Copenhagen Malmö Port AB (CMP) and the City of Malmö are together creating a new transport and logistics centre at the Norra Hamnen harbour. The first stage commenced in spring 2009 when CMP started construction of three new ferry berths for ro-ro traffic, a new container dock and a new combi-terminal – all with associated new terminal areas – in an investment worth around SEK 900 million. The terminals, which will be ready in spring 2011, mean that CMP will be able to handle five times as much freight as it does today.
The CMP area now being developed covers around 450,000 square metres. However, the initiative is larger than that. The whole of Norra Hamnen covers around 1.5 million square metres and a large proportion of this area is to be exploited by the City of Malmö – among other things by creating a new logistics centre where transport and logistics companies can set up. Overall, Norra Hamnen will thus become one of the largest infrastructure projects ever in Malmö. The logistics centre is estimated to be fully expanded by 2015-2016.
Quicker, more efficient and more environmentally-friendly
As a result of the changes, CMP will be moving its container activities from Frihamnen to Norra Hamnen, where a new terminal is being built. In the same way, ro-ro activities will be moved from Nyhamnen to a newly-constructed terminal in Norra Hamnen. A combi-terminal, where goods can be moved between trains and lorries or boats, will also be built near to this ferry berth.
Linking sea, rail and lorry traffic in a new way will makes goods handling quicker and more cost-effective. The improved situation at the new terminals is also estimated to provide huge time benefits, e.g. the time in port per vessel can be reduced by, on average, 20 minutes once the expansion of Norra Hamnen is complete. Compared with the current traffic at Nyhamnen in the city, the transport distance for lorries will also be reduced, making driving from the motorway network around 15 minutes quicker.
Linking and combining various means of transport will also be an increasingly important competitive advantage for harbour terminals in the future. In the language of the industry, the terminals need to be 'trimodal', i.e. be able to manage the interface between shipping, railways and lorries in as efficient a way as possible. The transfer of freight transport from the roads to the railways and sea is also an important element of the EU’s vision for an efficient and long-term sustainable transport system. CMP’s expansion in Norra Hamnen meets the needs for both trimodality and long-term sustainability. The environmental benefits in the immediate vicinity are also clear. Once the current terminals have been moved to Norra Hamnen, both ferry and lorry traffic will be further away from the city centre of Malmö. The impact of emissions in the area will be reduced and the traffic situation improved once the majority of the lorries disappear from the central areas of the city. The Norra Hamnen project is, therefore, an initiative that involves a high degree of environmental improvement for future heavy freight transport.
Dredged material reused
During the construction period, around 500,000 cubic metres will be dredged in Norra Hamnen, for example to increase the water depth at the container and ro-ro terminals. Some of the material dredged will be used to refill the close-by Kockumsrännan channel. An excavated navigation channel that is no longer used for traffic will therefore be refilled and recover its original water depth and marine life. Of the around 450,000 square metres currently exploited by CMP, around two thirds will be covered with asphalt for terminal and setting-up areas for containers, trailers and lorries.
New link roads in and around the harbour, parking areas and an ‘autogate’, an ultramodern check-in facility for the new harbour area, will also be constructed. CMP will also be erecting a 1,000 square metre personnel building and a 1,000 or so square metre gate building.
Container terminal – convenient handling
The new container dock will be around 300 metres long and have a water depth of 9 metres. However, the dock is dimensioned to allow the expansion of the water depth to 10 metres in the future. Setting-up areas of around 50,000 square metres for container handling will also form part of the new terminal. In connection with the move to Norra Hamnen, CMP will be installing new crane capacity.
The ro-ro terminal – huge capacity
The dock at the new ro-ro terminal will be around 750 metres long. It will have a water depth of 8.5 metres, although this dock has also been prepared for an expanded water depth of 10 metres. The terminal – which will be the hub for CMP’s ro-ro activities – will be able to accommodate three ferries at the same time. Lorry ramps for main decks and upper decks are being built at two of these ferry berths. The third ferry berth will have a fixed ramp for main decks. The new ro-ro terminal also has setting-up areas for trailer and lorry handling of just over 100,000 square metres.
Combi-terminal – trains at the centre
Train traffic is connected to Norra Hamnen via the combi-terminal, where a track facility is being constructed to allow freight to be loaded and unloaded. At the terminal there is a connecting track that is around 600 metres long, and two loading and unloading tracks. They are around 800 metres long and intended for handling the entire train set. The combi-terminal has also been prepared for an additional three or possibly more loading and unloading tracks if and when the need presents itself in the future. There is also an option to develop a marshalling yard and additional combi-terminals in the eastern part of Norra Hamnen.
CMP estimates that combi-traffic will increase quite dramatically. In the long term, around 30-40 % of trailers and containers in Norra Hamnen will arrive or depart by rail.
