Dutch chartering company Transito has launched a freight service combining ocean and inland waterway transport under a single contract as low water continues to disrupt cargo movements on the Rhine.
The Total Freight service covers the sea voyage, port handling, transhipment and onward transport by inland vessel. Customers receive one price per tonne, one contract and one invoice for the entire movement.
Transito said it will also absorb waiting costs between the seagoing and inland vessels within an agreed range.
The service intends to address coordination problems that arise when low water, port congestion, vessel delays or missing documentation disrupt connections between the maritime and inland legs of a shipment.
These disruptions can leave cargo owners liable for additional waiting costs where the seagoing vessel, terminal and inland vessel have been contracted separately.
Transito Management and Business Development Representative Bas Weinberg said the company will arrange both vessels to allow for schedule adjustment when delays occur.
“A seagoing vessel waits for an inland vessel, an inland vessel waits at the quay and the terminal waits for paperwork. Those days end up with the cargo owner,” he said.
The launch comes amid renewed pressure on Rhine shipping. Reuters reported last week that declining water levels are forcing cargo vessels to sail with reduced loads, increasing transport costs for commodity traders.
The service is aimed primarily at industrial buyers and medium-sized traders shipping agricultural bulk commodities, building materials, fertiliser, minerals, recyclable materials and project cargo.
It will cover movements between overseas loading ports and inland destinations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland. The service will operate in both directions, including exports moving from the European hinterland to overseas destinations.
