NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

Logistics 11 Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de sachsen is criss-crossed by almost 1,400km of motor- ways. In the future, road haulage alone will not be able to handle the increase in goods traffic without placing sustained restrictions on individual mobility and the mobility of commodities as well. Because of the growing strain on the roads, rail freight transport is undergoing a renaissance. Niedersachsen has one of the most dense railway networks in Germany with a total of 4,200kilometres. To complement its road and rail networks, Nieder- sachsen has a well developed and extensive water- way infrastructure throughout the state which pro- vides the basis for so-called ‘wet transports’ between seaports and inland harbours or transports with their origin and destination directly on the waterways. In addition to the rivers Ems, Weser, Elbe and Hunte, the Midland Canal, the Elbe Lateral Canal and the Coast Canal form the backbone of this transport network, which allows ships with a tonnage of over 1,000 met- ric tons to navigate through a total of 1,100 kilome- tres of waterways. New Maritime Perspectives With its nine seaports in Brake, Cuxhaven, Emden, Leer, Nordenham, Papenburg Oldenburg, Stade and Wilhelmshaven and its direct proximity to the ports of Bremen, Bremerhaven and Hamburg, Niedersachsen has a concentration of seaports that is unique in Eu- rope. In addition the JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven, that will be capable of processing latest-generation container lines, will be operational starting in 2011. The gigantic dimensions of the only deep water port in Germany that is not subject to tidal changes can already be recognized from a bird’s eye view: a total of one million tonnes of rock from Norway have been piled up to build dykes. And more than 41 million of a total of 48 million cubic metres of sand have been pumped into the reclamation area to slowly displace the water. Since the beginning of the construction works in 2008 around 360ha of new land have been developed — this is the size of more than 500 foot- ball fields. Due to the Jade’s current fairway depth of 18 metres at chart datum, the JadeWeserPort is es- pecially suited for large container ships with a capac- ity of above 13,000TEU. Even giants with a length of up to 430 metres and draughts of up to 16.5 metres will be able to reach the port regardless of the tide and without waiting times. At the planned 1,725 me- tres long riverside quay, four large container ships and feeder ships with 16 container gantry cranes with a nosing of 62 metres can be dealt with at the same time. Along with the terminal, the deep water port, the largest investment project in northern Germany with 950 million euros at present, also incorporates a 160ha logistics zone. More than 52,420 million tons of freight were loaded on deck of ships last year—16 percent less than in the previous year. “This shows that the seaports in Nied- ersachsen have also felt the impact of the economic 29,000km of state-wide roads Freight transport volume: 514.3 million metric tons (2005) 4th position in Germany 3rd longest network in Germany Regional road network: 28,266 km Incl. motorways: 1,398 km Federal trunk roads: 4,856 km Photo: JadeWeserPort 1,600 km electrified main railway lines Freight transport (2006, without transit traffic): 52.7 million metric tons 2nd position in Germany 4,200 km railway network National No. 2 in railway traffic A double-tracked electrified railway line is going to connect the JadeWeserPort with the hinterland. Concentrated Competence The Logistics Initiative was launched by the state government of Niedersachsen in 2002 in order to con- centrate and further develop logistical competence. By now the initiative’s office has become the central hub for all issues associated with logistical matters. One of its main goals is to set up and advance a logistics network in Niedersachen which is now affiliated with around 2,500 companies and institutions from all logistics sectors. The annual report “Marktspiegel” provides an overview of current develop- ments and the investment climate in Niedersachsen’s logistics industry. ›