Ports of Rotterdam, Rhineland-Palatinate to Drive Cargo Flows Forward

On the 8th of May, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the port authorities of Ludwigshafen and Rheinland-Pfalz signed a Joint Declaration.

Ports of Rotterdam and Rhineland-Palatinate to Work on Development of Cargo Flows

They agreed to tackle the development of the flows between the port of Rotterdam and Rhineland-Palatinate jointly, to stimulate inland shipping and the use of LNG in freight transport jointly and to work together on German traffic policy.

The delegation from Rhineland-Palatinate was headed by Traffic Minister Roger Lewentz and included traffic specialists from the CDU, SPD and the Green Party from state parliament, Franz Josef Reindl, the port director of Ludwigshafen, representatives from the business sector and regional media.

Every year 17 million tonnes of cargo travels between the port of Rotterdam and Rhineland-Palatinate, mainly by inland vessels. That is 15% of all cargo between Rotterdam and Germany. Eight terminals in the state are already affiliated with InlandLinks, the Rotterdam hinterland network for containers.

In the past years the Port of Rotterdam Authority has endeavoured to increase the connections of the four German states along the Rhine with each other and with the port of Rotterdam. They have shared interests, such as the shift in cargo to rail and inland shipping and investments in infrastructure. Strong ties with the Rhine corridor will also give the port of Rotterdam a firmer position in the German policy.

During the two-day visit to Rotterdam, the German delegation obtained information about the future strategy of the port of Rotterdam and the consequences for freight traffic.

“The container flow will more than double in the next 20 years. Efficient logistic concepts and adequate infrastructure are required to handle this logistically. Our aim is for 65 percent of the containers to be transported via rail and inland waterways in 2035; currently that is around 52 percent.

A driving factor is the reduction of environmental impact due to emissions, particulate matter and noise. Stimulating the use of LNG in freight transport is a priority,” according to Emile Hoogsteden, director of Containers, Breakbulk and Logistics at the Port Authority.

Cooperation logical

The Port of Rotterdam Authority, the state Rhineland-Palatinate and the port authorities of Ludwigshafen and Rheinland-Pfalz intend to exchange information and experiences regularly so they can respond better to the increasing freight flows on the European North-South traffic axes.

“Even the geographical situation itself, with Rotterdam at the mouth of the Rhine and Rhineland-Palatinate at its middle point, makes closer cooperation logical. The significant environmental impact from rail noise in the Middle Rhine valley means that freight should certainly be transported on the Rhine whenever possible,” emphasised Minister Lewentz after the declaration was signed.

The objective is a joint and concerted approach to the further development of freight traffic in the hinterland of the port of Rotterdam especially.

According to Minister Lewentz, Rhineland-Palatinate anticipates the developments through its submission of two projects for the national German infrastructure plan 2015: an alternative freight train route with reduced noise nuisance, and the optimisation of the navigation channel of the Rhine between Mainz and Sankt Goar.

This will allow the inland vessels to transport more freight at lower water levels. The Minister observed that the public ports in the state are also well prepared for the increasing freight flows. Many container terminals have made significant investments in expanding their capacity in the past years. The logistical concept of Rhineland-Palatinate will be further developed on this basis.

“The next terminal extension is set to start in Ludwigshafen Kaiserwörthhafen,” said manager Franz Reindl of the port authority of Ludwigshafen am Rhein. The capacity will increase from around 75,000 units to approximately 139,000 units per year.

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Press Release, May 09, 2014