Feature, Freight News, Sea

Hamburg operator barges into Brunswick

[ July 16, 2020   //   Chris ]

German logistics group Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA)has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the operating company at the inland port of Braunschweig (Brunswick), about 80km to the south in Lower Saxony. While the port of Hamburg is the largest rail port in Europe, and rail-based hinterland traffic is one of its particular strengths, this competitive advantage often cannot be used on shorter routes and inland waterways can be a more attractive alternative to trucks. Transit time via the waterway is about 24 hours, with seven departures every week.

HHLA executive board member Jens Hansen explained: “Hamburg and Braunschweig have excellent connections via the river Elbe, the Elbe Lateral Canal and the Mittelland Canal,” with 70,000teu being moved between the two locations by waterway last year. He added: “In order to shift additional transport volume to environmentally friendly inland waterway carriers, we want to work together with the Port of Braunschweig to develop new transport concepts for companies interested in forwarding goods,” said Hansen

This strategic collaboration with an inland port is a first for HHLA but the company is already holding discussions with other inland ports in the Hamburg hinterland.

The Port of Hamburg is not only the largest seaport but also the second-largest inland port in Germany with about 10,000 inland vessels calling each year at its terminals. Since 2012, the annual volume of container traffic reaching or leaving the Port of Hamburg by inland waterway vessel has grown by 50% to approximately 140,000teu.

Tags: HHLA; Braunschweig