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 APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090023-1

F. Ports (C)

Sweden has more than 160 ports ranging in size from small landing places owned by industrial firms to some of the largest and most modern maritime facilities in the world. The seaports, most of which are in the southern half of the country, are valuable centers for importing coal and petroleum products and are outlets for the wood products, pulp, and manufactured commodities shipped throughout the world.

The ports are scattered along the shore from the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia on the east coast to the upper reaches of the Skagerrak on the west. Swedish ports on the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia are often icebound from 4 to 6 months each year. The four largest are in the southern third of the country. On the west coast are Goteborg, Malmo, and Halsingborg, and on the east coast is Stockholm (Figure 5), about 30 miles inland from the Baltic Sea.

Most ports are owned by the municipality in which they are located. Each operates under the direction of a harbor or port captain who in turn is supervised by a harbor or port authority responsible to the city council. Goteborg, Malmo, and Stockholm have free ports, which are municipally owned but are operated by a separate economy affiliated with the municipal government. A few ports such as Linhamn, Lulea, and Oxelosund are privately owned and operated by large industrial firms.

Sweden has 17 major and about 150 minor ports. The largest ports — Goteborg, Stockholm, Malmo, and Halsingborg — are well maintained and well equipped with modern, efficient handling facilities (including roll on, roll off capabilities) and are completely adequate for normal requirements. The remaining major ports are also well equipped for cargo transfer and are adequate for all normal requirements.

The ports continue to expand at a significant pace, with present port development concentrated on the larger ports. At Halsingborg an additional area of over 6 acres and having a quay length of 985 feet is to be developed near the Ocean Basin. Plans are being formulated at Malmo for further land reclamation for the development of industrial sites and additional berthing facilities. Goteborg's second largest harbor project, Alvsborg, is under construction at a site immediately to the west of the Skandia Harbor. The area is scheduled for completion in 1975. Long-range plans exist for the development of a new and larger petroleum facility about 3 miles west of the present Torshamn site.

Details of major ports are tabulated in Figure 6.

G. Merchant marine (C)

The Swedish merchant fleet is one of the most modern, efficient, and well maintained of the traditional maritime nations and serves major trade routes throughout the world. About 80% of the fleet's tonnage is employed either exclusively or primarily in trade between foreign countries. The considerable amount of net earnings in foreign exchange derived from this trade, which was equivalent to US$368 million in 1970, makes an important contribution to Sweden's balance of payments. During the last few years, the fleet has carried no more than 30% of the country's total volume of international seaborne exports. Because of the importance to the economy of the tramp operations, there is little interest by the government and shipowners in carrying a larger portion of Sweden's international trade.

In February 1972 the fleet consisted of 352 ships of 1,000 gross register tons (g.r.t.) and over, totaling 4,641,218 g.r.t. and 7,138,988 deadweight tons (d.w.t.) as follows:

About 14% (189 ships) of the total fleet deadweight tonnage is of less than 10,000 d.w.t.; 14% (73 ships), between 10,000 and 19,999 d.w.t.; 45% (76 ships), between 20,000 and 99,999 d.w.t.; and 27% (14 ships) more than 100,000 d.w.t. The largest ships are two tankers and one tanker/one carrier, each of more than 200,000 d.w.t. Of the fleet deadweight tonnage, 76% is less than 10 years old, 15% is between 10 and 14 years old, and 9% is 15 years or older. A total of 74 ships have service speeds of 18 knots and over (29 dry cargo, 27 refrigerator, 10 passenger, four roll-on roll-off/container, three container, and one bulk cargo); 218 have service speeds of 14 to 17 knots; and 60 ships have speeds of less than 14 knots. A total of 330 ships are diesel powered, and 22 have oil-fired boilers.

The merchant fleet is controlled by 48 private beneficial owners (entities which take the profit or loss

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090023-1