Successful and sustainable plants shipment via the Port of Amsterdam (NL)

By way of trial, plants in the Netherlands have been shipped for the first time to the Amsterdam port using a new sustainable logistics chain system. This happened within a joint venture of several companies. Results are promising as 95% of the containers were delivered on time and the quality of the products was of the same level as would have been the case had the plants been shipped by road. This project clearly emphasises that inland shipping is a clean, efficient and sustainable transport alternative for floriculture products.








Plantsshipment

Sparing the road network and the environment.



This pilot is called the Plants Shuttle and was used this spring to ship the plants of a large-scale nursery in the Noordoostpolder via the port of Kampen across the IJsselmeer to the port of Amsterdam. From Amsterdam the plants were loaded onto a truck destined for flower auction FloraHolland Aalsmeer. The IJsselmeer provides excellent waterway shipping options for the floriculture transport between Randstad and the nurseries located in the country's Northern provinces.

The Plants Shuttle is one of the pilots of the project Peaks in Accessibility. In this pilot the port of Amsterdam and FloraHolland together have been investigating innovative and environmentally friendly connections for floriculture products between Randstad and the Northern provinces. With this initiative both parties are seeking to upgrade accessibility in Randstad and make goods transport environmentally friendlier.

Plants Shuttle by water: sparing the road network and the environment
The knowledge and experience gained in this pilot are used to find out how the shuttle service could be expanded. In the future many road transport activities can be replaced by inland shipping transport. This way both the road network in Randstad and the environment will be relieved considerably. Water and rail transport is used more frequently because of the rising number of restrictions in terms of space and accessibility for example.

Joint venture
In Plants Shuttle several companies are involved that have entered into a joint venture to make the logistics chain sustainable in daily practice. The chain consists of seaports and inland shipping ports, road hauliers, inland shipping companies, shippers, container terminals in seaports and inland shipping ports.

In this pilot FloraHolland and the Port of Amsterdam joined hands with Kwekerij A. Baas, Coöp. Bloemen Express NOP, Van der Slot, ACT, CTVrede Steinweg, MCS, ROC Kampen, SCS Multiport/Bulcontrans and MIS Cobiva.

Smart port
It is the Port of Amsterdam's ambition to be a smart port with sustainable growth being the port's essence. This growth should provide more jobs and incomes with the port economically managing the space available; growth without harming the quality of the water, the soil and the air; growth that should make the citizens of Amsterdam even more proud and appreciative of their port area. That is the Port of Amsterdam's purpose based on intensive cooperation with partners in the business community, city and region.

Source: Port of Amsterdam


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