Intermodal concepts involving RoRo connections via the Mediterranean are particularly in demand. "As a result of recent experiences with volatile supply chains, we are seeing a shift in shippers' thinking towards alternative and sustainable logistics concepts from closer procurement markets. Corona has caused a boom in nearshoring," says Daniel Comi, authorized signatory and Head of Third Country Transport at Robert Kukla. Existing contracts are being expanded to include larger volumes and new orders are being added. Comi explains: "Between 2020 and 2022, our volume with Turkey increased by 23% to 5,300 trailers, and in North Africa traffic by 12% to 3,100 trailers. We expect this trend to continue this year."

High proportion of intermodal solutions

Overall, nearshoring accounts for around 12% of the total transport volume. While traditional truck transport dominates in the nearshoring regions of Turkey and the Maghreb states, Robert Kukla covers a large part of the transport volume in these regions using intermodal solutions. Comi senses that awareness is changing among potential clients: "Alternative concepts involving waterways are also attracting increasing interest in nearshoring relations. Factors such as capacity bottlenecks, sustainability and driver shortages are encouraging this development." For North Africa and Turkey, Robert Kukla relies on RoRo and ConRo connections via the Mediterranean to the Italian southern ports for his intermodal concepts, in addition to the classic short sea solutions for containers. Comi cites two advantages for the latter option: "With trucks as the dominant means of transport in these regions, trailer transport by ship can be easily implemented without reloading and the transit time via the Mediterranean is considerably shorter compared to the short sea connections to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Bremerhaven or Hamburg."

The port of Trieste has established itself as a reliable logistics hub for Turkey and the Ligurian ports for the Maghreb states. Robert Kukla's main target markets from the nearshoring countries include the DACH region, Poland, the Benelux countries, France, Spain and Portugal. In comparison to the existing intermodal concepts in Europe, Comi's experience shows that combined transport from North Africa and Turkey requires more complex planning and the scheduling and linking of the individual legs is also more demanding. Another component is essential for the experienced department head: "In my opinion, efficient and well-connected partners or local branches are indispensable. This is because the market for sustainable and alternative transport solutions in the nearshoring segment is still young and developing in some cases."

This article appeared in issue 8-9/23