By the end of the year it is hoped that around 35,000 vehicles will be handled there, soon rising to more than 100,000.

Oliver Wittke, the Transport Minister of North RhineWestphalia, where Duisburg in located, stressed the importance of waterways for his region.

He said, 'By integrating inland shipping and the railways it is possible to design flexible, low-cost and ecologically meaningful transport concepts.

This also contributes to providing relief for the roads'.

Erich Staake, spokesman for the Management Board of the Duisburg Port Authority added, 'After Cobelfret, Harms is the second major vehicle logistics specialist with international operations to locate here. This will strengthen this still young field of business in the port of Duisburg'.

BLG Logistics CEO, Detthold Aden, said by establishing the Duisburg terminal, E H Harms had strengthened its presence on the Rhine and its aim to better integrate Europe's most important inland waterway into the company's international transport concepts.

'The automobile industry needs efficient and flexible networks. Duisburg is the ideal complement for us, ' said Ulrich Burgath, CEO of E.H. Harms.

Duisburg has rail and inland shipping connections to central and Eastern Europe. In addition, the port is the central hinterland hub for the North Sea ports and an ideal location for regional distribution of vehicles for North Rhine-Westphalia and the Benelux countries.