The expansion of Port of Luleå
Luleå and Norrbotten have a unique opportunity to become a leader for the industrial transition. To make the shift towards more sustainable production possible, a link to the rest of the world is essential. Within a few years, Port of Luleå plan to be able to transport three to four times more cargo than today, accommodate four times as much vessel traffic, and handle entirely new types of goods. The port’s development and strengthened cargo capacity are fundamental prerequisites for the growth and green transition now taking place within the mining and steel industries in the north.
How we plan to expand
To handle increased vessel traffic and new types of cargo, the port needs to be rebuilt. We are strengthening the infrastructure with new rail and road connections. In addition, plans include quays, terminal areas, storage spaces, and loading and unloading stations. Through the Malmporten project, carried out by Port of Luleå and the Swedish Maritime Administration, the fairways are being deepened and widened, and navigation marking is being modernised.
The dredged material will create new land areas, providing space for a logistics park. A new deep-water port will be connected to the railway linking to the southern Malmbanan line, enabling smoother cargo flows to and from Norrbotten’s key industries. Allowing larger, fully loaded vessels to arrive to Port of Luleå will lead to more efficient sea transport and reduced environmental impact per tonne of cargo shipped.
400 %
Between 2020 and 2030, the number of vessel calls is expected to increase from 600 per year to 2,200–2,500 per year.
250 %
Each year, more than eight million tonnes of cargo are handled at Port of Luleå, but that figure is expected to almost triple between 2020 and 2030.
300 %
To enable Norrbotten’s growth, Port of Luleå’s cargo capacity is set to increase by 300% between 2020 and 2030.
”We are about to do something that no one has done before. We are building a port that will make it possible for Norrbotten to become a world leader in the green transition. At the same time, we are securing Luleå as a vibrant maritime city for future generations.”
– Anders Dahl, CEO, Port of Luleå.
A strategic port for the future
Port of Luleå is already a prioritised and strategically important hub for shipping in the Bay of Bothnia, and our significance will continue to grow. We are Sweden’s third-largest cargo port and one of the country’s five so-called CORE ports. This means that the port in Luleå has been designated as strategically important and prioritised by the EU. As much as 90 per cent of the EU’s iron ore production takes place in northern Sweden. In Luleå, two of the EU’s nine freight corridors will also intersect: North Sea–Baltic and Scandinavian–Mediterranean. In addition, Luleå is becoming an increasingly important hub for The Arctic Gateway, a collaboration and freight corridor for natural resources that connects the Arctic with the rest of the world.
Projekt Malmporten
Strengthening the sustainable sea route to the world
The Malmporten project is Sweden’s largest dredging project in modern times, but above all, it is a project that delivers major benefits for the environment, society, and people.
EU founded projects