VENLO - On the site of The Limburger we read a report about a three-party collaboration extending their inland waterway connection between the ports of Rotterdam and the port terminals in Venlo and Born. This will reduce goods transport via trucks.
Between Rotterdam and Limburg, capacity for container transport by barge will be increased, reducing the number of trucks on the road.
Three parties that have maintained a regular barge connection between the seaports of Rotterdam and the port terminals in Venlo and Born using the so-called Limburg Express for just under two years are going to use an additional vessel for their container transport. In total, roughly 500 fewer truck trips are needed every week due to this form of transport.
Cooperating parties
The cooperating parties, - European Gateway Services (EGS) in Venlo, Barge Terminal Born and the Danser Group, among others -, serve customers such as US fashion house Michael Kors with a mega-warehouse in Venlo and chemical company Sabic in Geleen with the Limburg Express. "We notice an increasing demand in the market for reliable and green transport solutions," managing director Joost Helwegen of Hutchison Ports Venlo (part of EGS) explains the expansion of transport capacity.
Waiting times
The 'Limburg Express' responds to problems in Rotterdam's seaports with the handling of container barges, making long waits and delays the order of the day. Frans van de Water of Sabic says that international shippers are "very much inconvenienced" by the uncertainty about the time of handling.
However, time slots have been created for barges carrying a large number of containers. This allows them to be loaded and unloaded according to a fixed schedule, which improves transport reliability. Precisely because of the bundling of the three parties, there is always enough cargo for the Limburg Express to claim this service.
In this context, Helwegen speaks of "a boost for the Limburg economy. By expanding transport capacity, Venlo and Born remain interesting for logistics sites."
