Cross-border without customs documents

Moving containers by train or barge across the border to Germany immediately after their discharge in Rotterdam, without the need to first deal with customs documents in the port.

"Doing this allows us to offer our customers a better and especially also ‘green’ product," says Dimitri Maaten, Inland Logistics Transport Manager at DHL Global Forwarding. DHL is able to provide the extra service by making use of European Gateway Services of ECT.

Rotterdam's largest deep-sea terminal operator is building a network of extended gates in Western Europe which are frequently and sustainably connected with the port by means of train and inland shipping. As part of European Gateway Services, the transport to these extended gates is carried out in a document-free fashion under the customs license of ECT. As a result, a container can directly be moved to the hinterland after it has been discharged from the deep-sea vessel. It is not until there that a customer needs to handle the customs formalities.

Maaten: "A container needs to spend as little time as possible in the port anyway. Dwelling time there incurs demurrage and furthermore often leads to the cargo ultimately being collected by truck again because of time pressure. More intermodal traffic in this way also supports the DHL 'Go Green' environmental programme aimed at decreasing the carbon foot print."

Faster at lower costs

Since the spring of 2011, the European Gateway Services principle with document-free transport, has also been possible cross-border in the direction of Duisburg, at the heart of Germany’s Ruhr area.

Maaten: "For our customers in Germany, this means they have their cargo at their disposal sooner and at lower costs as well. After all, no customs document needs to be drawn up in Rotterdam." The time savings amount to at least a day or more. The Inland Logistics Transport Manager illustrates this by means of an example involving a container arriving by deep-sea vessel on Friday evening. "In the old situation, the cargo first needed to be cleared, which generally meant waiting until Monday. Only then was it moved to Germany, often by truck.

“ A container needs to spend as little time as possible in the port ”

Dimitri Maaten Inland Logistics Transport Manager at DHL Global Forwarding

In the present situation with European Gateway Services, that container can however be directly moved by barge or train in the weekend, meaning it is already waiting close to the customer in Duisburg on Monday morning. While the container is en route from Rotterdam, our German office can take care of the customs formalities. An important added value, especially for our customers who often have time-critical cargo. Making use of the extended gate with that fits in seamlessly with DHL’s ‘voice of the customer’ approach in which we aim to offer them tailor-made solutions which lead to decreased transit times and costs."

Soon also available for Belgium

"With European Gateway Services, ECT has perfectly translated our transport wishes into a practical product, smartly exploring the legal possibilities. A service like this is currently not available in any other Western European port," concludes Maaten, who is also highly content with the support rendered by Customs. "They show a clear desire towards operating progressively and getting rid of all that paperwork." DHL makes uses of various extended gates of ECT (Venlo, Moerdijk, Duisburg). "The next cross-border destination which we hope to serve from Rotterdam in a document-free manner is TCT Belgium in Willebroek, just past Antwerp."