Container transfers in the Port of Hamburg: CTD and DBR going for exclusive cooperation plus alternatives to trucking
03 May 2016 12:47 Hinterland
Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA)‘s intermodal subsidiary CTD (Container-Transport-Dienst) and Deutsche Binnenreederei (DBR) have been cooperating closely on container repositioning in the Port of Hamburg for over ten years. Their exclusive cooperation offers advantages for both companies. Deploying inland waterway craft boosts its range of services for container trucking specialist CTD, especially with the transport of out-of-gauge project cargoes as well large quantities of containers. Partner DBR‘s push-lighters and push-barge-trains are used, the latter being capable of accommodating up to 210 standard containers (TEU) in three layers aboard two coupled units. Flats and open-top containers are transported in environmentally friendly fashion within the port area by large lighters that are known as Kähne or ‘tubs’ in Hamburg – and without the special authorization required for transporting out-of-gauge and heavy lift cargoes by truck. Calls are not made exclusively at container terminals but at all handling facilities with waterside access. Orders are handled through CTD, with its head office right in the Port of Hamburg on Reiherdamm.
DBR also controls direct ship movements out of the Port of Hamburg. Deployment of vessels in the 24/7 service is coordinated from the Peute area of the port. “We are market leaders for hinterland transport by inland waterway vessel for Hamburg, Central and Eastern Germany. With eleven sailings per week from Hamburg at present, we are in any case present daily at the terminals in the Port of Hamburg. To boost our existing services by internal port transfers was an obvious step and the right decision commercially,” says René Oloff, Branch Manager for DBR. “Despite the weaker market, in 2015 we were able to report growth of about 12 percent to over 8.000 containers (TEU) for our Container Re-Positioning segment.”
Along with commercial factors, environmental considerations are also paramount for the cooperation between the two companies. Optimally loaded, an inland waterway craft renders up to 100 truck runs superfluous. Additional advantages over trucking are considerably lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. As Ralph Frankenstein, Managing Director of CTD Container-Transport-Dienst, explains: “With DBR, we have a competent and reliable partner alongside us. Deployment of the DBR’s fleet of inland waterway craft enables us to react even more flexibly to customer enquiries and above all, to supply environmentally friendlier transport. In addition, using inland waterway vessels relieves pressure on roads in the Port of Hamburg.”
Frankenstein and Oloff are unanimous about their collaboration: “The inland waterway vessel is an extension of Port of Hamburg logistics that makes sense and from which everybody profits. We shall be relying on this cooperation in future.”
About CTD
CTD Container-Transport-Dienst is a company in Hamburger Hafen und Logistik’s Intermodal segment. CTD is the market leader for container repositioning in the Port of Hamburg. CTD is also engaged in transporting containers throughout Germany and all over Europe.
About DBR
Deutsche Binnenreederei AG (DBR) is a member company of OT Logistics Group, operating inland waterway craft throughout Europe, with bases in Hamburg, Berlin and Magdeburg. With a fleet comprising 500 vessels, DBR offers transport solutions along the entire transport chain. Its range of logistics services covers containers as well as bulk, heavy lift and project cargoes.
DBR also controls direct ship movements out of the Port of Hamburg. Deployment of vessels in the 24/7 service is coordinated from the Peute area of the port. “We are market leaders for hinterland transport by inland waterway vessel for Hamburg, Central and Eastern Germany. With eleven sailings per week from Hamburg at present, we are in any case present daily at the terminals in the Port of Hamburg. To boost our existing services by internal port transfers was an obvious step and the right decision commercially,” says René Oloff, Branch Manager for DBR. “Despite the weaker market, in 2015 we were able to report growth of about 12 percent to over 8.000 containers (TEU) for our Container Re-Positioning segment.”
Along with commercial factors, environmental considerations are also paramount for the cooperation between the two companies. Optimally loaded, an inland waterway craft renders up to 100 truck runs superfluous. Additional advantages over trucking are considerably lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. As Ralph Frankenstein, Managing Director of CTD Container-Transport-Dienst, explains: “With DBR, we have a competent and reliable partner alongside us. Deployment of the DBR’s fleet of inland waterway craft enables us to react even more flexibly to customer enquiries and above all, to supply environmentally friendlier transport. In addition, using inland waterway vessels relieves pressure on roads in the Port of Hamburg.”
Frankenstein and Oloff are unanimous about their collaboration: “The inland waterway vessel is an extension of Port of Hamburg logistics that makes sense and from which everybody profits. We shall be relying on this cooperation in future.”
About CTD
CTD Container-Transport-Dienst is a company in Hamburger Hafen und Logistik’s Intermodal segment. CTD is the market leader for container repositioning in the Port of Hamburg. CTD is also engaged in transporting containers throughout Germany and all over Europe.
About DBR
Deutsche Binnenreederei AG (DBR) is a member company of OT Logistics Group, operating inland waterway craft throughout Europe, with bases in Hamburg, Berlin and Magdeburg. With a fleet comprising 500 vessels, DBR offers transport solutions along the entire transport chain. Its range of logistics services covers containers as well as bulk, heavy lift and project cargoes.
Schubverband im Hamburger Hafen