Developed over the past two years and due to become operational in June 2005, AMSbarge will provide a daily connection across the water between companies on the water and will facilitate intermodal scheduled connections with Amsterdam via railway, inland navigation and sea links.

Equipped with a 100 ton heavy duty crane, AMSbarge will deliver cargo to terminals from where it will be transported to its final destination via the railway, coastal and inland navigation. The result should be permanent inland navigation connections between the Amsterdam region and Rotterdam, the Ruhre, Belgium and Northern France and industrial centres.

AMSbarge is an initiative of the Logistics Platform for the industrial sector in which the Amsterdam Port Authority participates and is being carried out by the Mercurius Shipping Group. It focuses on companies that are located on the water in the Amsterdam region.

Some 40 companies have shown an interest thus far, including those within the port area and others at or in the vicinity of Schiphol Airport.

Mooring locations are due to become available at Schiphol in the future.

An interesting aspect of the AMSbarge project is the strict requirement that it must not be more expensive than transport by road.

MJ Information No: 20044