The Port of Gothenburg has awarded a dredging and blasting contract worth approximately Skr202m (US$21.8m) to Boskalis Sweden as part of the Skandia Gateway infrastructure project.
The works will deepen the fairway into the port from the current maximum vessel draft of 13.5m to 17.5m, enabling larger and deeper-draft vessels to call at Scandinavia’s largest port.
Boskalis was selected following a tender process involving five contractors. Jan Andersson, project manager for Skandia Gateway at the port, said the company was chosen for its experience. “It is a highly competent contractor with solid experience in projects of a similar nature,” he said.
The dredging and blasting works form part of the port’s contribution to the wider Skandia Gateway project, a joint initiative involving the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Swedish Transport Administration and the Port of Gothenburg to increase capacity and secure long-term access for larger vessels. The Port of Gothenburg is currently the only port in Sweden capable of handling the world’s largest ocean-going vessels, but existing depth limitations restrict some ships from calling fully loaded.
Quay reinforcement works at the container terminal have been underway since spring 2024 and are a prerequisite for the dredging phase. Andersson described the contract award as a key step in the project timeline. “This is one of the final major milestones in the port’s part of the project, and we remain on schedule and within the previously communicated budget,” he said.
The work is scheduled to take place during the next dredging season, from October 2026 to March 2027. Once completed, responsibility for further dredging outside the port area will pass to the Swedish Maritime Administration, with those works expected to begin in autumn 2027.
In related news, Port of Gothenburg acquires land for westward expansion