APM Terminals Maasvlakte II will increase frequency of its five-times weekly rail freight service between Rotterdam terminal and Venlo on the Dutch-German border to 14 times a week shortly.
Maasvlakte II's head of commercial management Roy De Haan said the terminal is equipped with a fully automated 500-metre barge berth, and he noted that Venlo is regarded as an ideal inland location for servicing the distribution centres of major retailers.
'With transport times of between six and seven days by barge, the new overnight rail service is very appealing to customers in industries such as fast fashion, where speed to market is an essential competitive advantage,' said De Haan, reported Hellenic Shipping News.
Starting as a pilot at the end of 2018, with three rail services per week, the terminal operator already has firm plans to offer eight departures per week from July, and up to 14 departures per week soon after. Each rail departure has capacity for 96 TEU, which replaces 48 trucks on the road.
'As the rail operator, APM Terminals also has direct influence on both terminals (Maasvlakte II and Cabooter Berick), which enables the company to provide priority loading/discharge for urgent containers. The direct point-to-point service also offers increased reliability as there are no terminal stops that could bring potential delays,' said Mr De Haan.
WORLD SHIPPING
Maasvlakte II's head of commercial management Roy De Haan said the terminal is equipped with a fully automated 500-metre barge berth, and he noted that Venlo is regarded as an ideal inland location for servicing the distribution centres of major retailers.
'With transport times of between six and seven days by barge, the new overnight rail service is very appealing to customers in industries such as fast fashion, where speed to market is an essential competitive advantage,' said De Haan, reported Hellenic Shipping News.
Starting as a pilot at the end of 2018, with three rail services per week, the terminal operator already has firm plans to offer eight departures per week from July, and up to 14 departures per week soon after. Each rail departure has capacity for 96 TEU, which replaces 48 trucks on the road.
'As the rail operator, APM Terminals also has direct influence on both terminals (Maasvlakte II and Cabooter Berick), which enables the company to provide priority loading/discharge for urgent containers. The direct point-to-point service also offers increased reliability as there are no terminal stops that could bring potential delays,' said Mr De Haan.
WORLD SHIPPING