Next year, Maersk Line is to commission an inland shipping terminal in the German Rhine port of Neuss, which must serve as a fulcrum for the transport of containers between the seaports, including Rotterdam, and the Ruhr.
Maersk is the third large market party with a strong presence in Rotterdam to have its own inland shipping terminal in Germany.
ECT took a a stake in DeCeTe two years ago, and CMA CGM also decided to open a terminal in Duisburg. CMA CGM is to take a share in a deepsea terminal in Rotterdam, which is due to open in 2013, as is DP World. This company has already been operating a terminal in Germersheim, on the Middle Rhine, for some years.
The tighter organisational connection between sea and hinterland terminals, particularly involving inland shipping and rail, increases the efficiency of hinterland transport and the capacity of the sea terminals.
In transport terms, these could be strengthened, for example, by using large barges with a total capacity of around 1,000 TEU, which would then operate a regular service between Rotterdam and the large terminals in the hinterland. ECT and the five major Rhine operators are to launch a feasibility study into this.
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