APM Terminals MVII has 500 meters of dedicated barge berthing with a maximum depth of 9.65 meters. There are 3 barge cranes. We only use the barge quay for loading/unloading inland vessels. The barge quay has a very good connection with the stack. Most of the work with our barge cranes is fully automated, for example the handling of containers between the barge cranes and the stack. This offering speed, reliably and efficiency.
Transport by water is efficient
A majority of the containers at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II are transported by barge. Transport by water is both sustainable and efficient. Our strategic location at the riverside of the Rhine and Maas rivers means that a large part of Europe is accessible by barge. In the Benelux countries, inland terminals with inland waterway connections are generally located at short distance from major shippers or recipients.
Reliable handling via Fixed Window
The separate barge quay is an integral component of the terminal with cranes only used for handling barges. The Fixed Windows concept has proven to be beneficial for both parties: the barge operator is certain about barge handling and the deep-sea terminal is able to improve quay utilisation. Barges which have stable volumes and arrive on time get fixed windows in the week. A real win-win in terms of productivity and reliability.
Developing together
The barge operator and APM Terminals Maasvlakte II are cooperating to streamline the barge product. The terminal is transparent about container status and shares the expected discharge time of a container, so that the barge operator can share a more accurate schedule with the terminal. Besides daily planning and coordination, mutual performance is measured and regularly evaluated. The integration of processes and working methods prevents errors and improves service levels for the (end) customer.
Intermodal network
Our Lifting Intermodal platform provides an overview of the available inland waterway connections, including the inland terminal destinations and operators. After completing certain details (container number/vessel name and origin/destination) the intermodal planner shows the intermodal connections that best suit a particular import or export container flow.
This also applies to most operations involving the barge cranes. Discharging and loading the containers onto and off the barge are the only processes that are carried out manually, as this benefits from eye-to-eye contact between the barge captain and the crane operator.
Real-time container status information
The terminal operates using an electronic system of pre-notifications, to minimize handling times. Using the Dutch Port Community’s online system, Portbase we provide a reliable indication of the expected discharge time of the container at the terminal, to ensure that a container is transported to the hinterland as quickly and reliably as possible