Sailing toward a future of sustainable logistics, Europe’s premier inland shipping enterprise, HGK Shipping, has joined hands with Salzgitter, Germany’s second-largest steelmaker. The shared objective: to foster and proliferate low-emission supply chains for inland waterways, setting a new standard for eco-friendly transportation. To kick start this ambitious project, HGK along with Salzgitter subsidiaries – Salzgitter Flachstahl and DEUMU-Deutsche Erz- und Metall-Union – has put pen to paper on a memorandum of understanding.
Harnessing The Potential of Inland Waterways
Aiming to establish efficiency and sustainability in operations, emphasis will be placed on setting up collaborative transport operations. The intention is to generate return loads, eliminate waste in the form of empty voyages, and maximize the existing shipping space. This strategic move brings together Salzgitter Flachstahl’s specialized production of flat steel for various industries and DEUMU’s recycling and trading operation in steel, metals, and alloys.
Building a Sustainable Future for Steel Industry
The strategic integration with inland waterways at numerous business sites facilitates Salzgitter-operated companies’ transport of over 1 million tonnes of steel annually on Europe’s waterways. This remarkable feat is scalable if the right conditions are put in place. According to Fabian Gerdes, the head of customer logistics at SZFG, “Inland waterway shipping is already one of the most sustainable means of transport, absolutely essential for the steel industry. It offers the potential for increasing the volumes transported in the short and medium term”.
Autonomous Shipping: A Brave New World
In their tireless pursuit of innovation, this unique collaboration also plans to jump on the wave of autonomous shipping. HGK Shipping and Salzgitter will partake in the Seafar pilot project, testing partially autonomous inland waterway shipping operations in Germany. To make this possible, the dry cargo vessels operated by HGK Shipping to and from Salzgitter will be reequipped with technology enabling remote-controlled operations from land. This bold step into the future of efficient shipping represents the industry’s commitment to innovating for a sustainable world, one shipment at a time.
