DHL Expands Package Transport on Water in Berlin

(Bonn/Berlin) Since the start of the project in October 2022, DHL has already delivered more than 50,000 packages CO₂-neutral by solar ship in the capital. The company now plans to expand the existing route from Spandau to the Westhafen by adding two more stops at the Humboldthafen near the main train station and at Wikingerufer. Additionally, by the end of the year, all necessary conditions will be created to establish a second route from Köpenick to the Osthafen near the Oberbaum Bridge with a second solar ship.

To continue this path of climate-neutral delivery, the DHL Group will now also enter into a cooperation with the Berlin Senate. Together with the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment, at least ten solar-powered DHL Packstations will be set up at the stops of the solar ship along the waterways. This way, CO₂-neutral logistics in package transport will be further advanced. The approval process for the solar-powered DHL Packstations will start in collaboration with the Senate in the coming months.

So Far a Success Story

“The solar ship in Berlin is an absolute success story. We are even more pleased that we can extend this pilot project together with our partners BEHALA and Solarwaterworld,” says Sven Goerke, head of the Berlin Paket branch. “Furthermore, we are now setting another example for sustainable package transport: City logistics with solar ships on Berlin’s waters, complemented by solar-powered DHL Packstations, helps to relieve traffic on the roads and supports Berlin on its way to becoming a climate-neutral city.” Goerke also emphasizes: “How it will continue in the long term depends on various factors, including future postal legislation. We hope for viable framework conditions that will also enable us to make investments in postal and package services in Germany in the future, especially in the area of sustainability.”

Manja Schreiner, Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment of the State of Berlin, is also convinced of the project. “This is how climate-friendly freight transport works. DHL shows how forward-looking freight transport can function in the city. Using waterways in a climate-neutral way to reach satisfied customers – this is exemplary and will continue to be supported by us,” says Schreiner. “I hope that more logistics companies will follow this example and move more and more traffic onto the water.”

The important project partners of the solar ship, Berliner Hafen- und Lagergesellschaft BEHALA and the shipping company Solarwaterworld AG, also draw a positive interim conclusion. Petra Cardinal, managing director of BEHALA, says: “As a sustainably operating port logistics company, we welcome the successful shift of traffic to the waterways and are pleased about its extension and expansion.”

Further Promote Sustainable Freight Transport on Water

Tim-Derek Schultze, board member of Solarwaterworld AG, emphasizes: “Promoting electric solar shipping is in the DNA of our company. Concepts for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable freight transport on water must be advanced – every step in this direction helps us combat the climate crisis.” Schultze’s board colleague Louise Ahrens shares this view: “In passenger shipping, we have already set milestones in Berlin; the next logical step is freight transport. We are very pleased that DHL – one of the world’s largest and most important logistics companies – is trying out new ways with us.”

Since October 2022, DHL has been transporting up to 350 shipments daily on the Spree and Havel rivers from the South Port Spandau to the Westhafen with the electrically powered solar ship. This is the first pilot project of its kind in Germany, causing no emissions. The solar ship operates in an environmentally friendly and silent manner. From the Westhafen, DHL then delivers the packages further to customers in an eco-friendly way – using electric cargo bikes.

This route will now be extended to Moabit, to the Humboldthafen near the main train station, and to Charlottenburg. At the new landing stage at Wikingerufer, a solar-powered DHL Packstation is also planned to be set up.

The second route is to start at the Altstadt Köpenick landing stage and lead to the Osthafen via several stops with solar-powered DHL Packstations, such as in Oberschöneweide, the Rummelsburger Bucht, and the Stralau peninsula.

Seamless Integration into the Sustainability Strategy

The solar ship fits seamlessly into the green sustainability strategy of the DHL Group. The company is already the most climate-friendly postal and parcel service provider in the capital: with an e-delivery fleet of around 1,000 e-vehicles and more than 1,700 electric cargo bikes, mainly e-trikes and e-bikes. Thus, letter and parcel deliveries are already CO₂-neutral in nearly 50 percent of Berlin’s delivery districts.

Foto: © DHL