Christian Lorenz
Press Officer
Telephone 0221 / 390 11 90
E-mail lorenzc(at)hgk.de
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG
Press Office
Am Niehler Hafen 2
50735 Cologne
Inland ports as the key to supply security: NRW Minister Krischer on site at HGK
Cologne. During a visit to the Cologne-Niehl container terminal, the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia, Oliver Krischer, learnt about the current challenges facing inland ports and the importance of the Rhine corridor as the logistical backbone of industry in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany. He agreed with HGK CEO Steffen Bauer, CFO Susanne Pietsch and COO Dr Jens-Albert Oppel that ports secure supply chains, value creation and hundreds of thousands of jobs. If this integrated logistics system fails, the economy comes to a standstill.
During his visit, Oliver Krischer emphasised the central importance of the waterway system for the economy and security of supply in NRW - and warned of the consequences of inadequate funding:
"The fact that the federal government has not included shipping in the special fund is a bad decision in view of the high investment requirements. We are talking about at least 2.8 billion euros nationwide that would have to be invested by 2029. In NRW, vital locations depend on this. I will press Berlin to correct this decision."
During the visit, it became clear that the challenges are not just limited to infrastructural bottlenecks. The new requirements resulting from the energy transition, the circular economy and changes in transport flows also demand a clear strategic direction.
Steffen Bauer: Inland ports are industrial lifelines
HGK CEO Steffen Bauer emphasised the importance of modern inland ports for industrial development, new settlements and sustainable logistics chains: "Without efficient waterways and future-proof inland ports, there can be no resilient industry. As multimodal logistics hubs, inland ports are the basis for the establishment of new shippers, for value creation and jobs. We need the support of the federal and state governments for this - perhaps also as a door opener in Brussels." The energy transition, circular economy, new logistics chains and growing requirements in the area of heavy goods transport require high levels of investment in infrastructure and technology. At the same time, the persistent underfunding of waterways - from fairways and harbour basins to rail connections - is putting a strain on the ports' performance.