Transportation INTERMODAL
REACHING THE HINTERLANDS
The European Container Terminal also operates an intermodal service to feed containers by barge and rail into
more remote areas, or the hinterlands, of Northern Europe,
Germany, and Austria. Known as European Gateway Services
(EGS), this operation consolidates freight for delivery using
a method known as “synchromodal transport,” where algorithms determine the optimal way to transport each container
based on mode, route, and leadtime.
Many of these containers move by barge on Holland’s
extensive river and canal system. Waterways connect the Port
of Rotterdam to the Meuse River, which also connects to the
Rhine to feed points in Germany and beyond. About 7,000
vessels ply the Netherlands’ inland shipping lanes, the largest such fleet in Europe. According to the Holland Logistics
Library, 79 percent of all containers transported on inland
waterways within the European Union (EU) pass through
Dutch territory.
Inland ports within the Netherlands receive containers
originating in Rotterdam that require further intermodal
handoffs. For example, the Trimodal Container Terminal in
Venlo acts as an extended gateway for the Port of Rotterdam’s
ECT terminal, with facilities for transferring boxes from barges or railcars to trucks. Located just a few kilometers from the
German border, the city of Venlo has become an important
border crossing. Many U.S. and international distributors
have set up shop in the area to process fresh foods destined
for German markets (see the photo infographic on Fresh Park
Venlo in this issue).
INNOVATIVE LAST-MILE DELIVERY
Other delivery modes are being deployed in the cities to
help ease congestion and pollution. In Amsterdam, couriers
use the extensive canal network to ferry packages by water.
Bicycles are also common in Amsterdam, and it’s not unusual
to see couriers out making deliveries on electric bikes towing
wagons filled with parcels.
Amsterdam is currently looking to establish plug-in stations
around the city for refrigerated trucks. This would enable
trucks to use electricity to keep cargo cool during delivery
stops, instead of running their diesel engines. Smaller electric
and natural-gas trucks are also being deployed in the cities
to reduce noise and pollution while deftly navigating narrow
streets. When possible, deliveries are made at night to further reduce congestion. Autonomous vehicles are also being
looked at as a potential last-mile delivery method, all with the
aim of reducing the use of larger trucks.
The Netherlands’ history of trade- and transport-related
innovation is no accident. The country was created out of an
area once occupied by the North Sea, and it has little in the
way of natural resources other than water. To survive, and
ultimately flourish, it needed an avenue by which the world
could efficiently move its commerce. If history, and the present, is any guide, it has certainly met the test.
