Barge services at the Port of Hamburg remain on track to set a newrecord for the volume of cargo transported this year. With thetransport and logistics sector coming under increasing pressure fromenvironmental lobby groups and the rising cost of fuel, such types oftransportation are set to gain further in terms of their importance tothe fresh produce trade.
During the first quarter of 2008, atotal of 2.96m tonnes of cargo were transported in hinterland trafficusing barge services, which are regarded as one of the mostenvironmentally friendly means of transportation. This represents anincrease of approximately 8 per cent year-on-year.
The rise hasreportedly come about in part as a result of the growing number ofcontainers passing through the port. Around 30,400 TEU were carried oninland waterway vessels during the first three months of this year, anincrease of over 40 per cent compared with 2007 and a new record in thehistory of the Port of Hamburg.
'Today, 15 scheduled linerservices for containers link Hamburg with numerous inland ports alongthe Elbe river and the Mittellandkanal,' said a port spokesman. 'Inlandwaterway barges are also playing an increasingly important role inmoving containers between the various terminals in the Port of Hamburg.'
Meanwhileport-related industries are developing concepts designed to furtherincrease the share of inland-waterways shipping in the modal split infuture. 'The view taken here is that there are still vast reserves toabsorb the projected growth in cargo transhipments,' said the spokesman.
At a recent workshop held in Hamburg as part of the Binnen_Landresearch project sponsored by the Federal Department of the Economy andTechnology, participants supported efforts to further strengthenshipping via inland waterways through improvements in customsclearance, processing and marketing.
Proposals for specificmeasures are to be drafted over coming months, with particular focus onboosting the transportation of containers further. The spokesman added:'A number of inland ports are supportive of this development as it isin line with their efforts to play a greater role in the hinterlandtraffic to and from the Port of Hamburg.'
