The Swedish National Administration of Shipping and Navigation together with the Port of Gothenburg Authority decided in 1980 that in order to increase the safety level by providing shipping with improved navigational information, a new Vessel Traffic Centre should be introduced. The decision was based upon a number of considerations. The Port of Gothenburg handles 30000 vessels each year, the total volume of cargo being of the order of 22 million tonnes. Taken individually, fully loaded vessels entering the port can exceed 225000 tonnes deadweight with a length overall in excess of 325 metres. The crude oil discharged at Torshamnen, within the Gothenburg port area, supplies over 30 per cent of the oil requirements of the Swedish nation. In addition to the tanker trade, Gothenburg has a large ro-ro/container capacity and the ferries calling at the port carry three and a half million people per annum.