HHLA founds intermodal company in Ukraine

10 November 2020

Port of Odessa gets link to economic centres - container transport by rail

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) has set up its own intermodal company called the Ukrainian Intermodal Company (UIC) in Ukraine, a press release said Wednesday (November 4, 2020). UIC offers container transport by rail between the Port of Odessa and economic centres in the country. The new company marks an expansion of HHLA's successful intermodal business and product range for fast, reliable and efficient hub-to-hub transport services in seaport-hinterland traffic.

Dynamic Ukrainian ports

Ukrainian ports have developed dynamically in recent years and in 2019, throughput volume in the Black Sea Port of Odessa increased by 8.5 per cent to almost 650,000 TEU. However, at 22 per cent, rail accounts only for a small share of the container traffic between the port and the Ukrainian hinterland. By comparison, over 46 per cent of sea containers in Hamburg reach or leave the port by environment-friendly rail.

Removing obstacles and raising efficiency of rail transport

Philip Sweens, Managing Director of HHLA International, said: “HHLA has extensive expertise in the intermodal business. We want to tap the considerable potential of the Ukrainian intermodal market with an efficient train system based on customer-friendly services, transparent prices, simple booking processes and reliable timetables." HHLA will work with its local partners to remove obstacles to rail transport in Ukraine and to establish and market a reliable range of services.

Ukraine’s container transport by rail has been done almost exclusively with individual cars or groups of wagons until now. The newly established UIC bundles the individual loading to container block trains, thereby increasing the efficiency and reliability of transport.

HHLA already operating CTO

HHLA operates the Container Terminal Odessa (CTO) port, which is allegedly the largest container handling facility in Ukraine. CTO is also expanding its own terminal station there where container block trains are also assembled. Domestic transhipment is carried out in co-operation with private rail terminal operators.

sb/pb