Moving to Rotterdam saves us 4 hours of shipping

Moving 70 kilometres to the west can make a world of difference. In January, after sixteen years in Moerdijk, Nirint Shipping swapped the inland port for the port of Rotterdam. Nirint now calls the Rhenus Deep Sea Terminal on the Maasvlakte home.

Why did Nirint decide to make the move to Rotterdam?
“We operate a dedicated liner service to the Caribbean and get a lot of transshipment loads, both containers and breakbulk, from the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Far East. For 16 years these shipments had to be brought all the way to Moerdijk by feeder or barge where we reloaded them onto our liner services for departure to the Caribbean. Relocating to the Maasvlakte saves us around 4 hours of inland shipping each way. At the Rhenus Deep Sea Terminal (link is external) we are no longer limited by bridges or in terms of depth. Our move to Rotterdam also fits in with the trend of using bigger ships. For larger ships, you need a larger port. This makes Rotterdam a logical choice as it is the largest port in Europe.”

With all these advantages it seems odd that you stayed in Moerdijk for so long.
“In our company it has been an ever returning question. Moerdijk does have its own advantages, as it is closer to the hinterland. Belgium and Germany are reached quicker by truck from Moerdijk than from Rotterdam. Along with the great service, Moerdijk was a great place for us. But in the end, Rotterdam’s excellent intermodal connections, its benefits in terms of shipping time and Rotterdam being better know all around the world, outweighed this and that is when we decided to make the change.”

What does Nirint bring to the port of Rotterdam?
“We offer a fortnightly multi-purpose liner service to the North Coast of South America, the Caribbean and the Canadian East Coast. We are unique in the fact that we have such a regular service and we do not only handle containers, breakbulk and bulk, but also project cargo, heavy lifting and roro. We serve liner and tramp-orientated shippers and we are the only liner service that calls onto Venezuela and the Caribbean directly, without the need for transshipment.”

Nirint has been operating from Rotterdam for nearly three months now. How has it been so far?
“We are doing really good. The collaboration with Rhenus could not be better. They have received us with open arms. And Rotterdam is promoting breakbulk more and more, which is great for us.”

Where do you see Nirint Line in five years time?
"We are looking for a healthy, conservative growth. We will still be doing what we do best: offering dedicated services to and from the Caribbean and the Canadian east coast.”

This article was originally published on the Port of Rotterdam website 

Nirint

Marco den Breejen, managing director

“We are doing really good. The collaboration with Rhenus could not be better. They have received us with open arms. And Rotterdam is promoting breakbulk more and more, which is great for us.”

bart-luc-wit-1

Bart-Luc Olde Hanter
Head of Business Development

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Offshore | Project Cargoes & Heavy Lift
Mob: +31 (0)6 2229 7073
Email:
bart-luc.oldehanter@rhenus.nl