How Fjord Line Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Modern Sea Transport
Fjord Line maintains a steady course, helping both small and large players move more freight from road to sea – both along the Norwegian coast and to the continent.
"Every year, Fjord Line ensures that large quantities of goods are transported on the sea route with modern ships, both along the Norwegian coast and to the continent via Denmark," says Håkon Leidland, Head of Freight at Fjord Line.
All types of cargo are transported by Fjord Line – from truck convoys and semi-trailers to imported cars and loose trolleys – between Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Hirtshals in North Jutland.
Fjord Line annually transports a total of 54,500 freight units by sea.
Between the major cities of Western Norway
We're setting our sights on the west coast of Norway. On the domestic route between Bergen and Stavanger, Fjord Line transports 6,500 freight units annually.
“By moving these goods from road to sea between Bergen and Stavanger, we estimate that this results in approximately 2400 tonnes less CO₂e emissions per year. At the same time, the road network is spared, and traffic safety is improved, as there will be fewer cars on the roads between Bergen and Stavanger”, says Leidland.
Fact sheet – Transport emission road vs sea
The two modern ships, MS Stavangerfjord and MS Bergensfjord, sail the domestic route between Bergen and Stavanger.
In addition to transporting large quantities of cargo and goods, these sister ships transport people between the major cities of Western Norway.
These were the first two cruise ferries in the world to be powered by LNG.
"Our ships use liquefied natural gas (LNG). This results in up to a 10% reduction in CO₂e emissions, compared to sailing with conventional marine diesel fuels," says Leidland.
Facts about LNG
| The term LNG stands for "liquefied natural gas". |
| By replacing traditional marine diesel oil with LNG, CO₂e emissions are reduced by up to 10%, and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter are reduced by 90% or more. While CO₂e contributes to global warming, the other substances have negative local consequences. |
Customers Choose Sea Transport
Major players such as Tine and REMA 1000 use Fjord Line to transport freight and goods by sea along the west coast of Norway.
"This year, we will transport a total of 1,200 trolleys for Tine between Bergen and Stavanger, while we'll transport around 700 freight units for REMA 1000. Tine and REMA 1000 are among our biggest customers between Bergen and Stavanger," says Leidland.
Tine's industrial freight transport manager, Martine A. Gran Johnsen, is very pleased that the company can use the sea route between Bergen and Stavanger. She explains that Tine has clear sustainability goals and chooses sea transport wherever possible.
"Our dairy at Byrkelo in Sogn og Fjordane produces white cheese. Whey concentrate from this production is transported to our drying plant at Jæren. It's a large, consistent and predictable quantity to transport. We send it by sea with Fjord Line, as it's a more environmentally friendly alternative for this type of transport," says Gran Johnsen.
This was previously transported by road. But after Tine switched to sending the tanks with whey concentrate with Fjord Line in 2021, they save the driving equivalent of 250,000 kilometers each year. This saves no less than 112,500 litres of diesel annually, with subsequent emissions reductions.
Tine’s trolleys are dispatched with Fjord Line without a driver. In this way, they reduce the number of road kilometres and associated transport emissions, while also reducing the number of heavy vehicles on the road network. Tine also benefits from lower transport costs.
“Sending our trolleys with Fjord Line works very well. We enjoy a good working relationship – it’s stable and there’s good follow-up all the way. Sending this type of transport by sea is very beneficial,” says Gran Johnsen.
REMA 1000: – Flows well
The grocery retailer REMA 1000 also has high environmental ambitions and is always looking for solutions with lower environmental impact for the transportation of its goods.
“In line with our environmental strategy, we are always looking for opportunities to reduce our emissions into the environment. We do this by investing in environmentally friendly road transport, but also by moving goods from road to rail and, in this case, also by sea. Transporting our goods between Bergen and Stavanger with Fjord Line is a better solution for us than transporting the goods by road”, says transport director at REMA Distribusjon, Anders Hustoft.
Like Tine, REMA sends 1,000 of its own trolleys on Fjord Line’s ferries between Bergen and Stavanger.
“We have very good experience with this method for transporting goods. We have a good working relationship with Fjord Line. They are very customer-oriented, and it is a stable transport solution. This literally runs very smoothly”, says Hustoft.