Growing wood exports in Croatia have triggered the use of innovative freight transport at the Adriatic Gate Container Terminal (AGCT) in the Port of Rijeka in Croatia with the recent launch of an intermodal service connecting AGCT via rail to one of the country’s largest wood producers.

 

AGCT, a gateway terminal of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., recently partnered with Cedar Ltd. and AGIT to facilitate the export of beech wood products from Cedar’s production facility in Vrbovsko.

Cedar, a leading manufacturer and supplier of beech wood products, recently inaugurated an intermodal facility directly linking AGCT via rail. Freight solutions provider AGIT of HŽ Cargo Group transports the bulk of Cedar’s wood exports. From the Rijeka port, the products are exported to North Africa, Middle East, India and the Far East region via sea.

“The collaboration of Cedar, AGIT, and AGCT is a perfect example of how intermodal solutions are supporting the success of large scale production projects. We are very pleased that with increased share of intermodal transport at the Port of Rijeka, road traffic is reduced while more efficient and environmental friendly transport by railway and sea is increased,” said Wojciech Szymulewich, AGCT CEO.

In 2012, Cedar acquired an 180,000 square meter old saw mill in the west Croatian town of Vrbovsko. The town sits along the transit lines halfway between Zagreb and Rijeka with good road and rail access. Cedar’s Vrbovsko facility has become one of the largest and most modern beech wood manufacturing facilities in Europe.

“Part of the project was to build an intermodal container yard on our land connected to the Vrbovsko rail tracks and purchase container handling equipment such as reach stackers and automated container stuffing machines. The new and direct intermodal link with AGCT via rail enables sustainable and cost-effective logistics. I am very happy with the results and fruitful efforts of involved business partners,” said Darko Prodan, Cedar Director.

The Port of Rijeka has experienced an increase in container traffic due to the growing wood exports, with volume for the first eight months in 2017 exceeding the overall volume in 2016. AGCT looks to further strengthen cooperation with the Croatian wood industry to maximize the potential of intermodal connectivity in exporting Croatian wood to the world market.

About ICTSI
Headquartered and established in 1988 in Manila, Philippines, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is in the business of port development, management and operations. As an independent business with no shipping, logistics or consignee-related interests, ICTSI works and transacts transparently with any stakeholder in the port community. ICTSI’s portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ICTSI has received global acclaim for its public-private partnerships with governments divesting of their port assets to the private sector. (www.ictsi.com)

Source: ictsi
2017-11-08