Maritime issues

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! We find ourselves in a restless time, a time that has caused many of us to reconsider our thoughts on what we previously believed was obvious and what we took for granted. With unrest in our global environment and war in our immediate vicinity, altogether special circumstances prevail as we gather today to debate maritime transport.

The fact is that few people reflect on how dependent Sweden is on shipping. But we are dependent on shipping, both as individuals and as a society as a whole. Nearly 90 percent of all imports and exports to and from Sweden go via shipping. A Sweden without shipping is, therefore, difficult to imagine.

In times of unrest, pandemics and war, it is of even greater importance to talk about shipping and Sweden's supply capacity. Keep in mind that these are 90 percent of the country's imports and exports! What would we do if Sweden's rail connection to Europe, the Öresund Bridge, were knocked out in a crisis? Today we only have one shipping company that still operates railway ferries, and it may not do so for much longer. Sweden needs to have a plan for shipping's preparedness in war but also for crisis and in peacetime. Swedish shipping must be strengthened.

For years, politicians have watched as ship after ship has left the country and flagged out to another state. For years, previous governments have talked about how important Swedish shipping is but have not acted, and for years, politicians have underestimated the importance of Swedish shipping. But it is new times now, and we have a new government in place.

Just under a hundred ships sail today under the Swedish flag. The country's supply capacity during times of crisis is threatened, Lighthouse states in a new report on the flagging of ships. What are we to do if we have no Swedish-flagged ships when the crisis comes or war knocks on the door?

Maritime issues

Swedish-flagged ships are important in both times of crisis and war. But the Swedish flag also plays a role in times of peace. I have already mentioned the supply capacity. But Swedish-flagged ships also play a role for increased employment and growth. Think back to the 90 percent of Sweden's imports and exports! Not only that. Approximately one-third of the visitors to Sweden arrive by ferry. This means that shipping is incredibly important also for the tourism industry and for growth in both companies and society.

Swedish shipping creates more jobs. The industry is crying out for competence and has the opportunity to hire more. We in politics need to ensure that Swedish maritime education is attractive and continues to maintain high quality. It must be able to compete on an international market and be in high demand.

Madam Speaker! Shipping is an underutilized mode of transport that often falls into political shadow when we debate and discuss infrastructure. This is fundamentally due to an inability, not least among the former Social Democratic government, to see and accommodate all modes of transport and prioritize freight and commuting flows.

In my home region of Västra Götaland, the Western Main Line via Alingsås towards the Port of Gothenburg is a clear example of this. Despite the fact that the then Social Democratic government's planning decision from June 2022 contains, from top to bottom, more or less unfunded investments, Sweden's perhaps worst bottleneck has been struck out. It is not even included as a project before 2033. This is what we want to change.

Madam Speaker! That shipping has ended up where it has and received low priority depends on how one views research and development. If one believes that the current emissions profile in 2023 will be the same in 2033, it is reasonable to prioritize high-speed trains, deprioritize shipping, close down airports, and underfund road maintenance. But because we believe in a continued development of fossil-free engines, which we now see emerging even within shipping, we will prioritize freight and commuting flows, that is to say, jobs and growth.

In that situation, it is important to prioritize the expansion and maintenance of ports as well as roads and railways to and from ports, fossil-free fuels and electrification of ports as well as access to shore power.

It is also important to safeguard Swedish shipping and Swedish-flagged shipping companies, ensure that taxes and, for example, fairway charges collectively do not constitute a competitive disadvantage, and see to it that there are people who want to work at sea, that is to say, trained personnel with good working conditions.

Madam Speaker! The Moderates visited Västerås harbor during the election campaign – a key for domestic boat traffic. The management there estimates that they have 85 percent undercapacity and that they could do so much more and contribute to more jobs and traffic flows.

No mode of transport can carry as many passengers or as many tons of cargo as shipping. No tracks, no road maintenance, and no air traffic control towers are needed. The water is already there. What is needed is a coherent and sensible policy that understands that just because ships are powered by diesel today does not mean they will be powered by diesel in 2033. This was confirmed when we visited Chalmers and met researchers who are researching future fossil-free solutions. If we look at our Swedish shipping companies, for example, Furutank is now building ships with 50 percent lower fuel consumption, 99 percent less particulate emissions, and 55 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to older conventional ships of the same size. It is like looking around the corner into the future after 2030.

The question is whether we should politically support this new green shipping, invest in the flows to and from ports and give Swedish shipping companies fair conditions, or whether we should simply base it on the 2023 emissions profile, as if research and development did not exist at all. Here lies the political dividing line between those of us who believe in development and innovation and the parties that only see bicycles and tracks.

The Moderates went to the election on a coherent policy for shipping. We have highlighted the importance of advance notice regarding shipping support, the principle of a single point of contact in dealings with authorities for shipping companies and ports, environmentally friendly fuel, functioning infrastructure to and from ports, environmentally differentiated fairway charges, access to shore power and more electricity. We spoke about the importance of fair conditions for Swedish shipping companies and the importance of a crackdown on theft and crime in our Swedish ports. We want to see strengthened work within IMO and EU to make shipping more climate-friendly. Finally, we also want to evaluate the tonnage tax.

All of this can now be realized in different ways with the new bourgeois government. I have not experienced any troublesome differences of opinion regarding shipping between the different parties of the Tidö Agreement. On the contrary, there is a significant consensus on very much. It feels both important and good. We now have a government that will not deprioritize shipping in favor of rail traffic.

The Moderates believe in research and innovation. The Moderates believe in Swedish shipping. The Swedish ports must be equipped for a new, modern, green, sustainable and accessible shipping - with a shipping policy that contributes to jobs and growth in the long term and that takes the climate threat most seriously.

Madam Speaker! With those words, I move for approval of the committee's proposal in the report and rejection of the reservations.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! I shall commend the member: I think it was a very good contribution. It may be unusual for politicians today to begin in that way; there is supposed to be a lot of conflict. But I think the member touches on important matters concerning Swedish shipping and the significance of Swedish shipping.

I am also pleased that the member began the speech by talking about Swedish security of supply and how we are to manage those types of major challenges. I am myself a former defense politician, and I am pleased that it is now spreading to other committees in the Riksdag that the question of security of supply and how we are to manage national security is extremely important. There, of course, the flagging—that we have Swedish-flagged vessels—is extremely important. The member and I arranged a seminar here in the Riksdag which touched upon these issues where the Chief of Defence and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' expert in the area described the importance of having Swedish-flagged vessels.

But we also know that this is important within Swedish territory. We have talked a lot about Gotland, and there have been many discussions about the pricing. But it is also extremely important that we have ships that can supply Gotland which are Swedish-flagged. I have on occasion asked Trafikverket how they view this now ahead of the new procurement. I received the answer that nothing can be done and that EU law is clear that it must be procured fully. I am not quite of the same opinion, but I believe that this is extremely important for the security of supply.

My question to the member is: Will the member help here so that the government gives Trafikverket a bit of a nudge and ensures that we get a review of how the procurement of transport to Gotland will function? In the event of crisis, war, and other terrible things that may occur, we need to be able to supply Gotland, both the civilian population and the Armed Forces, with the needs they have.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! I am pleased that Member Ottosson raises the issue of the Gotland traffic. It is an issue that is highly topical right now. I personally met with Gotlandsbolaget as recently as yesterday to discuss their challenges.

The procurement is currently ongoing, and both the Moderates in the Committee on Transport and our government are fully aware of the challenges we face here. Swedish-flagged vessels are of great importance for many reasons. I know that our minister Andreas Carlson will, in a couple of weeks, have an interpellation debate regarding this here in the chamber. The government is aware of this, and we will see what Andreas returns with on that specific question.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! It is very welcome that the member has noted the problem and that - as I understand it - the Minister for Infrastructure will reflect a bit on the issues. But I am still a little worried, so I would like to repeat the question of how the member views it.

Will the member work to ensure that we review the procurement? It is possible to regulate it in a few different ways. In the procurement, one can set requirements that it must be Swedish-flagged. There can also be other alternatives, such as the state taking over the operation. I do not know if that is the most optimal; I am just mentioning a few examples.

In this area, there is something in the EU treaty called essential security interests, which is a clause where certain activities can be exempted. Sweden has been very stingy with this. We have said that it is only defense materiel, i.e., combat aircraft and underwater activities, that are covered by this. But if you look out across Europe, the other EU members handle this in slightly different ways. An essential security interest could be that we have a secure supply line to Gotland, which is an essential part of Swedish defense and an essential part of Sweden, and that one secures it in that way. This naturally requires that the legislation be updated. I then ask the members: Are you prepared to pursue that issue so that we can in a secure way guarantee freight to and from Gotland, for example, during a war?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! I appreciate that the member takes these questions seriously. These are questions that have also been discussed in the Committee on Defence, which the member themselves has great experience of. It is incredibly important that transport and defence can be coordinated in such a matter.

The procurement is currently ongoing, and we will have to see what it results in, but as I said, we are both here in the Riksdag, in our committees and in the party groups, but also at the ministry and in the Government Offices, fully aware of the risks that exist in this issue, and we will do everything we can to ensure that it becomes a good decision based on the conditions that exist.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ulrika Heie (C)

Madam Speaker! I also want to thank you for a well-written post about the challenges of shipping. We, I think, also have a relatively broad view of this in the Transport Committee, considering that we in different ways gather knowledge both from research, as the member himself mentioned, and of course also by meeting the various actors in the shipping industry.

I think those were important perspectives regarding the Swedish-flagged [vessels], the competence supply, and also the security policy. The member said exactly at the end of the previous exchange of remarks that "we will do everything we can."

Now, this is a motion report, and I am fully aware that there are no new legislative proposals from the government. But the member mentioned the competence issue himself, and in that case, I think that "doing everything we can" is not just about talking about seeing the problems and the challenges. What does it mean to "do everything we can"?

Now, nearly a year has passed, and there are an additional three if the mandate period continues as it often does. Which initiatives do the members believe will be the most important that the government will take in the coming year to create the conditions for a Swedish shipping industry that grows again? We have, unfortunately, seen a decrease for a long time.

When it comes to the issue of competence, a number of questions are raised that we receive, and I think the member also has good contact with their colleagues, for example in the Education Committee. When vocational training is cut generally, it becomes very difficult to see that the government will choose to highlight this specifically for shipping. I would like the member to provide a more in-depth picture of that.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! We started this parliamentary term with a Tidö cooperation. The first thing we actually did was to talk together about just the maritime issues in the Committee on Transport, between the Tidö parties. It is the first cooperation that we have entered into when it comes to just the infrastructure issues, and it also shows how important we think these issues are.

We have spoken with each other and had a good dialogue with the departments and our minister, and we are fully aware of the challenges that exist in the industry. One of them is, among others, the issue of education. There we believe that we need to listen to the industry. Svensk Sjöfart has, for example, developed a proposal for a module-based education that they advocate for. I think that is worth evaluating, because if there is anyone who knows what is missing, it is the industry itself. I believe that together with them we can do a lot to attract more people to seek out the maritime industry specifically, which is attractive and has good conditions here in Sweden.

I therefore have great hopes that this is being worked on quickly at the ministry and that an announcement will be made quite soon. As we have said, we have good cooperation between the parties, and I hope that the tonnage tax is addressed, which the previous government chose not to evaluate but which is actually one of the biggest threats to more Swedish-flagged vessels being able to enter.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ulrika Heie (C)

Madam Speaker! It is clear that it was important for the Tidö parties to reach an agreement because the Tidö Agreement, as I understand it, basically contained nothing linked to just this area. In a way, perhaps it was easier not to be subjected to this negotiation in a program that was to be developed without being able to talk things through.

The member previously stated that the climate threat is being taken seriously and mentioned biofuels in various ways. I will not involve aviation, but shipping is also obviously extremely dependent on us working with the biofuel issue and taking initiatives in that area. Therefore, I would like to hear a little bit about how the member views the investments that are needed in the near term linked to biofuels, but also when it comes to the competence supply. We all have good contacts with Svensk Sjöfart and have listened to the modular thinking regarding education, and I think we all agree that it sounds interesting.

What does the member think? Could it be something to make a reality during the next year so that the words "do everything we can" do not mean waiting for some investigation? It sounded to the member as if there are already relatively finished proposals today that could be launched. In what way does the member intend to work for that, and what does the member think will be achieved within the next year if one gets to prioritize what is most important?

Then I was also pleased to hear Gotlandstrafiken come up as an example of the need to do things now. It is, of course, a question for the Minister to answer, and he is unfortunately not here today, but is he prepared to do something when one sees that the problems exist right now and not least linked to our food supply?

I would very much like to hear how the conversations proceed there.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! There is an incredible amount we would like to do for shipping. As I said in my speech, shipping is an issue that has long been sidelined when we debate and discuss infrastructure. Unfortunately, it has not been a given.

We take this seriously. I have a hope that from the government's side, both the bareboat register and tonnage tax, as well as advance notices of maritime support, efforts for skills supply, and much more, are reviewed.

We will also enable environmentally friendly fuels for shipping as well as transport to and from our ports so that we can optimize them in the best way.

I believe that, from a political standpoint, pointing out which fuels they should be is the wrong way to go. We need to leave that to the industry and our experts. What we can do, however, is enable the industry to take the lead. Swedish shipping is at the forefront when it comes to innovation and development. How far they have actually come can be seen in all the projects being conducted and, above all, the new ships that are actually being built by our shipping companies today.

As I mentioned in my speech, we also want to strengthen cooperation and work with shipping internationally. Shipping is not an issue that only affects Sweden; it actually concerns our entire world. We also believe strongly in pushing both within IMO and the EU so that we achieve strong and climate-smart shipping also on an international level. Unfortunately, Sweden cannot do everything by itself there, even though we in many ways are already a pioneer country when it comes to climate-smart shipping.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ulrika Heie (C)

Madam Speaker! There are many different types of transport - road, rail, aviation, broadband, but also shipping. It is only shipping that we are debating here today, as well as the proposals that parties and committees have submitted during the general motion period. It can sometimes become a bit strange when the government representatives can basically refer to the current situation and the challenges one sees, while the opposition parties have a number of more concrete proposals on what also needs to be done moving forward.

Just as previous members have been on, it is incredibly important that shipping functions to transport both goods and people to and from our country in a sustainable way. During the year that has passed, I think that issues which, among others, concern us in the Committee on Transport have been very much affected by the security policy situation. Russia's war in Ukraine has placed a very strong focus on the need for secure and sustainable transport in many different ways and has partially changed the perspectives when it comes to whose dreams we need to work to develop forward.

We are therefore debating shipping as a means of transport, and shipping is perhaps the oldest of the means of transport that we in the Transport Committee are to oversee. I will not go into every part, but for my part, the interest in discoveries and shipping began when I wrote about Christopher Columbus in middle school. At that time, I familiarized myself with how, at that time, many hundreds of years ago, shipping was conquered and in different ways opened up for trade. I will not mention the negative effects of that, but it created in different ways opportunities for us to meet and to trade.

Just as the member before me has pointed out, there have been a number of challenges over the years, not least for the Swedish merchant fleet, and in the new security policy situation, we share a concern over what would happen if crises of various kinds were to worsen compared to how things look today.

Madam Speaker! I want to raise a number of issues that the Center Party has highlighted in its motions, and I thought I would start with the international perspective. Sweden should be proactive, just as the Moderate member said earlier, both within IMO and the EU to ensure the implementation of and increase the ambitions in the international agreements that exist so that international shipping can carry its emissions and its climate impact to a greater extent. We are surrounded by water, and it is important that this industry is given the right conditions. And shipping is a relatively environmentally friendly mode of transport that has great potential to further reduce environmental and climate impact.

The Swedish maritime tradition is imbued with and associated with a great maritime safety and environmental awareness. By that, I also mean that Sweden, with a strong Swedish-flagged merchant fleet that is at the forefront of the work with lower sulfur emissions and reduced climate impact, can influence the design of international rules for shipping and its employees. In that case, it is incredibly important that we, through active international cooperation, work to further strengthen the advantages of shipping.

Madam Speaker! We need to work even more actively with the competitiveness of our Swedish shipping. I request a review of the opportunities for strengthened competitiveness as well as a more efficient and better analyzed environmental governance within shipping. This review should also cover intermodal transport solutions that stimulate a transport mode-wide flow of goods and a shift of goods to shipping.

There I share the image that surely many in here have that from the political side for many years requests have been put forward - as the former member said in the debate we have plenty of water - that we should use maritime transport even more and in that way relieve both the road and rail networks. And I hope that the government takes to heart that it is important to continue working with this review.

A much discussed and debated issue concerns the fairway charges. We believe that the government should task the Swedish Maritime Administration with better analyzing the effects of its existing charges and proposed charges, as well as a developed environmental differentiation, regarding their effects on the shift of cargo to maritime transport. The Swedish Maritime Administration collects fairway charges, and we have all tried to familiarize ourselves with these issues in different ways. We also see that the charges are environmentally differentiated. But it seems that the system that exists does not fully actually enable an even better transition to, not least, electric propulsion and thus net-zero emissions from maritime transport. We advocate for a developed bonus-malus model, because, in our opinion, the Swedish Maritime Administration fails in the analysis of how increased fairway charges affect the possibility of shifting cargo from truck and rail to maritime transport.

More freight transport on the sea means that the transport sector will also be able to reach the climate goals. Therefore, it is incredibly important to look at the conditions. The previous speaker did not bring up the pilotage operations. But here I see an important part to consider, in what way the costs for pilotage on waterways can be reduced in relation to the total transport cost. Responsible authorities should be tasked to review this and also come up with concrete proposals.

We have taken note of what concerns, for example, the freight commuters on Mälaren and other waterways and how it could be regulated through more function-based pilotage power to align with the requirements on the continent.

There are actually very great opportunities for development. And here I think there is a strong driving force from those of us who work with these issues in the Committee on Transport and Communications and an opportunity for a broad consensus in this work.

We also believe that the government should develop a green Swedish coastal shipping strategy that highlights both the Swedish maritime strategy and the national cargo handling plan. There are examples in the Nordic region to look at and learn from, not least in Norway.

Madam Speaker! I shall say a few words about our ports, where maritime transport meets land transport. There are many important port projects in Sweden. A few weeks ago, I visited the Port of Umeå, which has the important connection over to Finland when it comes to both cargo and people. And it is clear that the security policy situation also came up in the discussion there, and not least requests from Finland to further strengthen the possibility of, not least cargo transports from Finland's granary over to Sweden and Norway. It is considered that the Baltic Sea, and perhaps also the Port of Gothenburg, lie too far south in an insecure situation, and one wants to create a robustness that can apply moving forward.

The business community is now driving the green transition. Not least the Port of Gothenburg, the largest port in the Nordics, which many in the committee are very engaged in, has many exciting environmental projects underway. And the former member in the debate also mentioned the importance of the transports to and from the Port of Gothenburg receiving an increased focus in upcoming plans.

Madam Speaker! Sweden's goal is that emissions from the transport sector shall be reduced by 70 percent by 2030. I heard nothing else from the Prime Minister's representative now in the debate than that this goal remains fixed, according to what Kristersson himself said in Sunday's TV debate, where the absurd proposal regarding the lowered reduction obligation was debated and launched.

It must be about smart solutions, about innovations and technological shifts that give us the lead in the global transition. Electrification is one part. But there needs to be a concrete policy for the various biofuels from this government's side to make a transition in practical action.

Several of us had the privilege of visiting the electric boat company Candela a few months ago at a Swedish EU conference. There are truly exciting companies that also show how to move forward. That also requires, just as the Moderate member highlighted the need for, charging possibilities connected to maritime transport.

We naturally stand by all our reservations, but for the sake of time, I move for the approval of only reservation 9 under point 7.

Madam Speaker! I would like to conclude by once again highlighting the issue of opportunities for transport to and from Gotland. The price increase has been 50 percent during just the last year. We have submitted proposals to the Transport Committee. But the Tidö parties' response to our proposals is silence. Today would have been a fine day to be able to give some further announcement linked to this, more than just seeing the problems and wanting to come with a solution at the upcoming procurement. But it remains unfortunately silent from the Tidö government in this area, and I think that is a pity.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is wonderfully pleasant to be able to come back and talk a bit about transport policy. I had the privilege of sitting on the Transport Committee during the previous parliamentary term.

We are going to talk about shipping. And if we are to talk about shipping, I would actually like to start with what a former member took up in an exchange of remarks, namely the war in Ukraine. I believe that the situation in Ukraine means that we will likely be forced to reflect further on how we work with shipping. 90 percent of all transports that come to Sweden and that in some way affect Sweden occur via shipping at some point. This means that in some sense we must ensure and have discussions about ports and even have discussions about where the regiments are located in relation to ports and how we work within the NATO structure.

When I read up for this debate, I noted that there are motions on, for example, security at sea. And it is clear that we must analyze different possibilities regarding terrorist acts and other attacks against Swedish-flagged ships or ships with other flags, even though I personally believe, just as the committee points out, that we already have good cooperation. And when we enter the NATO structure, we will get better cooperation.

One of the issues that has already been touched upon and which is important when talking about shipping is the connection between shipping and land. There are quite a few issues here concerning this infrastructure. I will conclude with fuel, because I have some side discussions there. But it is important to have functioning roads, railways, and dredging. If we do not have this infrastructure in place, it is very difficult to have a well-functioning port operation. An example exists here in Stockholm where a new port is being built in Norvik, but where the rest of the infrastructure is not in place. Here we all, regardless of whether one, like me, sits in the Committee on Employment and whether one is in the majority or in opposition, have a responsibility to try to get these structures to hang together.

The previous member also mentioned this. We can talk about the distance from Alingsås to Gothenburg. In my home region in Western Sweden, it sometimes sounds like it is a West Swedish issue. No, it is about how Norrland is to get its goods out via the port of Gothenburg.

It is this that is so exciting about the transport committee issues - that they truly span the entire realm and that the connections are so strong.

I shall speak briefly about fuel in ports. It is an issue that has been discussed a lot and which is often a municipal matter, since most ports are run by municipalities. But here we have an exciting challenge. Should a port have all fuels? It becomes very expensive. It is actually the same debate that we have on the aviation side. Should an airport be able to deliver all fuels? Or can politics perhaps have to start pointing in different directions? I know that not all bourgeois colleagues agree with this.

Jakob Forssmed mentioned something in the debate last time regarding the fact that we, which is very wise, choose to lower the reduction obligation. He points out, among other things, that that fuel, since it is a scarce commodity, might be of better use in aviation or shipping.

We will likely have to consider these types of trade-offs sooner or later, regardless of ideological background. This is because a technological development is occurring, but it is also a matter of shortage.

From that perspective, I am extra glad that my party, together with the government, has been able to finalize the discussion on the Fit for 55 package. It is extremely important that we work within the EU structure to achieve our environmental goals.

When one gets the chance to come in like this and guest appear in another committee, it is also fun, Madam Speaker, to see that something has actually happened. I have stood here in the chamber and argued for icebreakers and for the Hjulsta Bridge. When I read now, I saw to my delight that there is money for the Hjulsta Bridge and for icebreakers. It is clear that one gets a bit warm in the heart when one sees that things are even happening when one oneself is not sitting in the committee.

That is how politics is. We all enter into this and spend a few hours on it. We work diligently for what we believe is good. And - lo and behold - sometimes a little actually happens. We improve Sweden bit by bit. It is my firm conviction that we all have that aspiration.

I have also noted a bit regarding Gotland. With the risk of me saying too much – which I usually do – is it not still the case that we need to have conversations about the Gotland traffic. It concerns times, frequency, and fuels. It can also be a question of safety there. I have great respect for the fact that procurements are taking place, but I also hope that we take with us and look at these types of questions. Gotland is a part of Sweden. It is an important part of Sweden, and then we need to work structurally with this.

Then it concerns flagging. As recently as yesterday, I had a conversation with the Minister for Infrastructure about precisely flagging. We have, in fact, the interesting situation here in Sweden that it is not even possible to flag in all boats. Today, it is not possible to register, for example, an ambulance boat. Therefore, most on the west coast go with a Danish flag. Not everyone has probably noted that.

If we have regulations that prevent us from flagging ships, we have a risk situation, because it is only Swedish-flagged ships that we can use in the event of a breach of peace. Therefore, I raised that question together with the minister yesterday. I hope that the government looks at these regulations. We do not just need more ships. We also need a mix of ships. We need some oil tankers, some transport ships, some cargo ships, and some ambulances. Having 200 exactly identical ships does not actually mean higher security. Even here, I believe we sometimes make it a bit easy for ourselves in politics. We talk about flagging, but we also need to talk about which flagging.

Then it concerns fair conditions. I am actually very happy even regarding this. I see that an investigation has been launched and that work is being done on this. It concerns fairway fees, pilotage fees, the Swedish Maritime Administration's funding, and tonnage tax. All politicians want everything to go much faster – so do I. But I became very happy when I read the documents and saw that things are happening.

There is an area where I feel really concerned. I know that we Christian Democrats are pondering this, and it concerns the committee where I work today. It concerns the staffing - sea captains, mates, sailors, and other crew. We see that there are far too few who seek to go there. Even here, we have a risk issue. It is Swedish staffing that can potentially be ordered in during an emergency.

We saw what happened within large parts of the transport sector when the war in Ukraine broke out. A large number of truck drivers left Sweden to go to the eastern front. We must look at that situation. I believe unfortunately – I say unfortunately because we all long for peace – that we will have to look at shipping with those same eyes as well. And then these trainings become important. This is obviously something that I need to take with me into my more everyday work.

There is a question that I have not heard anyone raise yet but which I believe is a future issue. I raised it many times during the last parliamentary term, and I am trying to raise it internally. I believe that we need a new port investigation. The old one is quite old, and every municipality with self-respect defends its own port.

The question is how we are to manage these connections. It is therefore about land infrastructure and maritime infrastructure and about a new environment in the form of new fuels, new technology, electrification, gas and hydrogen. It will become very expensive if we do this in very many places. I personally believe – I submit this as a cautious and humble thought – that a new port study may be needed that also takes into account the consideration of Nato. It is exactly as some member said earlier. If Gothenburg is blocked, perhaps some other port needs to be open to receive cargo. Here I believe and hope that we can move forward.

Madam Speaker! These were some simple words from a former member of the Committee on Transport. I move for the approval of the committee's proposal in the report and the rejection of all motions.

In this speech, Johanna Rantsi (M) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! Sweden is a maritime nation. I believe we must start with that. Sometimes we push Sweden down and talk about that Sweden should not be that. Sweden is a maritime nation. We have one of Europe's longest coasts, and we have a proud history of being a maritime nation with a shipbuilding industry. We have had shipping companies that have been out on the seas. Then it is not just the coasts. We also have an inland shipping that is immensely important and that can be developed.

We have talked a lot about this regarding Swedish-flagged [ships]. I believe it is important that we get more ships that are Swedish-flagged. What might worry me right now is that we are not even managing the competition with the Nordic countries. It is smoother to flag out in Finland, Denmark, and Norway. It is clear that some adjustment needs to be made there so that we get more Swedish-flagged ships.

I believe it is important to remember that shipping is an international activity. Not all ships on the globe can be Swedish-flagged. It is about us trading with each other and transporting with different types of ships. But I am convinced that the proportion of Swedish ships needs to increase.

Unfortunately, we have not seen that effect. But I am pleased that there is a consensus within the industry. Employers and employees are working on these issues. Several members have previously in the debate mentioned tonnage tax, stamp duty, and the net model. There has been talk about changing the stamp duty and instead making it a stamp fee. I believe it is important that there is a consensus. I believe it is a clear signal. I perceive that there is a fairly large consensus in the Swedish Riksdag. It is also a signal from Sweden's politicians to the industry that something must be done about this and that it is important.

Then perhaps one should delve a little into why it is important. There are, of course, different reasons. It naturally has to do with education - knowledge of being at sea. It is about ensuring that there are Swedish vessels where Swedish officers and Swedish sailors can be trained and have their internship.

I also believe it is about security of supply, that we should be able to provide for Sweden even in times of crisis. It is naturally extremely important. We know that the absolute largest part of exports and imports goes via the sea. That is the case.

But I also believe that this is important so that we can have decent conditions on ships. In that regard, I think Sweden is a role model. One should be able to work on a Swedish ship and have a good working environment and good working conditions. That should not be underestimated. It is an issue that I sometimes feel disappears. I am pleased that one is now looking at this with safety representatives, but I believe that one needs to go a bit further. I may return to that a bit later.

Madam Speaker! I shall speak a bit more and delve deeper into skills development. In most parts of the transport industry, there is a shortage of trained people working. This is no exception in shipping. There is a shortage of sailors and officers.

Things need to be done here. The University of Kalmar, Linné University, and even Chalmers in Gothenburg have a shortage of applicants for their positions. It is a major challenge that people are not applying there. It is important that there are Swedish-flagged ships to work on.

One can also think in slightly new ways. The Navy also trains sailors and officers all the time. When they have received their training, they might go on contracts for a few years. Can one find some system where Swedish merchant shipping and the Navy can cooperate regarding personnel? Are there validation systems here? I believe that one could find different opportunities there.

Then I believe that the industry itself needs to reflect. Being a seaman means being away for long periods. This must be reconciled with having a family. It is clear that it is difficult to put together private life if one is out for months. Is it possible to find solutions here? The industry needs to look into that. Is it possible to make it easier to be a seaman?

Madam Speaker! We are talking about green shipping. Shipping in itself is quite green. Because it handles large volumes, the environmental impact is small. It is important to say that many ships today use heavy fuel oil, if one is to be truly honest. We also need to address that, so that better fuels can be obtained.

The initiative where one speaks about green corridors is interesting. I believe that one could work further on it. One speaks, for example, about different types of fuels. Here there are many different paths. It could be electric drive or battery drive that one can use on shorter distances.

What has perhaps been most common and what has developed in our regions is gas or LNG. It is not biogas but natural gas in such cases. The attempts being made with methanol and e-methanol and to establish production in Sweden are very interesting.

It is also about hydrogen. I know that on the other side of the globe in Japan, they are working a lot with hydrogen. Within bulk and oil transport, they have also looked at ammonia as a fuel. There are many different alternatives.

It is clear that it is the hybrid variant that perhaps in the near future will be a solution. It also requires that Swedish ports and such things can meet up so that we can achieve the green corridors.

Perhaps the most important thing for achieving the green transition is that the customers of the shipping companies demand it. It is usually they who are to exert the heaviest pressure.

I come from Norrköping. There is a sportswear company there that is quite large and manufactures many shorts in China. They naturally also manufacture many other things there besides shorts.

For them, it is important to have the chain. They should have shipping as close as possible, and then they drive a truck from the port to the warehouse. It is a way for their customers to see that they think environmentally friendly all the way. That might be the absolute biggest pressure.

Madam Speaker! Then we are on the question of ports. I will also say something about ports. They are also an important part of Swedish shipping. They are becoming increasingly important nodes. Perhaps we do not think about that. The cargo over the quay is perhaps the smallest cargo. Much transshipment occurs between railway and truck in the port. They are nodes for transport in Sweden.

We have talked about that there are five ports that are particularly important, ports of national interest, core ports or whatever one should call them. I would probably like to say that one might need to look at a few more ports.

For example, they have only pointed out Gothenburg on the west coast. It is serious if Gothenburg were to be shut down. There should be some other port. There are probably more ports both in Skåne and at the Baltic Sea that one would need to look at. There is probably quite a lot to do here.

I also believe that the Baltic Sea will become more important. We see that Eastern Europe is growing in terms of trade. We are moving many operations from China to Europe, which end up in the east. Then there will be a trade route through Eastern Europe via the Baltic Sea.

We see that Gdansk as a port is growing very much. It may be that we have to think in new ways. Historically, Eastern Europe has been a larger part of the center of Europe.

I see that my speaking time is running out. I conclude with what I have said about the ports, Madam Speaker. I move for the adoption of reservation number 3 from the Socialdemokraterna.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Sometimes one does not take the floor because one disagrees. One can take the floor because one thinks something is interesting that someone else has highlighted, in this case, Member Ottosson.

I actually have two reflections. I share the last analysis. That is somewhat why I have argued about it internally and in different contexts. It has been quite a long time since a major port study was conducted.

A change is occurring for what we call Eastern Europe. But if we look at it strictly historically, it is Central Europe. Central Europe is on its way to reclaiming its role. Central Europe's historical role was an industrial area.

We see now that operations are being moved out of China. There are even discussions about operations from Africa and India. In that case, it is Central Europe where they are starting to establish them in.

Gdansk, Karlshamn and some ports on the eastern side will probably become more important over time. We also see that people in Tallinn and in Helsinki are considering building a railway in a tunnel. It will have incredible effects even on shipping. One will be able to transport goods from northern Sweden directly down to Central Europe.

It is the same on the west coast. If we talk about security, Lysekil is probably that part's most important deep-water port, and there we are removing the railway. There are things to consider when it comes to these types of aspects.

Madam Speaker! I became a little curious about the second thing the member highlighted which was very positive. It was this regarding being able to use maritimally trained personnel. I lived under the impression that it is more of a ship type that one is trained on.

If it is as the member says, I will at least raise it internally with my member in the Committee on Transport, but also in the conversations I have with the government. What is the possibility of doing as we do within aviation, where one is trained as a pilot and then moves over to the civilian side? It is an interesting proposal, Madam Speaker.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the praise from the member!

This with the ports is important. Shipping in itself is important, but the ports must also function. We see the change in Europe today that people are moving operations home. It is becoming increasingly clear in Eastern Europe. There are channels where traffic moves. The northern part of Poland and Germany will end up in a different position.

We also saw before the war that traffic in the Baltic Sea increased. Today, naturally, Russia is closed off. But still, the traffic is important for the Baltic states and Finland. More people are using the Baltic Sea. At some point, the war will end. Then Russia will be a large market. Therefore, the Baltic Sea and the ports that are there are important.

Ports must be developed all the time. For example, the port of Gdansk is in many ways an example. There, they have also built a digital copy of themselves to be able to facilitate flows and make it efficient. They are at the forefront there. We can look at that a lot.

Then it concerns validation. We have today a defense force where many are contract employees. There is a limitation on how long one can be in the Defense Forces. I think that is good. It will certainly change in conjunction with the increase in conscription.

It is important to make use of the type of knowledge that the staff possesses. Often one undergoes training and receives a civil competence, and there is a military one. Often it is the same thing. There should then be a simpler way to validate it so that it can be utilized. I believe both would benefit from that.

You might not want to be a soldier or a sailor in the navy your whole life, but you want to be able to work in the private sector. Then, the competence can be utilized during a crisis situation or when one exercises and trains. I believe that one can achieve a lot there.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! The last point I promise to take with me, as we as a party have for several years pursued the line that the military service one performs should also, to some extent, be able to provide eligibility for higher education. At the time, we reasoned about this in connection with the fact that there was simply a shortage of personnel entering the Armed Forces. I think this is an exciting proposal that I intend to take home and try to delve into.

When it comes to the ports, the war will, first of all, come to an end. When I studied international relations, Professor Galtung noted, I believe it was, that all wars end – we just don't know when. At the same moment the war ends, Russia will, in some sense, obviously enter into a trade structure again. For my part, I hope that it happens as soon as possible and that we can get out of this terrible situation that is ongoing.

What is also happening at the same time, and something that I believe Russia underestimates, is the Chinese's changed trade structures. Just think about this: the Chinese have entered Afghanistan, are building up the Silk Road further to Turkey and will reach the Black Sea! They are opening a completely new trade route, and this trade route will affect us. There will be goods that simply bypass Russia. It will come by rail, and it will come by road. But when it then is to come up to us, it will need to go across the Baltic Sea.

That the trade flows in the world are about to shift is something that I believe we all must be aware of. It creates new security risks. Russia is a great power in decline, which is in the process of collapsing. They are in their death throes right now. But China is a great power on the rise. What will that have for security policy effects, and what will it have for trade effects?

We have quite a lot to carry with us, and therefore I am grateful for the fine atmosphere of dialogue we have here in the chamber regarding this type of important issue.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! I am also glad that we have a constructive dialogue, and I believe that it moves us forward. I think it is good if we can find as much cooperation as possible. It may be about my upbringing in municipal politics, where pragmatism in some way is what is important.

I share the member's view on China's actions and how it behaves as a nation. I have just returned from a trip to the UN, where I saw how China acted in a completely different way. They represent the global view and such things. China has a different appearance than Russia, which I believe is approachable but naturally also dangerous. China is a dictatorship and a rather aggressive country, even if it behaves more cautiously and diplomatically – or how I shall put it.

When we talk about the new trade routes, I want to mention the Southeast Passage, which is north of us, which is also important from a security perspective. Given the climate changes that are occurring, it will become easier to use this passage. It is a tough passage, but China certainly has interests in going that way as well. That means we have challenges and opportunities there too when it comes to how we should behave.

Something is happening all the time. But I am glad that we have a fruitful vision forward, which I believe can lead to something good.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Helena Gellerman (L)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating maritime issues. Shipping is very important for the Swedish welfare. Without shipping, we would not be able to afford our fine education and the fantastic healthcare that we have in Sweden.

The reason is simple. Sweden has large raw material resources and world-leading companies that export the majority of their production, for example timber and vehicles, to all continents. Shipping accounts for 90 percent of our exports abroad.

Exports ensure that our Swedish companies receive income. They can then develop and offer hundreds of thousands of jobs, where both companies and staff pay tax. And the tax is then used for, among other things, our welfare. It is important that we see this connection and that the significance of shipping for our country's prosperity receives the attention it deserves. It has actually been lacking during the last eight years with the old government.

The war in Ukraine has simultaneously shown that we need to strengthen Swedish shipping, which means that we must strengthen it in terms of both more Swedish-registered vessels and more Swedish seafarers.

The war in Ukraine has also highlighted the dependence on the Öresund Bridge for our railway connections, where the need for rail ferries is clearly not foreseeable in the near future to create redundancy in the system.

The importance of shipping for our Swedish companies and for our preparedness makes us liberals want to facilitate the registration of ships to Sweden. An important tool is to remove the stamp duty on new ships and replace it with a direct fee to Sjöfartsverket. The stamp duty also has a negative impact on the development towards climate-friendly shipping, as investments in green technology make the ships more expensive. This in turn leads to a higher stamp duty.

To further make it attractive to register one's vessel in Sweden, the Liberals want to conduct a review of the tonnage tax so that more vessels can be registered in the system. We cannot have radically different rules compared to our closest neighboring countries. Denmark's rules, for example, are much more attractive than the Swedish rules. This also applies to the Swedish net model. We want to see advance notices to companies regarding whether they can receive maritime support.

Madam Speaker! Our inland waterways are an asset that we do not utilize sufficiently. Only 3 percent of our domestic transport takes place on our inland waterways, despite our favorable conditions. The EU's regulatory framework for inland waterways gives Sweden the opportunity to set our own rules. Let us seize this opportunity!

One example is barge traffic, which can reduce the number of heavy truck transports, not least in our cities. We therefore want to review the legislation that hinders barge traffic.

We often talk about shifting freight from road to maritime transport, but to succeed with that, an increased focus on the infrastructure to our ports is required. Roads, railways and public transport are a prerequisite and must function.

We know it is possible. There is a successful example concerning the Port of Gothenburg and the Western Main Line, which handles over 60 percent of the port's cargo. The Liberals want the government to prioritize this in the upcoming national infrastructure plan. This applies in particular to Sweden's most heavily trafficked stretch, Alingsås-Gothenburg, as the Port of Gothenburg sees an increase in its cargo of 80 percent by 2035. Today's railway cannot swallow this large increase.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Maritime Administration is a central part of how shipping is developed. The authority is primarily financed by fairway and pilotage fees from commercial shipping, and the goal for the Swedish Maritime Administration is to have a balanced economy. The Swedish Maritime Administration has, however, a strained economy, and in the review of the fees, one must take into account the impact on the competitiveness of Swedish shipping.

The pilotage fees are another part. Their impact on the competitiveness of different ports needs to be reviewed at the same time, not least regarding what we can do by digitalizing the pilotage service where possible.

The Swedish icebreakers are in urgent need of replacement. The icebreakers have an important function in keeping Swedish ports ice-free, so that companies can plan risk-free to export their products via our ports the following year. It is good that two icebreakers are grant-funded through national planning. The Liberals also want the option on a third icebreaker to be exercised to secure access to our ports and for the Swedish preparedness, not least in the Baltic Sea.

The EU's major climate package Fit for 55 was decided a few weeks ago. It contains four instruments that will have a huge impact on shipping. The first is that shipping shall enter the emissions trading system ETS. This happens gradually between the years 2023 and 2026. The second is the changed energy tax directive, which means an end to the tax exemption for shipping fuel starting from this year. The third is that the reduction obligation is introduced through the proposal FuelEU Maritime. The fourth, finally, is the requirement for infrastructure for bunkering of alternative fuels and electricity. These are radical new regulations and directives that Swedish shipping, Swedish ports with several must adapt to.

The Liberals think it is positive that we now get competition-neutral rules in the entire EU. It strengthens the Swedish shipping industry, which is far ahead in the climate transition. We therefore need to increase the investment in electrification of smaller ferries and ships and, as far as possible, prioritize biofuels for primarily shipping and aviation. We also need to invest in research on hydrogen and e-fuels and their infrastructure, all to facilitate the industry's transition to fossil-free transport.

Ships need to be given incentives to use shore power in our ports instead of running with their engines on. One way to steer towards more electricity use in port is to introduce differentiated port fees or to only allow those ships that connect to shore power to visit the city-center ports.

In conclusion, I want to address how we can increase Swedish maritime competence, not least on the command side. We view the discussion on developing today's education and dividing it into several steps positively. By doing so, one better meets the need for command competence but also other competence within Swedish shipping.

Swedish shipping has an important task in showing the way to fossil-free maritime transport globally. Now the government is increasing the focus on Swedish shipping for the sake of the climate, companies, and the country's preparedness.

I therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal and rejection of all motions.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! It is very pleasing to see how much we agree that shipping is important for Sweden, regardless of whether we are the government, a coalition partner, or the opposition.

Madam Speaker! I thought I would talk a bit about the past. Before I became a politician, I worked at Skandiahamnen in Gothenburg for 20 years. Following the cargo volumes and the size of the ships during these years has been a fantastic lesson. When I started in 1994, the ships were quite small, and on the smaller feeder ships, we perhaps loaded up to 50 containers. When I finished my service in 2014, the small ships had become quite large, and one handled closer to 500 containers on them. We must also not forget the really large ships that call at the port and which can load between 20,000 and 24,000 TEU, that is to say 20-foot containers.

The flow of goods in the port has constantly increased, regardless of whether it was import or export. It was possible to predict whether an upcoming boom or recession was underway depending on the flows of empty containers.

In the beginning, it was only a few trains that came into the harbor with goods. It was a fairly small operation. But as time went by, the railway also grew large in the harbor. Eventually, it was closer to 60 percent of the land-based cargo that arrived at and left the harbor via railway, which is a fairly large amount of cargo. It has been a tremendously fun development to witness.

Madam Speaker! Coastal shipping and inland shipping have an enormous opportunity to complement the Swedish transport system. Attempts have been made to transport sea cargo between the port of Norvik and the Mälar harbors, but unfortunately, the attempts have been discontinued as the cost has been too high. To transship cargo coming from the USA or Asia to smaller ships and ship it further around the Swedish coast to relieve the roads and the railway would be very appropriate, instead of the cargo being transported long distances on the roads or the railways.

We must have more infrastructure of all kinds. The modes of transport shall cooperate and contribute where it does the most good. We must, however, enable a transport buyer to be able to choose the mode of transport that works best.

Getting coastal shipping and inland shipping started opens up for new transport routes and more job opportunities. Sweden has a number of large ports where a good deal of cargo is perfectly suited for further transport by coastal shipping. To enable coastal and inland shipping, the cost must decrease. One way is to remove fairway fees for ships traveling between Swedish ports. The Swedish Maritime Administration currently has no major revenues from this type of traffic, which should make this possible without any major problems. It would also make it easier to book transports with transshipment between ships.

I must, Madam Speaker, take the opportunity to share a small ray of sunshine in these dark days: Wallenius and Greencarrier are to start a joint shipping company named Lakeway Link, with the aim of transporting heavy traffic by sea between Mälaren and Poland. It will take place with two departures a week and a Swedish flag on the ship.

Madam Speaker! All transports are interconnected. That means we must also invest in expanding roads and railways to and from the ports. It is not reasonable to say that one wants a shift from road to rail and shipping without providing the conditions for such a shift to occur.

In my professional role as both a dockworker and a politician, I have visited many ports and experienced that both roads and railways to the ports can be made much better. Today, it is truly deplorable in some places. For example, there is a single track to the Scania ports of Trelleborg and Ystad. This is also used by commuter trains, which is quite limiting for the possibility of increasing railway traffic to the ports. Here, double tracks need to be built to streamline flows for the future.

E65 to Ystad is another example that needs to be addressed. It is a two-plus-one road, and a considerable amount of agriculture along the road also uses the road to move agricultural machinery between the fields. It is a major obstacle for traffic to and from the ports. To achieve a good flow, the railway and roads to and from the ports need to be expanded to handle both freight and passenger volumes.

We cannot talk about shipping without mentioning the Ropax ships, which are also referred to as cruise ships. They transport wheeled cargo but also a great deal of passengers. From Sweden, they operate to Finland, Åland, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Estonia, and Latvia. These ships are like floating hotels with restaurants, shops, and entertainment activities. The ships deliver transport but also experiences. On the Viking Glory, for example, 400 people work, of whom 200 work on board and 200 are at home and on work shifts. A single ship generates masses of jobs, ranging from officers to on-board jobs that are hotel-related.

Madam Speaker! Which flag hangs at the stern of the ships makes a difference. If it is a Swedish flag, most of the jobs on board will be filled with Swedish labor. The flag is significant not only for who is employed but also for Sweden's defense capability in times of war with the movement of troops, materiel, etc. Swedish shipping has great development potential. More ships can in the future have a Swedish flag at the stern.

Madam Speaker! It is about when and not about more ships flying the Swedish flag. Therefore, we must already now begin to train the sailors of the future; this also includes women. The organization Svensk Sjöfart has interesting proposals to organize the training into blocks, so that it becomes easier to train for what one is to work with and later supplement one's education in several steps to make it broader, if one so wishes. By making the training more flexible, it becomes more attractive to seek a career in the maritime industry.

Madam Speaker! A great deal of changes need to be made to turn the ship around and give Swedish shipping the opportunity to compete on equal terms. It concerns everything from tonnage tax to stamp duty, bareboat, net model, training blocks, pilots, fairway charges, navigation support from land, pre-notifications regarding maritime support, and so on. But we shall address that.

What I can hear here is that there is obviously no major opposition to those measures. Therefore, we hope that it can proceed quite quickly. After constructive dialogue with the government parties, I have great hope that this will happen in not too long a time.

We stand behind all our specific statements and reservations, but in order not to complicate ongoing discussions, we choose in this instance not to move for anything.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! I have two short questions for the member.

To begin with, it pleases me that a shipyard or dock worker is a member of Sweden's Riksdag. I think we live in a fine country.

The member has, therefore, experience of working in a port. It can be a tough work environment where one can be exposed to many different risks. In that case, I think it is important that the employees themselves can appoint their safety representative, so that the work environment can be secured and one can be sure of coming home to one's family after a workday. That is not how it has been when working at sea.

My question to the member is: What is your position on us also having regional safety representatives at sea? What is your party's position on that?

The second point is that earlier today we heard government parties speak about the Tidö Agreement and agreements regarding shipping. I have read the Tidö Agreement, but I find no agreements regarding shipping. But as a representative for Sverigedemokraterna, the member can certainly give me a clear statement on what those agreements look like.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Mattias Ottosson for choosing to take the floor.

I am a dockworker, and it is absolutely wonderful to work with these issues. It is something I am passionate about. It is somewhat of a family tradition to work in the harbor. My father works there, and my brother works there.

Regarding safety representatives, I have been very active in Svenska Hamnarbetarförbundet and have for many years worked and struggled hard for agreements. I know what difficulties we had when we had to fight with Transport to appoint safety representatives.

I think that safety representatives should be appointed at the workplace by those who work there. It is important. It should not be trade unions that appoint safety representatives. It should be the colleagues, who have confidence in the person. It should not be governed by party affiliation. Mattias Ottosson has heard my position on safety representatives. They are important.

Regarding the Tidö Agreement, Mattias Ottosson has understood it completely correctly. The Tidö Agreement includes Bromma Airport within the scope of the transport committee.

We have nevertheless managed to establish a good dialogue with the government regarding shipping. That was the first thing we sat down and discussed. We have meetings with the department every other Tuesday. Very constructive and creative discussions are being held. Shipping was the first thing that was taken up. Discussions about the future are ongoing. I view it very positively.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! When it comes to the Tidö Agreement, should I interpret it as that we will see a Tidö Agreement 2.0 or 2.1, or what shall one say? Will there be a development that includes maritime issues?

I return to the safety representatives. I am pleased that the member thinks they are important. On ships, one usually works in a smaller circle. It is not the commander who appoints the safety representative, but it should be the employees who do. But in a small circle, one can be subjected to pressure. Wouldn't it then be good if a trade union organization could appoint regional safety representatives? Then it is not an employee on the ship who is it. The idea is that one should avoid feeling pressure in a smaller group.

What is important, fundamentally, is that one has a work environment where one feels safe and secure and that one comes home after one's workday or one's work shifts; the work shifts are naturally a bit longer when one is out at sea.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! One can, of course, always do over, do right, and make changes.

Regarding safety representatives on board ships, the ships and the crews vary in size. What I value is the interest in being a safety representative. If a trade union tells a poor human being to be a safety representative, it does not automatically mean that it will become a good safety representative. The safety representative should want the job. He or she should also have the backbone to be able to push back, if something is wrong, issue a safety stop, and so on.

It is not crystal clear. It is much simpler in a large workplace where there is a large and strong will. But I am happy to have a discussion about what could be done to educate and protect safety representatives at different workplaces. All workplaces are different, of course. In the Port of Gothenburg, for example, there were no problems. There, it was a whole group chasing the opportunity to become a safety representative. But at smaller workplaces, perhaps the interest is zero and nothing, which is regrettable.

I absolutely think that it should primarily be the working group itself that appoints safety representatives. If that is not possible, it is still good if someone has a safety representative responsibility on board the ships.

I know a group of people from my 20 years in the Port of Gothenburg who unfortunately are not with us today. I suspect that shipping also has its dangers, given the types of cargo they have on board, for example, gases in the cargo hold. Surely one should be able to speak up, and actually do so, if something is wrong.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Linda W Snecker (V)

Madam Speaker! My grandfather was a sea captain. At the age of 16, he left a poor home outside Höganäs to begin working on ships that transported goods across all the world's oceans. After that, he studied to become a sea captain in Kalmar, where he met my grandmother. It is from him that the surname Snecker comes. It is, moreover, an invented Danish-Swedish variant of the word carpenter.

I have, through my grandfather, learned that seafaring people are a special breed. It is adventure, discipline and a world without borders that beckons. But life at sea is not easy. It is a challenging and at times very dangerous work.

What would affect life on the sea would be if more ships were Swedish-flagged and began to comply with Swedish working environment regulations. Operating, for example, a ferry company under another country's flag is not reasonable. It leads to unfair competition when the working environment and wages can be dumped in a way that is not worthy of a country like Sweden. Therefore, more must be done so that more ships have a Swedish flag. Several of the government parties have highlighted this today. They talk about their good cooperation within maritime policy, but it is starting to be put to the test. What does the government intend to deliver?

The working environment on ships is dangerous, but at sea, work is regulated through special legislation with significantly poorer control of the working environment. The union on the ship is not allowed to appoint safety representatives itself. Therefore, the Maritime Safety Act must be changed. The working environment at sea and in port must become better and the control clearer.

Madam Speaker! There is a great need for education in many areas within the transport sector, including shipping. It is an education and a profession that requires that you can both calculate and complete long practical training at sea for a period of one year to eventually become, for example, a ship's captain. To become a pilot, additional training at the Swedish Maritime Administration is required for up to one year.

Occupations and educations need to be adapted to today's society and world. Being away for several weeks or half a year at a stretch has its appeal but is also a challenge. More must be attracted to the sea, but the sea must also be adapted to life on land. I would like to see a plan for how more can be attracted to occupations within the transport industry, from the sea to the railway and the road. I think that the government can continue to discuss that.

The sea is incredibly important for Sweden's imports and exports. Of everything that is brought into the country today, 90 percent is transported by sea. The government says that sea freight and shipping shall increase. It is a high priority for the government - yet we see no proposals on how it shall be implemented. What the government does instead is to lower the diesel prices for the heavy trucks. The talk about investing in Swedish shipping is thus just talk and no action whatsoever.

Something that meets a lot of criticism is how the Swedish Maritime Administration is financed. The agency is not an administrative authority that receives state funds, but a commercial enterprise that is financed by providing shipping lanes where ships can transport goods that are imported to and exported from Sweden.

A common argument is that if the fairway fees were lowered, more could be transported by sea, but firstly, almost everything is already transported by sea so there is not that much more to start transporting that way, and secondly, the fairway fees are not a significant expense for the shipping companies. They function quite poorly as a steering mechanism regardless of what one wants to achieve - whether it is an environmental incentive or a shift from road to sea.

The National Audit Office has looked at the relocation and the price, and it is possibly inland shipping that can increase its transport on the lake. But then one must remember that inland shipping has very low-value cargo.

If one chooses to lower the fairway fees, it would mean that the Swedish state would be subsidizing one of the world's largest companies that makes billions and billions in profit. I do not know how it is with my colleagues in the chamber, but I would rather that our tax money go to schools, healthcare, the police, and defense instead of to subsidizing global shipping companies.

It would be better to make the Swedish Maritime Administration a government agency without requirements for return. The return comes from the shipping companies today. That is where the agency makes its profit. But agencies generally have difficulty doing business, so let them for all the world avoid being financed in that way!

I move for approval of reservation 4.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Linda W Snecker, for the speech! It sounds as if the government parties and the Sweden Democrats have lowered the reduction obligation simply to subsidize ships and encourage the heavy transporters to deliver food to our tables. But by lowering the price of diesel, it results in reasonable costs for trade and reasonable food prices. The farmers and agricultural producers do not need to have high diesel prices. Those prices cause food costs to skyrocket and people to move from houses and homes because they cannot afford it. The wages are not enough.

Regarding shipping, if we return to that, the fairway charges are extremely high in Sweden. In Finland, they halved the fairway charges when corona arrived, and in Estonia, they have low fairway charges, but in other countries, there are no fairway charges to speak of. They are a major obstacle.

I proposed in my speech that inland shipping and coastal shipping be exempted from fairway charges. This applies to vessels traveling between Swedish ports. Today, the Swedish Maritime Administration hardly receives any fees at all there. I wonder what Linda W Snecker and her party's position is on such a proposal to promote shipping.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Linda W Snecker (V)

Madam Speaker! I agree with Member Jimmy Ståhl that it is too expensive for ordinary families to get by today. People are forced to leave their houses and homes, and one cannot afford to put the food one wants on the table. But that does not depend on diesel prices or anything of that sort, but rather on the economic crisis we are living in.

Doing what the government is doing with diesel prices has been strongly questioned by the entire industry. It will not lead to any 5.50 kronor lower price at the pump. Everyone has said that there will not be any such price reduction as the government believes. It is absolutely too expensive, but what the government needs to do is completely different measures so that Swedish families with children will have it significantly better than today.

Regarding Member Ståhl's question regarding the fairway charges, the Government Offices have investigated them. It is a fantastically good investigation where it is stated that the fairway charges are in no way burdensome for the shipping companies. It is not the fairway charges that affect the shift from road to sea.

What is not addressed in the investigation is, for example, the port fees, which are secret. The shipping companies and the port make an agreement on how much it should cost. The port fees are what no one talks about. Perhaps they have greater significance than the fairway fees, which have no significance for either the relocation or the environmental incentives? On the other hand, there is a small possibility in Mälaren and Vänern to increase the low-value cargo on the fairways if the fairway fees are somehow lowered. Let us check if it is possible to increase the transport on the lake and relieve the roads, especially in Mälardalen!

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Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! It is quite interesting, actually. I understand that the investigation says that fairway fees for occasional voyages to Sweden are not the large proportion of the expenses. I can accept that. But it is about coastal shipping to get transport started between Sweden's ports so that one can have an indirect sea bus traffic from Gothenburg and all the way up to the Norwegian and Finnish borders. Then it is about transporting goods in Sweden.

Given that perhaps 75-85 percent of the people in Sweden live within five miles of the sea, the vast majority of people live quite close to the sea. But that transport would not increase food costs surprises me very much. It is obvious that if transport is expensive, food prices become high. If one can lower the cost for transport, the food becomes cheaper in the store.

Someone has to pay somewhere, and it is us consumers. Of course, it is a very heavy expense now, considering that we also have inflation otherwise and skyrocketing interest rates. All of this is icing on the cake. Reducing the reduction obligation is therefore a good way.

That the fuel companies question that we are reducing their revenues is not very strange. But I do not believe in either fuel shortages or anything else that is being alarmed about. This was known by these companies long before decisions were made to lower the reduction obligation.

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Linda W Snecker (V)

Madam Speaker! The Government can absolutely believe, as one does in church, that a reduction of the reduction obligation will lead to lower food prices. I have, however, stopped believing in the Government's policy, because nothing in it has made the Swedish economy stronger or strengthened the economy for, for example, families with children.

I am switching to shipping. The frequency discounts are very large in the fairway charges. From the fifth call, there is a very large discount on the calls for the ships. Furthermore, the environmental incentive discount is included in the fairway charges. Just as Statskontoret says, the shipping companies are not affected by the fairway charges. It is also not something that is brought up when one talks to, for example, the ports. One can ask: Do you notice that the fairway charges cause fewer ships to come to the port? No, that is not the case, is the answer. That we then have a trade organization that is very "eager" to talk about this and lobby politicians is another matter.

I think we should look at our government inquiries and see what they say about how to best finance our Swedish authorities, such as the Swedish Maritime Administration. Today, it is a business enterprise that must turn a profit for the Swedish state. The only way for the authority to turn a profit is to collect fees from the shipping companies. Jimmy Ståhl says that the shipping companies are affected by the fairway fees, which I do not believe. But say that is the case and that we could increase so that 100 percent of all goods go by sea if we lower the fairway fees – then turn the Swedish Maritime Administration into an administrative authority without a profit requirement! That is exactly what the National Audit Office's inquiry says, and that is what I base the Left Party's shipping policy on.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Daniel Helldén (MP)

Madam Speaker! It has not escaped anyone that we are discussing maritime issues here today. Shipping is an important part of Sweden's transport activities. As has also been said, almost 90 percent of all imports and exports go via shipping. If one looks at the maps that exist of export flows, one sees that there are enormous routes that go through our ports. This is something that is rarely perceived by the general public. We do not really see this activity. It is perhaps most visible in Gothenburg. Here in Stockholm, for example, it is almost disappeared. But it is an incredibly important activity, and we shall ensure that it functions in a good way.

Shipping has a good and central role in our transition to create a fossil-free society. It is an important piece of the puzzle, and the waterways are something that we shall utilize. Large volumes can be transported in ships. We shall therefore protect shipping. This applies to both export and import shipping, which goes long distances, and not least inland shipping. If we can relieve roads and railways nationally, it is much to be gained.

The transport sector shall reduce its emissions by 70 percent by 2030. It is a major commitment that we must ensure we manage to achieve. The Government cannot quite explain how it will manage this. But shipping is an important part, and here we must also ensure that we transition. It is, however, one of the trickier sectors to transition. It is simpler to transition road traffic. At the same time, shipping is a resource-efficient and smart mode of transport compared to the alternatives when it comes to the large transport flows.

It is therefore incredibly pleasing that the EU has now incorporated shipping into the EU's emissions trading system and the major project being rolled out: Fit for 55. From 2024, shipping shall be progressively phased into the emissions trading system. For ships traveling between the EU and third countries, it applies that they shall purchase emission allowances for 50 percent of the emissions the journey entails. This will mean a great deal for shipping and its work for the transition. Within the EU, it applies to 100 percent of the emissions. To begin with, carbon dioxide emissions are covered. After 2026, methane and nitrogen oxides are also included.

In the decision that has been taken, we can however see that not all ships are included. This applies, among other things, to the smaller ships, which are under 5,000 gross tonnage - if one is familiar with that concept. It is admittedly intended that even these should be incorporated successively. But it will not be so now, and there are a number of other exceptions.

That we are now beginning to phase in shipping into the emissions trading system is absolutely excellent, but there are problems. There is a risk that we will get a shift to smaller ships, when one should actually do the opposite. It should instead be larger ships where more is loaded. We shall see what happens in this context. I really hope that the EU adjusts this later, so that all ships are included in the system.

This will pose major challenges for shipping in the concrete transition that is to be made. We know that we cannot electrify shipping in a reasonable way, at least not the long-distance transports. It will likely gradually go well for short inland transports, but for long-distance shipping, it can mostly be a support system. This means that we must develop the market for biofuels, continue the work with hydrogen and ammonia, and ensure that we can optimize shipping routes. A major change will occur in this area, and a concerted effort is needed for this.

The EU has preliminarily taken a decision on the FuelEU Maritime system, which entails a reduction obligation system for shipping. It is incredibly pleasing that this will likely be in place. Thus, it can start rolling, so that we get pressure on precisely that segment that we know is so difficult to change: shipping. All the times we have discussed the emission target for 2030, it has been with the reservation that shipping is troublesome. But we can now get the pressure that was really needed, so that we get rid of the emissions that occur there.

I mentioned the optimization of shipping routes. An incredibly exciting development is underway here that can also drive this forward, especially with AI tools. The Transport Committee has AI and digitalization issues on its agenda. There is a good starting point here for us to be able to delve even deeper into this. The work currently being done with route and speed optimizations is incredibly interesting and fascinating. It can truly make shipping even more efficient. We do know, of course, that the sailors and those who operate the boats, the captains, have the ability and know how to do it. But with the new technology, one can find completely different ways to undertake these long journeys in a climate-smart and efficient manner. Here, the industry and Swedish research are at the forefront. We have probably only seen the beginning of this area. It is likely that the entire logistics chain within shipping will also be affected, and that is good. However, more support would be needed here.

We need to use all the tools we can get to achieve good shipping in Sweden. There are certain national challenges. As has already been mentioned here in the chamber, there is a system of fairway charges that creates limitations in the utilization of the waterways. This applies especially to the Mälaren and Vänern shipping but also to coastal shipping. Something needs to be done here.

As has also been mentioned, attempts have been made with the new port that opened outside Stockholm, in Nynäshamn, two weeks ago - Norvik. The port has been operational for a long time, but it was inaugurated two weeks ago. Attempts have been made to transfer the cargo from the large boats that arrive there to barges and then drive them up into Mälaren. It has not worked out well, and it is stated, among other things, that the fairway charges are a reason for this. Here we must review and change the system so that we use the waterways in a good and efficient way.

What is happening right now is that regarding Norvik, they want to build a large, wide motorway, Södertörnsleden, which is instead supposed to take all these trucks. It is only 25 percent of the cargo that can go by rail from Norvik because there is no space. Not optimizing this in a good way is to harm Sweden. It harms our roads, and it harms our climate. Here, things need to be done. There, a review of the fairway charges to get the operation started is completely central.

We also know that there are question marks regarding the pilotage operations. This is something that affects inland shipping. A review is also needed here. There is also an exciting technical development here that we should look closer at and embrace. Many times, we do continue to live in the old.

Madam Speaker! For the sake of time, I move for the approval of reservation 6 on fairway fees.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to say a big thank you to Daniel Helldén. I think most of it sounded positive, and we do have a good consensus. Like my colleague Magnus Jacobsson did earlier, I can also take the rostrum to offer praise. It was a good speech with many good points.

However, I react a little when Daniel Helldén talks about Gothenburg as a port city but that one doesn't see much of the harbor in Stockholm. I have now sat here and written down Eckerölinjen, Viking Line, Tallink Silja and Destination Gotland. Stockholm is a major shipping city. In Gothenburg there are many containers - we do indeed have Stena Line which operates frequently - but Stockholm is a major shipping city. That is what I thought all Stockholmers had in their hearts.

I also intended to touch briefly on Daniel Helldén's special issues regarding Fit for 55 and the environmental aspect. What concerns shipping is that one is moving ahead in many issues. IMO, an international maritime body, should handle these issues. When, for example, the sulfur directive, the Secadirective, was introduced, Sweden had great luck that oil prices fell. But it means that Sweden now has a competitive disadvantage.

Madam Speaker! I would like to ask a question to Daniel Helldén. Is it true that there is a desire to worsen the conditions in the ETS - the environmental rules - specifically for the EU?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Daniel Helldén (MP)

Madam Speaker! I note that on most areas regarding shipping, we are in agreement. When it comes to the climate issues, it is not as simple. It is a large part in the context.

It is clear that Stockholm is in some ways a major shipping city, but one does not notice it. You can see some boats, but you have to travel quite far out to see the traffic that exists in Värtan. Furthermore, the large port has moved to Norvik. It has been a long time since the port activities and the shipyards where there was some maintenance activity disappeared. Modern Stockholmers know nothing about Stockholm as a shipping city. On the other hand, when you come to Gothenburg, it is still obvious, even though much has moved away from there. It is good that we can build housing in Värtahamnen, but Norvik is a problem child because the transport has not been solved in a sensible way.

When it comes to the competitive advantages, or disadvantages, for the EU when we introduce the systems, I believe that first and foremost it is absolutely necessary that the transition is made. It is a large part of the work within the EU to lead the way, to show the rest of the world how it can be done. When we do that, it will mean that we can in a good way build up the alternative fuels that are needed for shipping. We can also get research that is at the forefront.

The export and import that takes place from here will affect all other countries that deal with the EU. So I am not at all worried about the change.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Madam Speaker! It is an exciting future we have ahead of us regarding which fuels we should invest in and not invest in for shipping. I believe that we politicians must be open in these issues.

In Daniel Helldén's speech, Norvik's port and access roads came up. I can only agree. During the 20 years I worked in the Port of Gothenburg, I noticed the development in railway capacity. Large investments are also required to get good railway infrastructure to the port and to give road and railway the opportunity to grow.

Madam Speaker! I also wanted to ask Member Helldén about the island exemption that was negotiated in Fit for 55. Ships operating to islands with up to 200,000 inhabitants are exempt from the requirement for emission allowances. How does Miljöpartiet reason on this? In Sweden, this affects the possibility of an exemption for Gotland. In the rest of the Baltic Sea, it is Åland that has the possibility of being included in the island exemption. But it does not remove the possibility; in the entire Mediterranean, there are many small islands that are exempt. The risk is that we up north are heavily affected by increased costs, while traffic in the Mediterranean escapes. How does Member Helldén view this?

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Daniel Helldén (MP)

Madam Speaker! I will willingly admit that I am not particularly deeply knowledgeable regarding that specific exception. As I have understood it, there are certain types of boats for which it is judged that one must make an exception. They usually travel between locations in the Mediterranean where not so many people live.

As I have also understood it, Gotlandstrafiken will not be included in the exception. Åland has a lot of special provisions since EU membership. Things are very different there.

Most of the shipping that exists should be included in the system. There is the exception for 200,000 inhabitants on an island, but even 5,000 gross tons is also exempted. All activity should be included in this so that it goes faster. One can have a different phase-in period, or something like that. That will be resolved.

Maritime issues

When it comes to the railway, it has been discussed in previous statements regarding the importance of better railway connections from Gothenburg and further on the main line towards Alingsås. In Norvik, a better solution has not been found for how to get onto the main line if more traffic is to be had, and more tracks were also needed. It is strange that it has not been done, but once we do get out, we will also need new main lines in southern Sweden. Freight will also need to travel by rail there, both from Norvik southward and also upwards.

We therefore need to fix the Gothenburg-Alingsås line, and we need new trunk lines in southern Sweden. Then we can also get the shipping in order.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 14.)

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