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Small ships but of great importance
Small feederships ‘feed’ the Baltic region and Scandinavia with containers from overseas. They collect most of the cargo from Hamburg, which possesses the densest feeder network in Northern Europe.
The densest feeder network in Northern Europe
Smaller feeder vessels feed the big containerships with cargo for long voyages overseas. Beforehand they pick up boxes from the not so distant ports that are not served by the megaships. Even more frequently, however, they distribute gigantic volumes of cargo, mostly arriving from Asia, in the Baltic region. Forming part of this are not only the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, but also Germany’s important trading partners Poland and Russia.
Smaller feeder vessels feed the big containerships with cargo for long voyages overseas. Beforehand they pick up boxes from the not so distant ports that are not served by the megaships. Even more frequently, however, they distribute gigantic volumes of cargo, mostly arriving from Asia, in the Baltic region. Forming part of this are not only the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, but also Germany’s important trading partners Poland and Russia.
The Feeder Logistik Zentrale (FLZ) – optimal coordination
Any one of the vessels from overseas unloaded in Hamburg can have on board sufficient cargo for between 40 and 60 feederships. To optimize the discharge and loading processes, HHLA along with its partner Eurogate has set up the new Feeder Logistik Zentrale (FLZ). The aim of this is to speed up feedership handling and at the same time to improve service quality. On their tour of the port, as a rule feederships require up to 24 hours for calling at the different terminals in Hamburg and loading and discharging containers. With FLZ taking over complete coordination with the terminals, this period is now shrinking. The task covers all processes, including registration for berths, cargo bookings, and even optimization/alteration of the route.
Advantages in inter-port competition
With the aid of FLZ, lay and voyage times for the small freighters are shortened and customers receive their containers more rapidly. Apart from enhanced quality, costs for shipping companies can also be reduced. Like all European ports, in 2009 the Port of Hamburg had to contend with a downturn in cargo volume as a result of the dip in the economy, but now its competitiveness is being boosted by this service, which is unique in the world.
