The ports of Hirtshals, Kristiansand, Larvik, Grenland, Risavika, Bergen, Gothenburg, and Zeebrugge have entered into a new agreement aimed at streamlining cargo flows.

The ports will focus on convincing freight forwarders and cargo owners to think of the transportation process as a whole, including issues such as whether the most optimal solution might involve different transport modes.

According to the press release from the Port of Hirtshals, combining sea, rail, and road transports will benefit companies financially, increase their flexibility, green their accounting, as well as bring profits to the greater society because of the lower transport-related pollution and decreased congestion on the transport network.

"The transportation industry is marked by conventional thinking, and there is no doubt about the great extent of the communication task involving informing an industry about those opportunities which in many cases have been neglected. At present this particular task is a priority in the collaboration between the ports," the Port of Hirtshals' Katrine Myrup Ritter said.

In addition, the collaboration will work on promoting the transport corridor that links the ports involved.

Michael Rosenlund Langballe, Development Coordinator at the Danish port, added in this regard, "The Port of Hirtshals is not just the point of departure for cargo transport using the direct routes that the shipping companies run to and from Hirtshals. The Port of Hirtshals and the other ports in this collaboration are pivotal for a large network of transport corridors where recognizing the qualities of the three modalities, being rail, road and sea transport, is essential."

Photo: Port of Hirtshals