Train and vessel together to extend New Silk Road to Valenciennes

03.02.2021

A combination of train and barge resulted in the delivery of a train load of Chinese goods to the French city of Valenciennes. Approximately forty 40 ft containers arrived at the Contargo terminal on Tuesday 2 February for the first time. They had been shipped to Duisbug by train, where they were put on a vessel to continue the journey to the French city on the border with Belgium.

The journey took less than twenty days, of which the journey from Duisburg to Valenciennes took about 60 hours. Per seagoing vessel that had taken about twice as long. «With this first inland waterway transport between Duisburg and Valenciennes the terminal Valenciennes will be included in the schedules of the New Silk Road. This opens up new possibilities for business in our region», says Gilbert Bredel, Managing Director of Contargo North France.

From hub to France

The containers destined for the French market were reloaded at two different terminals in Duisburg on a vessel of 110 metre long and 11.40 metre wide. This vessel has a capacity of 104 TEU. The Contargo terminal in Valenciennes is the only one in the region which can receive such large Rhine vessels.

Duisburg is the main hub for the further distribution of China cargo to all European countries.Thanks to this new inland shipping service, various terminals can consolidate cargo that is destined for the French market, points Bredel out.

Analytics on topic
Report
18.11.2021
Report
18.11.2021
Railways as a Green Alternative: Impact of the Environmental Agenda on the Modal Shift

With economic development, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are becoming increasingly important for many sectors, including transport. The transport sector is one of the pillars of international trade and the modern world as a whole, and rail transport is a crucial component of this ecosystem.

Report
24.04.2024
Report
24.04.2024
Red Sea crisis: Impact on maritime and overland cargo traffic

The Red Sea crisis was a new challenge for maritime shipping, which begs the question of whether the maritime shipping market will be able to adapt to new circumstances or whether the unstable situation in the Red Sea will push shippers to switch to rail transport.