HAMBURGER Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) subsidiary Container-Transport-Dienst (CTD) is now carrying out the majority of its container transports during the night shift at the German port of Hamburg, in a bid to reduce traffic on port roads and to ease the strain on port infrastructure, especially during peak hours.
CTD has also increased its share of environmentally friendly container transport by using inland waterway vessels and trains. Due to the short distances, containers are typically moved between depots for empty containers and the container and/or rail terminals by truck.
Out of the 50,000 containers that CTD trucks transported last year, some 20,500 (41 per cent) were moved between 18.00 and 06.00 hours, reported WorldCargo News of Leatherhead, Surrey.
'In our planning, we try to schedule as many trips as possible during the night shift. This ensures a more even utilisation of our vehicle fleet while also increasing capacities during the day.' It also means the trucks spend less time waiting in traffic, which makes transport planning more reliable and also serves to protect the environment.
Water-to-water transports by inland waterway vessel or barge increased in the past year by 10 per cent to 13,000 TEU. In recent years, CTD has gradually increased the amount of movements by inland vessel to 16 per cent, reducing the number of truck journeys by 6,500.
CTD's biggest success was the establishment of a new railway line between Hamburg and Bremerhaven, which it has been operating in partnership with HHLA rail subsidiary Metrans since the end of 2018. Up to three rail departures in each direction per week have so far replaced 300 journeys by truck.
CTD is not only boosting its use of environmentally-friendly rail transport in Hamburg. At its Berlin site, intermodal transport moves rose by 21 per cent to 26,000 TEU and by 19 per cent in Stuttgart-Kornwestheim to 45,000 TEU.
WORLD SHIPPING
CTD has also increased its share of environmentally friendly container transport by using inland waterway vessels and trains. Due to the short distances, containers are typically moved between depots for empty containers and the container and/or rail terminals by truck.
Out of the 50,000 containers that CTD trucks transported last year, some 20,500 (41 per cent) were moved between 18.00 and 06.00 hours, reported WorldCargo News of Leatherhead, Surrey.
'In our planning, we try to schedule as many trips as possible during the night shift. This ensures a more even utilisation of our vehicle fleet while also increasing capacities during the day.' It also means the trucks spend less time waiting in traffic, which makes transport planning more reliable and also serves to protect the environment.
Water-to-water transports by inland waterway vessel or barge increased in the past year by 10 per cent to 13,000 TEU. In recent years, CTD has gradually increased the amount of movements by inland vessel to 16 per cent, reducing the number of truck journeys by 6,500.
CTD's biggest success was the establishment of a new railway line between Hamburg and Bremerhaven, which it has been operating in partnership with HHLA rail subsidiary Metrans since the end of 2018. Up to three rail departures in each direction per week have so far replaced 300 journeys by truck.
CTD is not only boosting its use of environmentally-friendly rail transport in Hamburg. At its Berlin site, intermodal transport moves rose by 21 per cent to 26,000 TEU and by 19 per cent in Stuttgart-Kornwestheim to 45,000 TEU.
WORLD SHIPPING