Port of Rotterdam to cooperate with Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG and the Port of Rotterdam Authority on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement designed to improve the Dutch port’s hinterland connections.
The letter of intent was signed at Deutsche Bahn's headquarters in Berlin by Norbert Bensel, chairman of the transportation and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn, and Hans Smits, chief executive officer of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
The two partners also agreed to improve the exchange of data, in order to harmonize long-term forecasts and improve the interlinking of operational processes.
The Port of Rotterdam is one of largest handlers of cargo to and from Germany, and last year was the first European port to break through the 400-million ton barrier, with cargo throughput of 406 million tons.
“Despite enormous investments in our infrastructure, the existing resources alone will not be sufficient to handle growing freight volumes. That means we have to make better use of existing resources. This will only be possible by intensifying cooperation across transport chains, because a port's success is dependent on the capabilities of the hinterland connections,” Smits said.
Bensel said, “Together we will optimize hinterland connections; it is precisely this long-distance hinterland traffic that can be bundled which enables rail to maximize its advantages and bring more traffic to environmentally friendly rail.”
Sebastian J'rgens, head of Deutsche Bahn's intermodal business unit pointed out that rail only has an 11 percent modal split in Rotterdam, compared to 32 percent in Hamburg. “We still have a lot of room above that figure, and want to exploit this potential with new coordinated services, such as the creation of new hub and spoke concepts,” he said.
