A new regular barge service will operate from Basel-Kleinhüningen and Basel-Birsfelden to various deepsea terminals at the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Starting 1 January 2021, Swissterminal will offer two roundtrips each week to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. Both routes will go via the DP World Germersheim tri-modal container port.
Roman Mayer, CEO of Swissterminal, said: “We are seeing an increased demand for reliable connections to and from the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. By adding barge services to our portfolio, we are offering our customers additional supply chain flexibility and resiliency, which has proven crucial during times of crisis and will continue to be so in the future.”
The new service will begin with two feeder barges, both with a 96 TEU capacity. The two barges will connect DP World Germersheim with the Upper Rhine terminals. From the Germersheim hub, customers’ cargo will be loaded onto DP World’s existing service, which is regularly operated with five of the logistic provider’s vessels.
By offering a new barge service, Swissterminal is expanding its range of intermodal connections between Europe’s largest container ports and the hinterland. In addition, the introduction of the barge connections provides customers a cost-effective, sustainable transport alternative. With a low fuel consumption and a high carrying capacity, this barge service is in line with Swissterminal’s commitment to offering environmentally friendly logistics solutions.
By Rebecca Jeffrey
