P&O Nedlloyd launches first inland hub

P&O Nedlloyd has chosen Duisburg Intermodal Terminal (DIT) in Germany as its key inland terminal for the Rhine-Ruhr area, in line with its new hinterland hub strategy in Europe. (6/25/2003)


The new DIT barge, rail and road terminal, which opened in October last year, is strategically located at the Logport logistics site in the center of the Rhine, Ruhr and Maas cross-border region.

In addition to barge and truck loading facilities, it will also give P&O Nedlloyd's customers in this region excellent rail access to both Rotterdam and Antwerp ports.

Aernoud Willeumier, P&O Nedlloyd's director of European Strategic Operations, said: "DIT is a state-of-the-art facility, providing a full service for container management on all routes, including water, rail and road. It can handle a large volume of cargo in one location, therefore cutting costs.

"The choice of DIT as a major hub is the first step in the implementation of our `Eurologic' project. The goal of `Eurologic' is to define and create the optimal logistical inland network for Europe built around a limited number of strategically chosen hubs. Our confidence in our selection of Duisburg is demonstrated by the fact that we have become a shareholder in DIT.

" Norbert Rekers, DIT terminal manager, said: "DIT will become a central point in the `Gateway Concept': large volumes of containers will be transported from deep sea ports by water and rail to the new terminal and then redistributed for onward transport by road, water and rail. With capacity for 200,000 TEU per year, DIT has the potential to absorb growth in volumes for several years to come.