From 1 January 2019, the fareway dues in Sweden will increase by 1.9% according to the net price index and pilot fees will be increased by 5% according to the proposal from the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartverket).
At the same time as the dues are raised, efforts should be made to streamline and develop the organization and its operations according to customer and society needs. Over the past ten years, there has been investments for making the organization more efficient for around SEK 1 billion and in the next ten years, new efficient solutions and new business will bring home another SEK 1 billion. “In addition, we conduct world-leading research on digitization of shipping, which is mainly not funded by commercial shipping,” said Katarina Norén, General Director of Maritime Administration in a press release.
Cost development over the years
The purpose of the increased dues is, according to the Swedish Maritime Administration, to keep the water ways of Sweden accessible, available and safe, in order to strengthen the competitiveness and economy of Sweden. As well as delivering good service while developing the Maritime Administration’s services, it is necessary that the charges are in line with cost developments after efficiency.
The Swedish Maritime Administration is today financed at 70% of fees, but it also has funding-funded missions. However, according to the organisation, these have been hollowed out over time by over SEK 200 million a year, expenses that are instead funded by fees. Therefore, they want more funding and have proposed a strengthening of the funds of SEK 216 million. They also want to strengthen the environmental incentives that allow lower fees for shipowners who implement environmental improvements on their vessels.
What affects will this have on the Swedish market?
Increased costs will make a difference for Swedish companies as they will have to bear all cost and it will affect their international competitiveness. Especially as several other countries do not charge fairways dues e.g. Denmark. We would like to see more cargo at sea instead of truck, but with this increase, it might be that additional cargo will be moved from sea to road transportation. We need to reduce cost for sea transportation if we should be able to reach an ecofriendly environment.
/Fredrik Hermansson, Managing Director Greencarrier Liner Agency Sweden
