A.P. Moller – Maersk will start the construction of a new Flow Warehouse in Duisburg, Germany), which is expected to be one of the largest inland logistics hubs in Europe.
The Danish container shipping company, which aims to continue the expansion of its network of logistics and distribution warehouses, said the main advantage of the area is that it accepts all modes of transportation, from inland barges on the central Rhine waterway to major railway lines (to the ports of Northern Germany), and trucks via main road axes in Europe.
In addition, the air freight hubs of Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf can be quickly reached from Duisburg which is also a key European logistics hub connecting Mediterranean and Adriatic gateways, according to Maersk.
“We are thrilled that we will soon be able to offer our diverse logistics solutions to our customers at this key crossroads between Western European markets,” commented Jens-Ole Krenzien, Maersk North Europe continent managing director.
The warehouse will have an area of 43,000 m² and the services Maersk will offer through it include cross dock, pallet storage and all value-added services along the supply chain – from customs clearance to consolidation and deconsolidation.
As a general contractor, the German developer Goldbeck International will complete the Flow Warehouse in Duisburg-Walsum for Maersk by the third quarter of the next year. The warehouse’s 84 dock levellers will handle up to 32,000 40-foot containers each year.
The property, which has a total area of 110,000 m², is part of the port of Duisburg (Duisport) and has a direct water connection to the Rhine, while it offers an expansion reserve in addition to the already-planned 50,000 m² of open space.
“The Maersk Flow Warehouse offers direct water access and trimodal connections. For our customers it will be a value-adding decoupling point optimising transport modes and creating flexibility in their product flows. We will be able to increase the speed to market significantly for our customers by enabling them to by-pass their European gateway or stock-keeping warehouses,” said Krenzien.
In the second quarter of the year, Maersk opened five new warehouses globally, equal to 178,000 m², adding to a total capacity of 226 warehouses and 3.4 million m² across the world.
The company said that it plans to open several additional warehouses in Europe in the coming months.
