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PORT SPECIAL N O 04 ROTTERDAM YOUR WORLD-CLASS container port

For us, Rotterdam is one of the most important

the Betuweroute. In that, Duisburg is the first major

are at the basis of this: who informs whom. If a

seaports, says Volker Schmitz, Managing Director

hub on the German side of the border.

delay occurs: notify the next link in the chain

of Duisport Agency, the cross-company marketing

beforehand. They can put this information to good

organisation of the port of Duisburg, situated at

I m prov i n g th e r a i l pro d u c t

the heart of Germanys Ruhr area. The same

The Rotterdam Duisburg


connection
Duisburg is the largest inland container port in the world
and a key hub in Rotterdams European network. Besides
inland shipping, rail in particular offers more and more
opportunities in this respect, especially since the freightonly Betuweroute railway line between Rotterdam and
Germany has come on stream. Through increased coordination and data exchange, the rail product Rotterdam
- Duisburg vice versa can be further improved in the near
future.

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use. The information must travel ahead of the train.


One preliminary result of the Chain Management

applies the other way around as well. Martien

to g e th e r

Windhorst, Head of the Logistics Department of

More than enough reason for Duisport Agency,

in punctuality, which could result in twenty percent

the Port of Rotterdam Authority: Duisburg is of

Keyrail and the Port of Rotterdam Authority to

increase in efficiency.

strategic importance to Rotterdam, both as a

jointly see how the rail product Rotterdam - Duis-

destination in its own right and as a major inland

We need
to think
and work
much
more in
terms of
networks
and
corridors

burg can be further improved. Data exchange and

approach in Rotterdam is a twenty percent increase

coordination are crucial for this. Windhorst: In

Tr a n s l ati o n to Du is burg

Rotterdam, we are greatly benefitting from the

Such a method of working can also facilitate the

Chain Management approach of Keyrail and the

handling of trains in Duisburg, says Schmitz with

services of Portbase, the Port Community System

conviction. One of our subsidiaries - Duisport Rail

of our port which guarantees an optimum exchange

- takes care of the shunting of all the trains in our

of data. Through the Chain Management

port. For this, sound agreements are essential. If

approach, Keyrail has improved the cooperation

there are any delays in the train schedules, then

between the many parties which make up Rotter-

things can become quite disordered. Duisport

and the realisation of efficient corridors. The

dams rail chain. Sjoerdsma: In the past, everyone

Agency therefore wants to instigate a pilot with a

dedicated Betuweroute cargo railway line offers

would just optimise their own section; as a result,

similar Chain Management approach together with

ample opportunity for that. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma,

the total product however was sub-optimal. Using

all the large and smaller parties in its port. For

Managing Director of rail infrastructure manager

an integrated planning, supported by a train

this, we will gladly make use of the knowledge and

Keyrail: Our main goal is to facilitate efficient rail

information system, we have now changed all that.

knowhow of Keyrail. It of course also helps that we

transport from Rotterdam to the rest of Europe via

More important are the concrete agreements that

can show that this chain management actually

hub for moving rail cargo deep into Europe. With


the continuous increase in container flows in the
future, its role will only become more important.
Both Rotterdam and Duisburg are aware of their
interdependence and are keen to further strengthen
the cooperation. Schmitz: To be and remain
competitive from a European perspective, we need
to think and work much more in terms of networks

works in Rotterdam. We are now at the starting


point, but hope to have achieved the first results at
the end of 2010.
Even before that, Duisport Agency aims to enthuse
the port community in Duisburg for Portbase. The
Port Community System of Rotterdam can further
simplify the exchange of data with the seaport, for

PHoto Martien

Windhorst (l), Volker Schmitz (m) and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma: Together


creating a better and more reliable rail product.

example if companies in Duisburg make use of


services such as Barge planning, Rail planning and
Cargo information. Schmitz: We want to implement
Portbase ourselves in the near future and then
actively promote it amongst individual companies.

Co rr i d o r Rot te r da m - Du is burg

After the chain management has been improved at


both ends, the ultimate goal of the three initiating
parties is to further extend this to an improved
coordination on the entire corridor Rotterdam Duisburg, with joint planning, coordination of
terminal slots etc. Sjoerdsma: We are of course
also discussing this matter with DB Netz, Germanys rail infrastructure manager. In combination
with the exchange of data through Portbase, rail
traffic between the two hubs can thus really be
boosted. Windhorst: Together, we are creating a
better and more reliable rail product for our
customers, in which more trains will be able to run
on the same infrastructure. As far as we are
concerned, Rotterdam - Duisburg is only the
beginning. Once everything is up and running, we
will also gladly implement the concept at other
destinations.

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