The largest container terminal on the east coast of Sweden, the Port of Gävle, is doubling in capacity to be able to receive more and larger vessels. In this co-investment of Port of Gävle and Yilport the aim is also to expand the harbor with new unloading cranes and a new container area to meet the increasing yearly demands for container transport. New container terminal will open in the autumn of 2020.

SSAB has delivered steel piles to the Port of Gävle also before and the projects have been successful. Rover Maritime chose SSAB as a supplier because of the formerly proven good quality of steel piles and good service from SSAB. As the Spanish maritime company Rover Maritime is now entering also to Swedish market they wish to use already well-established products and companies with good reputation as business partners. SSAB’s solution for retaining walls, RD pile wall was highly recommended.

“I think that RD pile wall is working fine and it is a new and innovative solution with easy installation. We are happy that SSAB can provide deliveries with both trucks and vessels”, says Moisés Louredo, Project Manager, Rover Maritime.

Rover Maritime is using its own machine RM20 for all the land drilling of the RD500/16 pile wall. The installation is fast and easy, the speed has been up to one pile for 30 - 45 minutes. There is also one subcontractor Veidekke operating at the job site. They are responsible for the drilling of the smaller pile sizes and for the drilling of the pile wall from the pontoon in the sea. In the beginning of June around 40 % of the project is now completed.



Job site is multicultural since there are personnel from different countries as Spain, Portugal and Sweden. Everyone is sharing the same mission, expanding the container terminal for growing future needs. The Spanish contractor, Rover Maritime, has encountered some challenges due to the Nordic winter conditions. “We are not used to for example the practice that the machines need water removal before standing still to prevent the water to freeze and damage the hoses. Also the frozen sea was something new for us to experience when we started the project last winter. We didn’t think that the ice could be that hard! There was one occasion when we dropped a concrete block down from the quay and were surprised that the ice didn’t even brake” says Moisés Louredo.

Overall the contractor has been happy with the service and the help that they have got from SSAB. It has also been important that piles have been delivered on special lengths directly from rolling to minimize the need for splicing. There has been also ring bit welding at SSAB’s mills for most of the piles to avoid job site welding and increase safety at site. “We would gladly work with you again. We appreciate that you react fast and support us in technical questions. Also we have been satisfied with the deliveries and that you could provide material even faster than our needs”, Moisés Louredo concludes.



There have been altogether 3 vessel deliveries from the Port of Raahe and also several deliveries by trucks. The first vessel was very urgent to be delivered in time since there was Swedish infrastructure minister on a site visit to start off the project. SSAB delivers close to 4 000 tons of steel piles to the Port of Gävle. There is in total over 2 800 tons of RD500/16 piles with welded interlocks delivered for the pile wall. Pile lengths have varied from 19.85 meters to 22.85 meters. All piles are steel grade S440. There are also over 700 tons of RD320/12.5 piles delivered for the project. Pile lengths have been from 12 meters to 15.5 meters. During the summer there will be further 200 tons of RD piles delivered including also new RDT piles. RD270/12.5 and RDT220/12.5 piles will be delivered in 10 to 12 meter lengths.