Central Europe possesses a dense network of inland ports that offer complex logistics services. Many of these are partners of Hamburg as a seaport and form an integral element of the transport chains in seaport hinterland traffic. Most locations possess tri-modal links and handle both bulk and general cargoes, as well as container and heavy cargo services.
The trading and industrial regions of Berlin/Brandenburg and Hanover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg, as well as the Saxony triangle, are firmly linked with the Port of Hamburg via the Elbe and canals further up river. There are also regular services by land waterway craft with Northern Bohemia. In addition, the Mittelland Canal offers a link with the Ruhr and the inland ports on the Rhine, Main, Moselle and Neckar. Every two weeks, for example, a heavy cargo line operates between Mannheim and Hamburg.
