East Indiaman Götheborg will be placed at Masthuggskajen in Gothenburg

On Monday morning a press meeting was held to present a solution for the East Indiaman. Stena has been one of the driving forces behind a long-term solution, with placement at Masthuggskajen and a connecting Visitors Center.  

There are several major players from the trade and industry who have joined forces to create a new historical sight in the city of Gothenburg. In cooperation with the City of Gothenburg and the region Västra Götaland the future of the ship is secured. Masthuggskajen, located very close to Stena Line´s Denmark terminal and head office, will be the new location for Götheborg.

Around the ship there will be a Visitor Center connecting to Gothenburg’s long history as an international trading and shipping town. The chosen location brings the East Indiaman in the middle of an urban environment under strong development. At Masthuggskajen a variety of building projects to are planned, among other things to stimulate trade and growth. A consortium with Stena, Elof Hansson, NCC and Riksbyggen secures financing, together with three of the city’s largest companies – SKF, Volvo Cars and AB Volvo – and the Västra Götaland Region, which is expected to take the decision on Wednesday, and the three municipal companies Business Region Gothenburg, Göteborg & Co and the Port of Gothenburg.

“From the business perspective, we see it as natural and important to contribute to the preservation and development of commercial and maritime city of Göteborg, which now also is a strong industrial city. When the city is now entering a new growth phase, which will give us a new and stronger profile, we must not forget our history. East Indiaman is an excellent symbol of the spirit and drive that laid the foundation for what Gothenburg is today. By now making the ship to a part of this new neighborhood, we can connect our history with a future that is both exciting and challenging. There will also be an important contribution to culture and tourism, both during the construction of the district and in the future”, says Dan Sten Olsson, Stena’s owner and CEO.

The municipal company Älvstranden Utveckling contributes by leasing berth at Eriksberg in anticipation of a temporary pavilion for the visitors center is being built on Masthuggskajen. Just in time for Gothenburg’s 400th anniversary in 2021, a permanent Visitors Center will be in place in connection with the East Indiaman. There, the Gothenburg region can continue to take advantage of the colorful history of the city’s roots that can be told through the ship Götheborg. Tourists, foreign delegations and people of Gothenburg themselves will be able to visit the ship, which will be more accessible than before.

Swedish East India Company AB (SOIC AB), which owns the ship Götheborg has long sought new financing. An option has been selling overseas, but then Gothenburg would have lost an attraction that many highly value and that many also been contributing to.