Maritime issues

Johanna Rantsi (M)

Mr. Speaker! I want to begin this maritime debate by taking us back to 1994.

In 1994, I lived, as a four-year-old, out on Donsö in Gothenburg's southern archipelago. I dreamed of becoming a princess one day. If it was a party with a cowboy theme, I came as a cowboy princess. If it was a space theme, I was a space princess. It was my big dream.

I had another dream as a child. It was to get to work at the gas station on Donsö. One of the funniest things I knew was to be with my father and stand in the front and hold the rope of our little outboard motor when he fueled our boat.

Mr. Speaker! I have still not become a princess, and I have still not worked at the Donsö gas station. But it is an honor to stand here in the chamber of the Riksdag today and debate maritime policy.

A bit further ahead in time, in 1997, I was in first grade. I learned to write. I cannot claim that it was pretty, but I could at least write. That was when I performed my first political act. I wrote a letter to the editor to GT, Göteborgs-Tidningen. It was handwritten, because this was before the era of computers.

I did not only write a letter to the editor, Mr. Speaker, but I also started a petition. My best friend Emelie, eight years old, signed it. My cousin Jonas, who was six years old, wrote his name forwards and backwards.

This was my first political act. I wrote to GT to get the King to read my letter to the editor and perhaps change this. I wrote that I thought it was stupid that children should have to pay on the boat when they traveled to gymnastics on another island or to visit their friends.

Mr. Speaker! My first political act was therefore about shipping. Shipping is an incredibly important issue both for people in Sweden and for Sweden as a country. Approximately 1.6 million people in Sweden live on an island. We have about 270,000 islands and one of Europe's longest coasts.

Shipping is important both for us humans and for Sweden AB. 90 percent of what Sweden imports or exports goes at some point in the shipping chain via shipping. Shipping is important in peacetime, to make people's everyday lives function, but it is also incredibly important in times of unrest. We need to remember that we only have one fixed connection south towards the continent. We are very dependent on a functioning shipping industry.

Unfortunately, Sweden's merchant fleet has decreased drastically over the last 50 years. Over the last 20 years, the fleet has been halved. But this dismal trend, Mr. Speaker, shall now be broken by the Moderate-led government. The Moderate-led government is delivering one delivery after another in the maritime sector. We have saved the important railway ferries from the port of Trelleborg. We have ensured that Sweden remains in IMO to have international influence. Shipping does not stop at Sweden's borders, and this is an issue where we truly need to work internationally.

The Moderate-led government has also listened to the industry. We have had conversations with the industry to hear what is needed to flag more ships as Swedish.

Recently, we decided here in the chamber not only to lower the stamp duty for mortgages on ships but to abolish it entirely.

We are also reviewing the tonnage tax system. It is a system that needs – and will – be reformed so that more can be included in this.

The government also submits a bill on a new register that shall simplify the chartering of unmanned ships, so-called ship leasing. In English, it is called bareboat charter.

This is something that has been requested by the industry for many years.

For shipping in Sweden to function, we need both Swedish ships and Swedish seafarers. The Moderate-led government is ensuring that there will now be more Swedish students at World Maritime University in Malmö. We have ensured to arrange a more flexible education to become deck officer class VII. Pleasantly enough, we can see that the application pressure for maritime training is now increasing.

Sweden needs both Swedish-flagged ships and Swedish seafarers. We also need to make authority contacts easier, and we are therefore introducing a flag-in pilot at Transportstyrelsen. We have also ensured that maritime agreements with countries outside the EU have been established in order to mutually approve qualifications.

Pleasantly enough, Mr. Speaker, the shipping industry welcomes these investments. The shipping industry welcomes the government's work, and several shipping companies have announced that they intend to flag in vessels during 2025. Stena Bulk announced in April that they plan to flag in up to five tankers due to the government's shipping-friendly policy. We expect the merchant fleet to increase during 2025 and 2026, which would mean a break in the trend in the statistics.

I have faith in the future of Swedish shipping. I believe in green transition and in our Swedish shipping companies, which are world leaders in green technology. I believe in innovation and research for an even better and more environmentally friendly shipping. I believe in carrots instead of penalty taxes and whips.

I believe that we in Sweden need to introduce a maritime strategy that can ensure that the entire maritime cluster survives. Shipping is more than just merchant ships. Shipping is our shipyards, which must service our boats. It is our ports, which are important for shipping in general to be able to enter our country.

I believe, therefore, that Sweden needs a maritime strategy. I also believe that we need a port strategy to ensure that shipping functions.

We see all types of transport, because all types of transport are needed – including shipping.

The Moderate-led government does not pit different modes of transport against each other, as all modes of transport are needed.

The previous government left behind a world-class maintenance debt. We are now repairing these damages, and we are prioritizing all types of traffic.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I move for the approval of the committee's proposal for a decision. I also take this opportunity to thank all the employees in the Riksdag for the work during the year and to wish Mr. Speaker a very nice summer.

(Applause)

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! I agree that some work has been done in this area, for which credit is deserved.

I know that one does not have time to say everything in eight minutes and that one structures one's speech so that it will be interesting to listen to, and it was interesting. But I have a couple of questions that I did not receive answers to.

Last week, the Transport Committee held a seminar on inland shipping, but in Johanna Rantsi's speech, I heard very little about inland shipping and the problems that were raised at the seminar. Towards the end of her speech, Johanna Rantsi mentioned that all modes of transport are needed because they interact. There are indeed deficiencies on both the road and rail side, not only in maintenance but also in capacity, and at the seminar, the Swedish Maritime Administration said that 10 percent of the freight, not just 3 percent as today, could go by water.

I understand that one cannot take initiative from Thursday to Tuesday, but I know that there is a commitment to inland shipping. Is Johanna Rantsi prepared to push forward so that incentives are created to use the waterways to a greater extent and not just call for a maritime strategy and a port strategy? When will we, in that case, be able to see real proposals? Will it be during this parliamentary term, where three of the four years have now passed?

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Johanna Rantsi (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Heie for the relevant questions.

The Transport Committee had a fantastically good seminar on Thursday. We spent an entire morning listening to lectures and discussing inland waterway transport. I chose not to bring it up in my speech because most of the members who are in the chamber now were also present at the seminar. Good suggestions emerged on how to facilitate inland waterway transport in both simple and more complex ways, and much of that we naturally took with us.

The government meets with the minister continuously, and we will meet the minister or at least representatives of the department during the day tomorrow. Several of the proposals that emerged during the seminar will be discussed by me and my colleagues with the minister and the department.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! I am very pleased to hear that the Minister will have the opportunity to take part of this as early as tomorrow, as a very good basis was provided. Every year, 165,000 trucks could be replaced with maritime transport, and we know that there is both a shortage of drivers and that our roads are very congested. I look forward to hearing how the Minister intends to take these issues further.

So to my second question. The member mentioned IMO and the importance of seeing that this is a global industry. Can the member point to some initiatives that have been taken? Even at the EU level, we need to review various regulations to facilitate shipping. It is about administrative burdens and reporting of various kinds. Does the member know if the Swedish government has taken any initiatives in the EU cooperation to facilitate shipping also at the European level?

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Johanna Rantsi (M)

Mr. Speaker! Just a few months ago, the Chamber debated various regulations of EU requirements to be introduced in Sweden, and both I and Member Heie participated in that debate. So, a lot is happening even in the European area, and we believe that even more could happen within both the EU and the IMO. I am convinced that Sweden should not have any special requirements, but this needs to be regulated internationally.

Sweden is a relatively small actor here. It is important that we lead and dare, but we also need to push the international work so that the regulations for green shipping become as good internationally as they are in Sweden. I believe that is the path we need to take to get more to transition and follow good Swedish examples.

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Mattias Ottosson (S)

Mr. Speaker! Even though Sweden is not an island, our logistics regarding trade with the outside world function as if we were an island. We are also a major transit country for Norway's and Finland's foreign trade, which is important. Therefore, shipping is extremely important, even if it is certainly even more important for Ireland and the United Kingdom, which are islands for real.

Shipping will always be international. Most ships that come to Sweden are from some other country, and we have many ships owned by Swedish shipping companies but that sail under another flag. The proportion of Swedish-flagged ships would need to increase, and it is important for two reasons. One is security of supply. In times of unrest, it is extremely important that we as a country can provide for ourselves. It has been 80 years since World War II ended, and the merchant navy was hit hardest during the war. It was just over 2,000 Swedish seafarers who perished. It is therefore important that we have this type of security. The second reason is to create jobs for those who are training to become seafarers.

The government has done quite a lot, but what the industry says is most important is to get a renewed tonnage tax in place. How is that going? When will it arrive? It is starting to become urgent.

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Johanna Rantsi (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Ottosson for a very important and topical question.

I am glad that we have been able to deliver when it comes to the abolished stamp duty, which will enter into force in a couple of days. I would have liked to see this have entered into force already at the turn of the year, but better late than never. Now it is here, six months later.

Last year, the Chamber debated the investigation on the tonnage tax system. When the investigation was released, we realized that we shared much of what was in it, but not all of it. We wanted to go a step further. The investigation was referred to relevant referral bodies, and among others, Svensk Sjöfart expressed itself clearly.

We want to act in the best interests of the industry and are not prepared to implement proposals that do not benefit the industry sufficiently. It has taken time to make things as good as possible for the industry and to ensure that we achieve the effects we are looking for with a changed tonnage tax system.

Even though the investigation and handling have gone quickly, it has taken longer than we wanted. But it has gone significantly faster during our three years than it did during the eight years the Social Democrats ruled and accomplished nothing.

The proposal is currently with the Ministry of Finance. As far as I know, it will arrive before Midsummer, but as the member knows, there are not many days left until then. It should be in the pipeline, but unfortunately, I have no closer information to give here today. I do, however, have good hopes that we will find out more during the week.

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Mattias Ottosson (S)

Mr. Speaker! It is not only important for international shipping. It is also important for domestic shipping. In that regard, I am thinking of the large island we have in the Baltic Sea, Gotland. Many of us Members of Parliament will be there next week.

It is very urgent now. A decision regarding the tonnage tax needs to be made this year for us to be able to keep a Swedish flag there. I heard those who thought that we should already demand a Swedish flag in the procurement. But there, we apparently follow some strange rules that no one other than Trafikverket knows about.

It is quite true that a quick investigation was carried out. The reason for that was that it was urgent and it needed to be done. Now, two years have passed. Today, it has actually been 367 days since the member and I debated this here last year.

I am a bit curious about what has happened during the 367 days since nothing has arrived. It is very good with the bareboat register and stamp duty. Everything else that the government does in that area, I also think is good.

It is the absolute most important thing that is the problem. All the time the answer is: An investigation is ongoing at the ministry. So it was also when the Minister for Finance was called to the Committee on Taxation: An investigation is ongoing.

I feel that a decision needs to be made now. The member says it should come before Midsummer. I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

I do not know if the member can elaborate a bit more on what has been done during the 367 days.

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Johanna Rantsi (M)

Madam Speaker! In our previous exchange, I explained quite extensively how the government has worked on this issue and why it has taken longer than desired. We want to adapt it more to the industry's needs so that it will be as good as possible.

The Moderates in the Committee on Transport are pushing against the department and our Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson. We are working hard on this. I share Ottosson's opinion that it is an important issue that needs to be accelerated. I am also doing what Ottosson does. I am keeping both my thumbs crossed that something happens now.

I must ask Ottosson to pose the question to our minister's party colleague, who may have more information than I do. I have today shared my view on this and how much I know on the matter at the current stage.

I thank Ottosson for a pleasant debate and a good exchange of remarks on current and important issues.

(Applause)

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Madam Speaker! One can begin one's speeches in different ways. How about: As long as the boat can sail, as long as the heart can beat. As long as the sun, it glitters on the waves blue. Then I must ask my question: How long shall we wait then?, so the rhyme is complete.

Historically, shipping has had an incredibly great significance and been extremely important. It is also so now.

Just as many say, Sweden is somewhat of an island in terms of how the country is situated. Shipping is incredibly important for trade both near and far.

It is also about war and defense. It is about utility but also, more and more recently, about entertainment, linked to how shipping on Swedish waters has developed.

Today, approximately 3 percent of our domestic freight transport is carried by sea. If I understand it correctly, the EU has a target here for this to increase by 25 percent within a certain future.

It was significantly more positive to hear the Director General of the Swedish Maritime Administration say the other day that as much as one-tenth of the freight in Sweden could be shifted from road to maritime transport. It is too low a proportion that goes by sea today. It is too poor, to be completely straightforward.

Madam Speaker! From the Center Party's side, I want to particularly focus on some parts of the report. It concerns the competitiveness of Swedish shipping. Here is a long list of what needs to be done.

The previous speaker, Member of Parliament Johanna Rantsi, highlighted some issues that the government has worked on. But unfortunately, the list of remaining needs is significantly longer than what has been managed to deliver during these three years.

We request a review of the possibilities for strengthened competitiveness and more efficient environmental management within shipping. It was good that Member Rantsi mentioned, among other things, the need for green shipping and that we have an environmentally friendly approach to it.

Regarding inland shipping and also coastal shipping, there is much to be done when it comes to competitiveness. There have been completely outrageous increases in various types of fees over the recent years. It is clear that it hits competitiveness very hard. There is plenty of available capacity in many of the ports that we have along our coasts and lakes.

The Moderates said before the election that priority would be given to infrastructure for traffic to and from our ports. It was said that inland shipping should be given the necessary conditions and receive clearer legislation. They were to review the Swedish Maritime Administration's funding and organizational model. All of this was to happen as soon as the Moderates themselves were to lead or be part of a government. Now, they have done it since nearly three years ago.

I do not really know where the bottlenecks are in the government and whether one should turn to the Moderaterna or the Kristdemokraterna with these questions, because notification is delayed on a number of parts.

What about, for example, the Hjulsta Bridge and the locks in Trollhättan? We know that work is ongoing, but the business community needs answers as soon as possible. These are not new questions.

It will be very strange if the speech becomes: We do not know what will remain in the next plan. Some things might have to move. There is a great concern linked to large investments for that which would promote inland shipping in a completely different way than today.

It has almost been three years. We often highlight the time factor. Time is money. The Acceleration Office also highlights the time factor at almost every opportunity one listens to it.

It cannot be that one is to hear from the government: It takes the time it takes to prepare the various investigations that have been conducted, add a little bit, listen in and so on. It takes the time it takes cannot be the government's answer to why we do not see more happening.

Madam Speaker! Last week, the Transport Committee held a very good seminar on inland shipping. It included everyone from Trafikverket and Sjöfartsverket to ports, freight carriers and many others. The message was very clear: There is a lot of untapped capacity on our waterways. We all know that it is crowded and almost full on road and rail. Use the waterways!

The coordinator from Trafikverket was very clear and said: We must face the facts. The barriers for inland shipping are insurmountable. It was stated on an image that is completely public.

Transition is necessary. But it requires being proactive. It requires that we do something and not just say that we treat all modes of transport equally and that all are important. We must proactively do things that make us use the untapped capacity in another way.

I mentioned it in an exchange of remarks earlier, and I choose to do it again. The Director General of the Swedish Transport Administration said: We could immediately move 10 percent of the cargo from road to sea. That corresponds to 165,000 trucks.

Just to give an idea of it, the picture is that if you take and line up all the heavy goods vehicles in a queue, it stretches from Ystad to Haparanda and also a little bit into Finland. It is very many trucks that obviously also wear down our roads.

The CEO of Mälarhamnar, Andreas Andersson, pointed out the increase in fees and that pilotage costs in Mälaren are as large a share as 25 percent of the docking costs, while they are only 4 percent of the actual cost out at the coast.

Dear Moderates and Christian Democrats, who lead both the government and departments! When will we see proposals that truly contribute to a real shift from road to rail and shipping?

A number of concrete proposals have been put forward. They are being prepared within the Government Offices. For example, a report was issued in March 2023, which is now just over two years ago, in which it was pointed out that one could completely exempt inland shipping from fees. It would cost 130 million kronor. That is a lot of money, but one would also get a great deal back if such an effort were made. Why do we hear nothing about it?

Last night I came home from a conference in German Lübeck. It was about the Fehmarn Bält tunnel, the fixed link between Germany and Denmark that will open in about four years.

What does that have to do with boats? Road and railway shall go through that tunnel. Yes, I think the government is very aware of the risk that it will further increase the pressure on our roads and railways. I know that the minister has identified some small measures on the Swedish side of the strait when it comes to the Öresund Bridge, but significantly more would need to be done.

We all know that the government stopped new trunk lines. They still would not have been finished in four years, but they would have been underway. We also know that we need to shift more over to shipping, and now there is the opportunity to shift more over to inland shipping. It could be one of the partial answers to how we meet the increased needs of the road, that is, something to travel on, where the sea route also becomes an important part.

The Centre Party sees the importance of all transports and all modes of transport. But with the deficiencies we see, we are prepared, from a transport efficiency perspective, to make a number of interventions that are about not only maintaining or building new infrastructure but truly reviewing the incentives so that all modes of transport perform as much transport work as possible, not least where there is available capacity.

Madam Speaker! I move for approval of reservation number 7, which concerns fairway fees and pilotage etc.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at the office, the Speaker's Secretariat with its many employees, and of course my colleagues in the committee, and wish them a very nice summer.

I also want to take the opportunity to ask: When will we see more of the government's policy regarding making inland waterway transport a clear part of the transport work in Sweden?

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Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would first like to move for the rejection of all motions and similar items and for the approval of the proposal in the committee report.

Shipping is an incredibly important part of Swedish infrastructure. Approximately 90 percent of all goods that are imported and exported will at some point have traveled on a ship. It is important from an economic point of view. It is important from a security perspective, even in matters such as food supply and food. Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to provide for ourselves. Given the situation we find ourselves in, where Europe is no longer the safe haven it once was, shipping is becoming increasingly important.

For the Christian Democrats, it is important that shipping functions throughout the country. The Port of Gothenburg turns over 10 billion. A dredging project is underway which is to be finished in 2027 or 2028, which means that it will be able to receive even more cargo. And it does not only serve Sweden but also Norway, as someone previously said. Swedish shipping is a part of the entire Scandinavian peninsula's infrastructure.

But we also have other situations. Luleå harbor turns over 130 million. Even up there, dredging work is ongoing. It will be finished somewhat later, 2028 or 2029. It is extremely important for Swedish industry when it comes to ore and such.

At the same time, we know, and the old port study also points out, that when it comes to this type of infrastructure investment, we need to achieve a better arrangement between the state and the municipalities. It is often the municipalities that own the ports. We can, of course, raise it with each other as we wish, but the fact remains that we would probably need a new port study to help us clarify this.

A lot is happening in the environmental field, where the owners of shipping are making great technological breakthroughs. Sweden is a country at the forefront when it comes to both electrification and new fuels. We also see that the municipalities are taking a great responsibility. The current government is also highlighting these issues. It is therefore important that we find this synchronization of the state, the municipalities, and the business sector.

Another example of a port where there is great frustration is Uddevalla, my home. It is an important port for us with 200 million in turnover and 100 employees. But one cannot change personnel. I know that many of us from different parties have, in different ways, been pushing on this. I spoke with the port CEO as recently as this morning. There is a great frustration that the police and the Coast Guard and, in this case, also the government, are not quite managing to come up with a solution to this. If we are to have a living maritime industry, it is extremely important that one can change personnel in an appropriate manner. For me as a Christian Democrat – that is, not just because I happen to live in Uddevalla – it is clearly an important issue, which I will carry with me in the conversations that we repeatedly have with the government.

Another important transport route where I believe we will soon be able to give positive news is the Gotland traffic.

In the situation I described earlier with the risk of war and conflicts, it is extremely important that ships are flagged Swedish, because it is only the Swedish ships that we can utilize in the event of war. Should the Gotland traffic be Swedish or Danish? It is a quite important question from such a perspective. As mentioned, the work that has already been reported is ongoing to develop a new tonnage tax.

I believe that one must include an additional question when discussing this, and that is the question of releasing untaxed reserves which allows one to simply move ships from another country to Sweden. The question has been raised. I do not want to be mean to my Moderate friends, but just this specific question is actually handled by the Ministry of Finance. It is a tax issue. But I promise to continue to press on, because I share the opinion that this must move forward. From my perspective, I hope that we can have a decision as early as this autumn.

The government has done very much, Madam Speaker. Above all, there is a new attitude. This government is careful to signal that all types of traffic are needed.

I have on several occasions said that I like the Center Party's small variant, where it is said that also broadband and internet is a type of traffic. I believe that it is a quite wise thought because digitalization today is so strong and so necessary.

Just to take an example: Is it the power line that is most important, or is it the broadband that controls the power line? If the digital control is knocked out, one cannot deliver electricity today, and if the power system is knocked out, one cannot deliver the digital control. We have built ourselves into a very strong connection.

We also see this in the maritime sector. If we talk about inland shipping and modern pilotage techniques, it will be technology. And it is not just about inland shipping; it is about the entire transport route when one comes from the Atlantic and enters the Baltic Sea. All the digitalization that is taking place, yes, it is also taking place within shipping.

The government has, as stated, delivered when it comes to the investigation of a new tonnage tax, where I hope the decision will come promptly, and the abolished stamp duty. I am bad at English, but bareboat is incredibly important – that is, that one can simply lease vessels and that they should then be counted in the system.

The government is also delivering on more flexible education, which includes, among other things, maritime officers class 7. It will facilitate, for example, for such – it is not always that I agree, especially not here in my own home region – as building offshore wind power. It will facilitate when one has lake navigation and different forms of tourist ferries and other things that work with this.

Then there are great requests from the business community. They want us to ensure that the maritime support works for everyone, even for those ships that can be leased in. They want a decision that the tonnage tax shall be implemented, and they want it to also apply to that type of ship.

I have already mentioned the untaxed reserves. It is obviously a major issue. In one way, it is still a small issue, because they will never be realized as the system is today. But de facto, they still exist purely mathematically.

One wants a facilitation for personnel. Shipping is international, and today we have requirements that go further than the EU, including language requirements. I can understand shipping, which actually most often is based on English. It would facilitate things if we eased our rules. Generally speaking, it is also what is said: that we should have fewer special rules in Sweden and instead work more with the international rules.

Many of these requests from the shipping industry, I think, are wise. I agree with them and will continue to argue for them.

Since then, it has been difficult, Madam Speaker, to talk about shipping without also reflecting on what is happening in our global environment, in the Persian Gulf and in the entire area around the Mediterranean. We have Houthis who for a longer period have shelled individual ships depending on which flag they have. We have Somali jihadists linked to al-Shabab who are out carrying out pirate attacks. Periodically, we have even had the Swedish fleet on site to combat this.

One can have many perceptions about the situation in the Middle East. I sometimes compare it with Europe and the Thirty Years' War. Shia and Sunni are engaged in a power struggle. It is quite obvious that what has happened over the last two years is that the Shia side, i.e., the Persians, Iran, has taken a heavy beating. They have lost Syria. They have lost Hezbollah. They have lost Hamas. The Houthis are significantly weakened. Now it also looks like, with a bit of luck, that one can get a new government in Iran.

If one were to get a new government in Iran that wants to be democratic, would it ultimately mean that shipping in the entire area will be safer. If it continues as it is now, Madam Speaker, it means that shipping will become more insecure, which drives up costs.

With these simple words, I would like to thank the committee, the secretariat, the chamber secretariat, the guards and security guards who do a fantastic job for our safety, as well as other staff.

I want to conclude by quoting the political leader Cato the Elder: Furthermore, I believe that the mullahs in Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas should be destroyed.

(cont. § 13)

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