Share in Rijnmond Logistics Boosts Felbermayr’s Inland Waterway Transport Capacity
Breakbulk mover Felbermayr has beefed up its shipping logistics capacity after taking a 50 percent stake in Dutch inland waterways specialist Rijnmond Logistics.
The deal, effective from October and subject to approvals, will allow Rijnmond to work closely with Germany-based inland shipping company Haeger & Schmidt Logistics, or HSL, which Felbermayr acquired in 2013.
Rijnmond is headquartered in Papendrecht just outside Rotterdam and is described by Felbermayr as a full-service logistics service provider in the field of inland water transport.
Rijnmond, which operates another site at Schengen in Luxemburg, boasts two of its own coupling barges, a motor vessel and about 20 independently owned and charter vessels with a combined chartering capacity of 79,000 tons.
“The strategic investment in Rijnmond Logistics and the close cooperation with Haeger & Schmidt Logistics expands our service portfolio considerably and strengthens our position in the industry enormously,” said CEO Horst Felbermayr.
Cees van Putten, managing director at Rijnmond, said the deal would give his company access to new infrastructure, such as HSL’s logistics center in Duisburg and Felbermayr’s port terminals in Krefeld on the Rhine, Linz on the Danube and Vienna-Albern.
“The partnership with Felbermayr and the close cooperation with Haeger & Schmidt Logistics open up new opportunities and synergies to offer our customers even better and more efficient solutions,” van Putten said.
According to the European Commission, more than 37,000 kilometers of waterways throughout Europe connect hundreds of cities and industrial regions, with 13 member states sharing an interconnected waterway network.
Demand in the region for the shipment of breakbulk and project cargo by inland waterways remains strong, despite environmental challenges that some project professionals argue are becoming more acute.
Felbermayr is headquartered in Austria and boasts 77 sites in 18 European countries. The company specializes in heavy transport, mobile crane and working platform rental, heavy-lift handling as well as civil engineering and building construction activities.
Felbermayr is a regular exhibitor at Breakbulk Europe.
PHOTO CREDIT: Rijnmond Logistics.
