The largest container terminal in the European hinterland is being developed in the Port of Duisburg. Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) will withdraw its coal island from the market, starting in 2020, and build a trimodal container terminal instead, together with its international partners Cosco Shipping Logistics, Hupac SA, and HTS Group. Pre-carriage and onward carriage of goods at the trimodal terminal are to be handled primarily by water and rail. The investment volume amounts to around EUR 100 million. The terminal is set for commissioning in 2022.
This is duisport’s response to the sharp decline in coal handling resulting from the energy transformation. In the future, duisport will instead use the coal island in particular to handle the booming trade with China. The new terminal will be developed into the key European gateway hub, in particular to handle rail traffic along the corridors of the New Silk Road, and will therefore operate under the name Duisburg Gateway Terminal.
On the 240,000 m² in the Port of Duisburg, 220,000 m² are earmarked for the terminal and 20,000 m² for warehouses. Six gantry crane systems, 12 block train platforms with a track length of 730 meters each, 5 loading areas and 3 berths for inland vessels, as well as a container storage area of 60,000 m² will ensure rapid container handling in two construction stages.