Port of Kiel takes part in Transport Logistic in Munich
The Port of Kiel, along with Color Line Cargo and SCA Logistics, is putting its service pallet on display at ‘transport logistic’ in Munich – the world’s leading trade fair for logistics and supply chain management. Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the PORT OF KIEL (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said: “I’m very pleased that two top Scandinavian companies are also exhibiting on the port of Kiel’s joint stand. The Munich trade fair is the perfect forum for meeting customers and business partners from the whole of Europe and for talking about seaport developments in Kiel.” The highlights of the port’s presentation at this year’s fair include the expansion of the Ostuferhafen cargo and logistics centre and ferry traffic shipment possibilities to and from Scandinavia and the Baltic region as well as intermodal transport links.
The Ostuferhafen, Kiel’s cargo and logistics centre right on the fiord, was recently expanded by more than four hectares as part of its fifth development phase. As a result, it is now even more universally capable than it was before. Alongside rolling cargo and containers, project cargo and heavy loads can be handled as well as bulk cargo - such as grain, scrap metals and coal - and growing volumes of forest products. “The PORT OF KIEL is one of the most versatile ports on the German coast”, said Dirk Claus. “This year it is likely that we will top the seven million ton cargo handling mark for the first time”. New in the Ostuferhafen is the SCA Logistics forest products centre, which went into operation just last autumn. From here, high-value paper products of the Swedish concerns SCA and Iggesund Paperboard are distributed throughout Germany and other European markets.
Regular shipping services to and from Scandinavia, the Baltic and Russia are the backbone of business in the port of Kiel. Daily departures to Norway with Color Line, Sweden with Stena Line and to Lithuania with DFDS offer the best possible shipping links with target markets in the Baltic area. Big modern ferry ships connect with destinations like Oslo, Gothenburg and Klaipeda overnight. In addition there are departures several times a week to Russia (to the ports of St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga) as well as to the east coast of Sweden to Sundsvall. Dirk Claus said: “The RoRo service to Sundsvall operates every Monday and Saturday. It offers new transport solutions, particularly since the southern Swedish port of Malmö is now also served. This is of interest not least for unaccompanied consignments in combination with hinterland transport by rail”, he noted.
As seaport cargo handling steadily increases, so too does the demand for hinterland transport by rail. In 2016 more than 29,000 trucks, trailers and containers were loaded onto rail in Kiel and the figure this year is expected to be considerably more than 30,000 consignments for the first time ever. The daily weekday intermodal shuttle via Hamburg-Billwerder links Kiel to the entire national railway network as well as to numerous other international intermodal rail destinations. In addition there are direct connections to Verona and Trieste in Italy. “Seaport hinterland rail transport is a Kiel success story”, says Dirk Claus. To make sure it stays that way Kiel is putting itself in a position to handle even longer shuttle trains. The Government has agreed, as part of its priority Seaport Hinterland Traffic II programme, to revamp the marshalling yard at Kiel-Meimersdorf to accept goods trains of 740 metres in length.
