[190420.EN.SEA] River Barges Now Key To Container Shipping To Hamburg's Hinterland

CONTAINER barge traffic through the Port of Hamburg was up 13 per cent to 145,078 TEU in 2019 despite a 4.1 per cent nationwide decline in overall box movement over the same period.

"Container transport by barge plays an important role in the modal split of the modes of transport for the port of Hamburg in seaport hinterland traffic and port transshipment," said Ingo Egloff, executive board member of Port of Hamburg Marketing.

This figure does not include the increased intra-port transshipment by barges in the Port of Hamburg, said the port authorities. In 2019 that was more than 170,000 TEU. These container movements within the port replaced a total of around 120,000 truck transports and are a good example of a successful modal shift.

In addition to the good development of the cargo handling for the hinterland of the Port of Hamburg, the improved integration of inland navigation into the port processes also played a role in the positive development.

The Hamburg Vessel Coordination Centre (HVCC) is also increasingly controlling the port rotations of barges in order to better coordinate them with the terminal procedures in Hamburg. The establishment of a barge platform opens further opportunities for coordinated action by all players involved in the port.

"The barge is also of great importance for the transport of particularly heavy and bulky cargo as well as for all types of bulk commodities. The barge can compensate changes in the loading mix very well,?said Mr Egloff.

Implementation of Elbe River maintenance concept The very good water levels on the Upper Elbe at the beginning of 2020 have shown what the barge is capable of when transporting even large and heavy cargo.

Source : HKSG.