Finnlines has incorporated the port of Gothenburg in its service between Scandinavia and Spain.

The new service rotation began on 9 January and means Finnlines will call at Gothenburg every Saturday as part of its Bilbao, Antwerp, Helsinki, Kotka, Helsinki, Gothenburg and Bilbao loop.

Port of Gothenburg CEO Magnus Kårestedt said: "We are extremely pleased that Finnlines has included the port of Gothenburg in its schedule, which will lead to an increase in volumes.

"Even more pleasing is the fact that this is the first time the ro-ro terminal will handle freight bound for Spain."

The new call was created when Finnlines received a request from Stora Enso to carry its products.

"We were in contact with a number of ports in an attempt to find a concept that satisfied the requirements of such a line, including links," said Torsti Muuri, traffic manager at Finnlines.

"In this case we chose Gothenburg as it offered the location, equipment and infrastructure that we were looking for."

The freight will be handled at both the ro-ro and container terminals and although it will mainly involve loading and discharge of paper, other types of cargo will also be included.