Feeder ships are expected to be used for container transfers between the major box terminals in the port of Hamburg in Germany from 1 November with the aim to reduce the number of truck journeys between the terminals, shorten waiting times and decrease CO2 emissions.
Danish shipping firm Unifeeder, German software specialist DAKOSY and DIHLA DAKOSY Interessengemeinschaft Hamburger Linienagenten (DIHLA) cooperate on this new project.
The Port of Hamburg had approximately 3.3 million TEU of transhipments (transfers of containers between large container ships and feeder vessels) in 2021, although not every transfer results in a transshipment. “Ship-based transshipments can take several thousand containers off the road each year. Every container we can move via waterway means a reduction in C02,” pointed out DIHLA managing director Alexander Geisler.
DAKOSY, DIHLA and Unifeeder jointly established the framework for the digital processes and customs handling of feeder transhipments. The basis is the Port Community System operated by DAKOSY, featuring the integration of a new module. “The application is also of interest to other feeder carriers and can be used by them starting in November,” emphasises DAKOSY project manager, Franz Schwanke, who adds, “The module has already proven itself in live testing. During the three-month pilot phase, Unifeeder transferred about 50 containers per month.”
DIHLA has covered the initial financing for the digital processes required to implement feeder transhipments.
“For these container transhipments, we see a high potential to switch from road to waterway by using our existing shipping capacity. As the largest feeder carrier in Northern Europe, we have up to 85 terminal calls per week in Hamburg and can therefore offer sufficient resources to transport additional containers within the port,” said Florian Pein, area director West and Central Europe at Unifeeder.
The service that has emerged from this includes container transfers by feeder ship between the HHLA terminals CTA, CTT and CTB, as well as Eurogate and, in the near future, the Süd-West Terminal.
Unifeeder is endeavoring to switch 50% of its transhipment operations from trucks to feeder carriers in the future.
