Inland shipping between major deep-sea harbours of Benelux gains momentum
Two Dutch companies CTVrede and TMA Multimodal have joined forces to intensify inland shipping between major ports of Benelux. As a result, more containers will be delivered to the Port of Amsterdam from Rotterdam and Antwerp or vice versa. The electric barges will be used in this regard.
CTVrede and TMA Multimodal, the logistics companies based in the Port of Amsterdam, established a joint shipping line TMA Vrede to move containers on the North Netherlands Corridor. The new entity will begin its services starting from 1 November. It will provide a high-frequency sailing network with 25 weekly fixed connections between the CTVrede and TMA terminals in the Port of Amsterdam to and from Rotterdam as well as six weekly connections to and from Antwerp. Both partners expect that the joint inland shipping services with fixed departures and so-called ‘fixed windows’ in the deep-sea ports will meet the current challenges of congestion and delays in container transport.
Sustainable transport
Besides tackling congestion, the new inland shipping services have one more distinct feature. They will be provided in line with sustainability and decarbonisation. “We have been sailing with two electric ships for a year and a half and work with electric cranes at the terminals. This has enabled us to significantly reduce our emissions. Huge progress has been made in reducing the number of truck kilometres thanks to the highway over water. This collaboration is the next step: by joining forces, we can continue to invest proactively and on our own. We will continue on the path we have taken with electric ships and are actively making the rest of the chain more sustainable,” said Karlien Brolsma, general manager of CTVrede.