investments in the Östrand pulp mill, in addition to the ongoing investments in pulp production at the Ortviken industrial site, will more than double the volume of pulp to be shipped from the Sundsvall region. The increased volumes mean that the pulp will be delivered to new and more distant markets. The Tunadal and Bollsta sawmills are also ramping up their production volumes," SCA said in a press release.

According to the company, the volume of containerized trade (incl. pulp and solid-wood products) from the Tunadal harbour has more than doubled over the past five years. "This development has meant that we need to be able to handle larger volumes of containerized cargo than previously and be able to accommodate larger ships - both container ships and break-bulk vessels," Magnus Svensson, President Sourcing and Logistics, SCA, commented.

He furthered, "With this expansion of the port, we will be able to load significantly larger ships and be able to ensure the efficient and competitive transport of the products that are growing in volume in the region. Key parts of the port expansion will be ready in time for the new volumes from the Ortviken industrial site comprising pulp and recycled textile fibers from Renewcell."

"With the expanded port, the combined terminal [three 650 m-long tracks, due for completion in 2024] being built by the Municipality of Sundsvall and the improved rail links to the Tunadal port, we will have a transport infrastructure that will move Sundsvall closer to the global export markets and the Scandinavian domestic market, thereby benefiting industry and trade across Northern Sweden," Svensson concluded.

Photo: SCA