The Pernis Combi Terminal (PCT) opened April 2006 and is founded for the consolidation of containers (also Hazardous) for continental and maritime cargo for distribution into mainland Europe by rail and barge.

Europe is growing. Increasing road transport services help link CEE to Western Europe and similarly to the UK using short sea services. The PCT is set to increase European chemical distribution by using multi-modal connections.

Sharing the plans

The four shareholders in this scheme, Den Hartogh, VLS-Group (former BU warehousing Royal Vopak), MCS and Nijhof Wassink co-ordinated the project beginning 2005. Location played a large part in the plans as Pernis is very closely situated to all shareholder interests and it is also in the middle of the petrochemical area. “The shareholders wanted to make this terminal at the site of Shell which is next door to VLS and the idea was to make a container terminal inside of Shell. “After a lot of meetings they decided not to invest in a terminal at the Shell-site because it is a producer and not a logistic company. Because VLS-Group was close by they decided to make it here instead.”

All four shareholders bring their unique expertise to the PCT project and these skills are not competitive but complementary to each other, for example Den Hartogh has a speciality in road transport and logistics whereas MCS has an applauded reputation as a (barge)operator. If nothing else, the attitudes of the interested parties will make this terminal truly multi-modal.