European Giants in Dutch ‘Blue Road’ Cargo Innovation
9th January 2017
Paper-based packaging producer Smurfit Kappa, multimodal network operator Samskip and BCTN Roermond (BCTN) are proud to announce that they have set up a cost effective, sustainable transport solution to take cargo off the road.
Samskip handles most of the paper-based cargoes that are shipped in containers within Europe to Smurfit Kappa’s cardboard factory in Roermond in the Netherlands. Following a substantial increase in demand, together with BCTN, the three parties sought a more sustainable solution to cope with the increased volumes for the last mile delivery from Rotterdam to Roermond.
Taking the cargo flows off the road and onto ‘blue road’ inland waterway services will guarantee available capacity, and will save Smurfit Kappa carbon emissions of 45 kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per load.
In addition, Samskip will be able to offer higher payloads (up to 26.7 tonnes) to other customers with cargo into the Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz areas as the BCTN terminal is situated between Samskip’s Duisburg and Mannheim depots.
The first loads were unloaded in Roermond at the beginning of December, and 60 containers a week are expected to be shipped by inland waterway between Rotterdam and Roermond.