Rhenus Port Logistics Rhein-Ruhr has initiated operations at Terminal 4 of the Port of Duisburg to handle grain shipments from Ukraine. This facility, equipped with weatherproof terminals and specialized loading equipment, will now serve as a critical junction for transporting maize, which was previously shipped through the port of Odessa.
The new route utilizes rail transport through Ukraine, Poland, and Germany, culminating in Duisburg where the maize is transferred directly from Upline containers into inland waterway vessels. This method ensures swift onward transport by closely coordinating the arrivals of rail and shipping services.
Rhenus Port Logistics operates in numerous German ports, including Duisburg through the Rhein-Ruhr Terminal. In collaboration with container logistics specialist Contargo and inland waterway vessel operator Rhenus LBH PartnerShip, the project involves various rail service companies, including duisport rail GmbH, to manage the rail services from Ukraine to Duisburg via Poland.
A four-month analysis preceded the launch, ensuring smooth transport operations. The logistics process includes multiple reloading points, such as transferring freight from cereal bunker wagons to standard EU bulk containers at Mostyska, Ukraine, and applying GPS tracking seals at the Polish/Ukrainian border, which are removed at the German/Polish frontier. The project currently sees up to four block trains arriving at Duisburg each month.
Contargo Intermodal Poland’s Managing Director and Project Manager, Marcin Czachorowski, sees potential for long-term operations in Duisburg as an alternative to Odessa, with prospects of expanding to other cereal products such as wheat, rapeseed, sugar beet pellets, and soybeans.
