Vertical integration and added value: Contship’s intermodal services

From the quay to final destination, from production plants to the ship: vertical integration of logistics services offered to global shipping companies is one of the distinctive features of the Contship Italia Group’s value proposition.

In the world of logistics, we often talk about vertical integration, value-added services and reliability. Working with partners who offer know-how for different segments of the logistics chain and add value with dedicated services often leads to greater control about the quality and reliability of operations.

The Contship Italia Group (which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019) has been engaged in the development of integrated intermodal solutions since its foundation, which complements the Group’s terminal business. One of Contship’s advantages is that it features close connections to logistics companies that control the primary leg of a shipment, which leads to smooth intermodal operations. In addition, Oceanogate Italia, a subsidiary of the Group, offers railway traction services, both for shunting manoeuvres in ports and intermodal terminals. Long distance railing on national routes is part of the portfolio, too.

RHM (Rail Hub Milan), another subsidiary of the Group, is in charge of operations, handling and stocking containers in the Milan – Melzo intermodal centre.

Through its multimodal transport operator Hannibal, the Group offers high frequency block-train connectivity between the gateway ports of La Spezia, Genoa, Ravenna and Bari, and the RHM intermodal centre in Milan. Numerous rail links to and from major Italian and European logistics hubs (including Lyon, Basel, Munich, Duisburg and Rotterdam) serve various continental European markets and extend the so-called “catchment area” of Italian ports.

Click here to watch the interview with Mr. Andrea Bartolucci, Logistics and Transportation Manager for Cosco Shipping in Italy

This opportunity enhances the reach of Italy’s port system and provides customers with a competitive option to access European destinations through the “Southern Gateway” alternative. A smart combination of deepsea services between Asia and the Mediterranean and further to America via the ports of Genoa and La Spezia and high-frequency intermodal connections lead to alternative logistic options. Customers trading with Switzerland and southern Germany, might find this alternative to Northern European ports particularly interesting. Ravenna, a gateway port for eastern Med trades, complements the Group’s value proposition.

The competitive advantage of the Southern Gateway option for the main East-West trades is based on the economic convenience of end-to-end services and  faster transit times. This is especially true for imports from the Far East, which benefit from a relatively short voyage between the Suez Canal and Ligurian compared to the Northern European ports. Transit times are particularly competitive when combined with the high frequency of rail connections to final destinations (three daily services from La Spezia to Melzo, two daily services from Genoa in Melzo and a daily connection to Switzerland, to name a few examples).

Click here to watch the interview with Mr. Angelo Chiarlo, Country Head and General Manager for ONE in Italy

Global shipping lines are well aware of the advantages that Contship’s integrated system holds in store for them. They appreciate the Group’s know-how as well as the capability to respond in a professional and effective manner to the evolving requests of the market.

Shipping lines are among the largest customers of the Group, accounting for a substantial share of the business, not only along the quays of La Spezia and Ravenna container terminals, but also at the RHM intermodal hub, which is often used as a buffer to manage volumes that move from the ports to the most productive areas of Italy and Europe (warehousing, container freight station, VGM weighing, etc).

During the latest edition of Transport Logistic, the international exhibition that brings together global operators and professionals from the logistics sector in Munich every other year, we asked two of our partners, Cosco and ONE, to tell us more about the successful partnership with the Contship Italia Group.

The testimonies of Mr. Angelo Chiarlo, Country Head and General Manager for ONE in Italy, and Mr. Andrea Bartolucci, Logistics and Transportation Manager for Cosco Shipping in Italy, make us proud and encourage us to continue to do our best in recognizing and meeting the needs of our customers, honouring the partnerships and continuously developing new solutions for the intermodal logistics sector.

Discover more about the maritime and rail services available at Contship Italia maritime and intermodal terminals.