The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the rail terminal RSC Rotterdam have reached agreement on a new 20-year lease. To position the terminal more broadly and therefore more effectively, the ownership base has been expanded with several partners. DB Schenker Rail continues to own 51% of the shares. The intermodal carriers Bertschi, Hoyer and Hupac are together taking a 49% interest. RSC will continue to operate as a neutral terminal in the new shareholder set-up.
The four companies are among the top European intermodal carriers and/or are market leader in their sector. They all have a strong presence in Rotterdam and have a lot of experience, either alone or in combinations, in running rail terminals all over Europe. This consortium therefore provides an excellent basis for enabling rail transport to and from the port of Rotterdam to grow and improve. To this end, the companies will be launching joint projects. The RSC Rotterdam in the Waalhaven/Eemhaven area, as cargo terminal, will play a crucial role for containers, swap bodies and trailers in the further development of hinterland transport by rail. In total, the terminal has four modern cranes for handling cargo at its disposal, with a total capacity of 350,000 units per year. Forty trains a day call at the terminal. Axel Marschal, member of the Board at DB Schenker Rail: ‘Modern cargo handling centres like the RSC Rotterdam literally form the hub between maritime and continental intermodal transport flows. The RSC is now positioned more broadly and will play an even greater role in the port of Rotterdam’s growth plans’. ‘The expertise of the new shareholders will provide an impetus for further growth of the cargo handling operations in maritime and continental rail transport. This is necessary for our competitive position because many growth regions in the hinterland are geared strongly towards rail transport’, says Emile Hoogsteden, Director of containers, breakbulk and logistics at the Port of Rotterdam Authority.