“RailRoCargo”, the joint product of Cuxport, DFDS Germany and Transa Spedition, is celebrating a milestone: in September 2017, the five millionth ton of cargo was transported to the Cuxport terminal in Cuxhaven for onward shipping to the United Kingdom.
The “RailRoCargo” joint venture has been in existence since 1982 and includes the preliminary transport of goods by Transa to Cuxhaven, mainly by rail. At the Cuxport terminal, the goods are transferred from the rail wagons onto DFDS MAFI roll trailers in a covered area. These are subsequently shipped by Ro/Ro cargo ferry to Immingham near Grimsby & Hull on the East coast of England, where DFDS takes over the storage of the freight and its distribution to British consignees by truck.
The types of goods handled include mainly steel, paper, timber and building materials. Timber products, for example in the form of floor coverings, are currently the strongest growth segment, with an increase of 97 per cent compared to last year. “We can also handle project cargo such as rolling stock at the terminal using our port cranes, which have a lifting capacity of up to 100 tons,” says Roland Schneider, Head of Business Development at Cuxport.
Depending on load type, a rail wagon with a capacity of 90 cubic meters or 60 tons of goods corresponds to a loaded Mafi roll trailer or up to three truckloads. “The combination of rail transport and Mafi roll trailers in maritime transport avoids placing further strain on the roads and the environment while still achieving a high degree of profitability,” explains Kay-Uwe Müller-Gericke, Business Development Manager at Transa Spedition GmbH.
“With five weekly ferry crossings in each direction, we offer a high frequency of departures and load capacity, which allows us to have a fast through-flow of goods. Our customers in particular appreciate the needs-based availability of their goods stored by DFDS in the sales markets,” says Joachim Wöhlkens, Sales & Marketing Manager Shipping Logistics at DFDS Germany in Cuxhaven.
