Hapag-Lloyd's Terminal investment in Wilhelmshaven (CTW) and it's benefits for customers
On THE Alliance’s new sailing schedule for 2023, JadeWeserPort has now secured a fixed place as a regular port of call for the FE2 service in Germany. At the end of May, the “ONE Tribute” will arrive in Wilhelmshaven as the first ship of the new rotation.
Wilhelmshaven is not well known to many customers in the shipping industry. Yet the terminal not only offers shipping companies a unique hub, but with a railway that still runs right up to the container terminal and an almost directly adjacent motorway, it also ensures that the hinterland can be supplied directly from there.
To illustrate this, the terminal operator Eurogate invited around 60 of Hapag-Lloyd's top customers to an on-site customer event, including key accounts such as C&A, Tchibo and DHL. Armin Hüser, Operations Manager of Eurogate, quickly made it clear to his audience why the CTW represents a genuine alternative to other ports: “The port operates reliably. It has a short pilotage area with plenty of space, tall cranes and deep water in addition to being uncomplicated to reach and featuring connections to the hinterland that are being continuously expanded.”
Visible investments are being made in the container terminal, in which Hapag-Lloyd has held a 30% stake since 2022. The eight container-handling gantry cranes currently there are being raised by 11 metres to enable them to optimally handle large 24,000 TEU ships. In addition, two new cranes are in the process of being erected. The automation is scheduled for 2024. The Rail Terminal Wilhelmshaven (RTW), in which Hapag-Lloyd holds a 50% stake, has also been optimised and expanded to have two tracks.
Jörg Sonne, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd’s Area Germany & Central Europe, mainly views the port as an important second pillar for Hapag-Lloyd and its customers:
Jörg Sonne, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd’s Area Germany & Central Europe
"Especially after the shipping congestion of the past two years, Wilhelmshaven definitely has its reason to exist. It provides relief and is serving the hinterland with more and more rail connections. For example, there is the rail connection to Duisburg, which offers an alternative when the Rhine has low water levels. And in times when we are all feeling cost pressures, here’s another key factor: Over time, Wilhelmshaven has evolved to become a cost-effective alternative for our customers. In our Area, we will do everything in our power to make sure that our customers come to view Wilhelmshaven as a top product.”
While some customers had first wanted to thoroughly inspect the port and the conditions there, others – such as Tchibo – have already been convinced to use it.
Phillip Ahrend, Tchibo, Head of Inbound Logistics
“For us, Wilhelmshaven has already been playing an increasingly important role for years. Now it is becoming even more attractive to us owing to the improvement of the hinterland connections and the growing number of services calling at Wilhelmshaven – and, in particular, as a fallback option to help us manage risk, since the resources available in Hamburg are limited and we are hearing more often about a few potential disruptions. We’ve been active in Wilhelmshaven with a smaller share for four or five years, but now we’ll be significantly expanding this, at least for our goods headed to Bremen.”
Geodis Logistics will also be relying on this port more, which “functions like a motorway service station”.
Christian Ernst, Geodis, Head of Trade Asia & IPBC – EUR Westbound
“Geodis makes very intensive use of the FE2 service of Hapag Lloyd and its alliance partners, and we very much welcome Hapag-Lloyd’s new focus on Wilhelmshaven, as we hope to see improved schedule reliability as a result of the FE2’s reorganisation. We and our customers expect that this will lead to more predictable costs and a more reliable flow of goods, for example in order to be able to reduce increased stock levels again."
Marek Sommer, a freight forwarder with cargo-partner GmbH, is from Hamburg. But he also has very positive things to say about Wilhelmshaven:
Marek Sommer, cargo-partner GmbH, Director Trade Management Export Europe
“What speaks in favour of Wilhelmshaven is the fact that its port isn’t impacted by tides and can be expanded, that its hinterland coverage is growing, and that it has a fast handling rate. For the FE2 service, I expect fast transit times to Singapore and Busan. At the same time, it would be desirable to have a faster service to Shanghai to keep up with the other alliances.”
Incidentally, the first Hapag-Lloyd ship to call at CTW in the FE2 service will be the "Al Zubara", which is expected to reach the port in early June.
