Copenhagen Malmö Port AB (CMP) operates the ports in Denmark's capital Copenhagen and in Sweden's third largest city, Malmö. The ports are located either side of Øresund, a strait between the two countries. The combined Øresund Region is the Nordic countries' largest metropolitan area in terms of population. The region is connected by the Øresund Bridge, which spans the strait at its southern end, and the HH Ferry route between Helsingør, Denmark and Helsingborg, Sweden. Most ships en route between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea/Atlantic pass through the ports, making the Øresund one of the world's busiest sounds. Regional hub The central location in the Øresund Region means that in a number of cases CMP acts as a hub for freight that is transported onward to the Baltic States, Russia and other parts of Northern Europe. In addition, CMP is a hub for intermediate storage of crude oil in the trade between Russia and countries including Australia and United States. CMP is located in the heart of the Øresund Region with almost four million consumers. The region is experiencing increasing integration between the Danish and Swedish areas. At the same time, the Region is the gateway to the entire Baltic Region with more than 100 million consumers. The Baltic Sea is one of the oldest and busiest trade routes, accounting for some 15% of the world's maritime transportation. Background, history Copenhagen Malmö Port is a Nordic company based in two countries – Sweden and Denmark. The company is owned by the By & Havn I/S Development Corporation (50%), Malmö City (27%) and private investors (23%). CMP is a Swedish-registered limited liability company (Aktiebolag). CMP was formed through a merger of Copenhagen Port and Malmö Port – two operations with a port and maritime history extending back to the Middle Ages. The merger took place in 2001, when the 16 kilometre long Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö was completed and the task of integrating the Öresund Region got underway. Current operations CMP is one of Scandinavia's largest port operators, handling more than 15.1 million tonnes of freight in 2018. This is down from 15.6 million tonnes in 2017. CMP provides access to an infrastructure that ensures goods are processed quickly and safely. Operations include roll-on/roll-off – and container traffic, cruises, combi-traffic via rail, and oil and dry bulk terminals. CMP receives ships of all sizes and handles all