Maersk to invest in logistics facilities of Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary
Danish shipping giant Maersk will pursue “an aggressive growth strategy for inland terminals in order to maintain a grip on container handling,” as says the company's Central Europe managing director Andre Toet . The line will invest in expansion of the railway network and inland terminals into the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, Toet said; expansion of the network inland being necessary to deal with growth in the ports. Based on Port of Rotterdam estimates, he said, Maersk can expect to double its throughput at Rotterdam to 20Mteu in 2017. Growth in throughput will mean shipping lines must get containers quickly out of the terminals and into the hinterland, Toet said – and shipping lines, shippers, forwarders and intermodal operators must pull their weight to make that happen. At present, 26% of Maersk’s containers are transported onwards by truck, 32% per cent by rail and 42% by barge. Toet challenged the barge-operating sector to invest in economies of scale and consolidation. “It is not particularly helpful when a barge can only load or unload 10 containers at our APM Terminal, while the Emma Maersk, for example, can carry over 10,000teu.”
