duisport, Samskip and TX Logistik operate logport III in Duisburg

Samskip, duisport and TX Logistik AG will jointly operate the KV terminal at logport III in Duisburg-Hohenbudberg in the future. To this end, the three partners have established the new company “Ziel Terminal GmbH”. Samskip holds a 49.8 percent stake, while duisport and TX Logistik each hold 25.1 percent of the shares. The terminal will be leased long-term by duisport to the joint venture.

(Bern/Zürich) The terminal partnership signed by the three owners is still subject to approval by the European competition authorities. Approval is expected in the coming weeks. “TX Logistik is on a growth path. To continue this development and to shift even more traffic to rail in the future, the company needs terminal capacities that it can rely on,” explains Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics, the decision. TX Logistik, responsible for international rail freight transport within the Mercitalia group (Gruppo FS Italiane), currently operates two weekly round trips for Samskip between Duisburg and Katrineholm in Sweden. “The Duisburg terminal is located in a strategically advantageous position in the heart of Germany, in an important industrial area and on a main axis of European goods and trade flows,” says Gianpiero Strisciuglio. “Participation in the new operating company means an expansion of geographical targets for our customers, an improvement in service quality, synchronization of traction and access times to the terminal areas, as well as higher transport efficiency – all activities that prepare for a door-to-door service.”

Long-term partnership strengthens collaboration and fosters growth

“The long-term partnership not only strengthens our location but also paves the way for sustainable growth and the expansion of our business model. By jointly leveraging the potentials of the three strong players duisport, Samskip, and TX Logistik, we can continuously develop the terminal and be successful together. This will create additional handling capacities at the Duisburg site,” says duisport CEO Markus Bangen.

Kari-Pekka Laaksonen, CEO of Samskip: “We are excited about the idea of elevating our long-standing partnership with TX Logistik and the Port of Duisburg to a new level. The decision is clearly a win-win-win scenario, as the benefits for all parties are significant. As Samskip is very committed to achieving its sustainability goals, this will further solidify the use and growth of rail at the site.”

The 140,000 square meter terminal facility in Duisburg-Hohenbudberg features seven handling tracks, each 720 meters long, two shunting tracks, and two powerful portal cranes for handling between road and rail. The annual handling capacity is up to 250,000 loading units.

Modern IT and communication technology

In addition, the terminal operation can rely on modern IT and communication technology, such as a control tower system for the pre-planning of terminal activities and exception management. Furthermore, high standards such as high-tech gate functions, OCR scanning for registration, security, order prioritization, and truck parking allocation are in place. Various facilities are also available, such as cross-docking or the repair of railway wagons. Gianpiero Strisciuglio: “This offers opportunities to provide additional services in the future – for example, data on the condition of truck tarpaulins or tires can be generated via a photo sluice, which can then be transmitted to customers as part of a preventive maintenance management.”

Implementation of the business plan

With the participation in the KV terminal in Duisburg, the business plan of the FS Italiane group, presented by CEO Luigi Ferraris last year, is also being further implemented. It foresees investments of 2.9 billion euros for Mercitalia Logistics over the next ten years to significantly promote the operational and economic development of sustainable logistics assets around rail freight transport both in Italy and in Europe.

Photo: © Hans Blossey / Image caption: The logport III in Duisburg