H Essers leverages Dutch assets

FAST AND FLEXIBLE

TERMINAL • H ESSERS IS TO INVEST IN A NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL TO HELP IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN THE MOVEMENT OF CHEMICALS AND OTHER PRODUCTS IN AND FROM THE ARA PORTS

H ESSERS HAS signed an agreement to buy a plot of land on the outskirts of Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. It will use it to build the new Markiezaat Container Terminal, directly on the Scheldt-Rhine canal between the seaports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. This will replace its existing container terminal and build on its acquisition in late 2020 of the Meeus Group’s chemical cluster.

“Today, we are capitalising on our presence in the Netherlands,” explains Bob van Steenweghen, corporate affairs manager at H Essers. “The relocation of the existing container terminal to a larger, better suited location on the outskirts is a solution for the noise pollution suffered by local residents and

THE RATIONALE BEHIND H ESSERS’ ACQUISITION OF

THE MEEUS GROUP’S CHEMICAL CLUSTER IN THE

NETHERLANDS IS BECOMING CLEAR WITH ITS LATEST the limitations of the narrow lock passage. And above all, it offers perfect inland shipping access to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. This will give our synchromodal network a strong boost and add an important hub to our European routes. This site opens up opportunities for faster and more flexible responses, which also benefits our ecological footprint.”

Construction of the new container terminal will start in 2023 and it is expected to be operational in 2024. It will be much quicker to reach by water and will be further away from residential areas. The terminal should be able to handle about 140,000 TEU per year – twice the volume of the current location. In ten years’ time, this could increase to some 250,000 TEU. In addition, a total of 220,000 m² of warehousing space will be built within the diked area.

The project also meets the demand of major seaports for more consolidated inland navigation. “The new location is ideally situated along the busy Scheldt-Rhine canal. In this way, Bergen op Zoom will more than ever become a crucial logistical hub between Antwerp and Rotterdam,” van Steenweghen adds. “This position is comparable to the Port of Limburg, the inland shipping terminal we are currently developing in our home town of Genk. The major European ports can also more easily be reached from there. With the arrival of the new Markiezaat Container Terminal, we will soon have multimodal corridors from Genk to Antwerp and from Antwerp to Rotterdam.”.

THE BIGGER PICTURE The investment in this new site matches H Essers’ long-term strategic plan to further expand its synchromodal solutions, making optimal use of the different transport modes. “For several years, H Essers has been investing in concepts, networks and systems that allow us to organise synchromodal transports, as well as in an adapted fleet,” van Steenweghen says. “Today, more than 50 per cent of our towed fleet is already multimodal. But we go even a step further and also invest in infrastructure, with our own rail and barge terminals. The expansion potential of our warehouses, the new terminal and the strategic location between Rotterdam and Antwerp make Bergen Op Zoom an important logistics location.”

This interest in the Netherlands is demonstrated by H Essers’ various investments in the country, such as the recent acquisition of Verheul to strengthen its infrastructure segment and the current integration of the acquired part of Meeus Group. “The acquisition of Meeus Group’s chemical logistics and moving business was an important milestone in our multi-year growth strategy and the largest in our company history,” says van Steenweghen. “H Essers welcomed not only 400 professionals but also a reference in Dutch multimodal chemical logistics. These expansions give us strong assets. We offer our customers a one-stop shop in which warehousing, value-added activities and multimodal transport for import and export all come together.” www.essers.com