A2B-online in latest edition‘𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲’

From the 3rd of February 2025, A2B-online in cooperation with WEC Lines, Tailwind Shipping Lines and Danser Group will offer a new barge connection. This new service, named MDC (Moerdijk – Duisburg Corridor) and operated with the ms TRANQUILO, will start up with 2 sailings per week between Moerdijk (CCT) to Duisburg (Duisburg Gateway Terminal, DGT) and seamlessly connects to existing (short sea) connections from Moerdijk.

’By providing this new service,
we are connecting the ports of Moerdijk and Duisburg
and offer our customers a reliable, sustainable and competitive alternative
to road transport on this important corridor.’

Michael van Maurik
General Manager Transport & Logistics A2B-online Container B.V. 

Frequency of departures Moerdijk – Duisburg Corridor
Duisburg is where the new terminal DGT is located from which it operates sustainably.  Every Monday afternoon and Wednesday evening there is a barge departure from Moerdijk to this new terminal; every Tuesday and Friday evening the barge departs in the opposite direction.  The aim is first to provide a stable service with a reliable scheduled service and to increase the frequency of departures in the future. 

Intermodal hub Moerdijk
With this new service, the Ruhr area is now also accessible from Moerdijk via water. Like the recently launched A2B-online Express that operates between Moerdijk and Northern Italy, this new scheduled service also means an expansion of the Port of Moerdijk as an intermodal hub. At the same time, this barge connection also contributes to making the road network on the Moerdijk-Ruhr corridor more sustainable and less congested. 

Partnerships with WEC Lines, Tailwind Shipping Lines and Danser Group

• With 14 vessels, 17 local offices and a worldwide agencies network, WEC Lines is a Dutch shipping line connecting Southern and North-western Europe, North & East Africa, and the Red Sea with high-frequency, environmentally friendly container shipping solutions.
  Read more about WEC Lines >

• Tailwind Shipping Lines is a German shipping line and subsidiary of Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG and was founded in July 2022. They connect with their services Asia and Europe, originally exclusively in the non-food sector for Lidl, but Tailwind now also offers capacity for other customers.
  https://tailwind-shipping.com/en

• Danser Group has been a leading intermodal operator for over 40 years. With an extensive fleet of owned and chartered inland vessels, Danser has established itself as a prominent service provider in inland shipping, maintaining a strong position in Northwestern Europe.
  Read more about Danser Group >

These 3 companies proved to be perfect partners for A2B-online in realizing this barge service.
WEC Lines & Tailwind Shipping Lines, like A2B-online, are fulfilling their customers’ needs with this service. For Danser Group, the operator of this barge, this service means a valuable extension of its own network. The cooperation in realizing this new barge service offers perspective to intensify the collaborations in the future and further expand the service supply. 

For more information, please contact us:
A2B-online Container B.V.: +31(0)168 334300 
Sales department: salescontainer@a2b-online.com

• Michael van Maurik, General Manager Transport & Logistics (mvmaurik@a2b-online.com)
• André  Mast, Commercial Director (amast@a2b-online.com) 
• Nathan Burrell, Manager UK Sales (nburrel@a2b-online.com Mobile: 07384 118583)

Last Saturday, 11 January, the first fully loaded A2B-online Express with 41 containers successfully departed from Moerdijk /CCT (Netherlands) to Melzo/ RHM (Italy). Effective immediately, this train runs 3 times a week between Moerdijk and Melzo v.v. with a planned expansion to 4 roundtrips from March 2025.

Advantages 

• Direct shortsea connections UK
• Optimisation of the entire supply chain 
• Efficient connection Netherlands-Italy 
• Faster lead times
• Sustainable alternative to road transport 
• Reliable partner in international freight transport
  

Not just a train but a milestone!
For A2B-online, this new intermodal product is not just a train but a milestone! We thank all stakeholders; the ‘customers on the train’ for their support and trust both in this challenge and in A2B-online. Special thanks to all (Partner LTE Netherlands B.V., CCT, our own IT, sales and operations colleagues and all others directly involved) who made this milestone operationally possible.

Filmshot of the first departure A2B-online Express
Watch the video of departure of the A2B-online Express
🎬 Watch the video of departure of the A2B-online Express>

More information
Contact: A2B-online Container B.V. Tel +31(0)168 334300

– Michael van Keulen, Managing Director (mvkeulen@a2b-online.com)
– André  Mast, Commercial Director (amast@a2b-online.com)

2024, a year of challenging market conditions and the introduction of ICS2!  The highlights far outweigh any challenges with many great benchmark moments;  the  start (steel cutting) of our new-building vessels in collaboration with @Technolog Services and yard @Sedef Shipyard. Expansion of our fleet with 75 new trailers and 700 new 45ft containers.

Participating in World Port Days in Rotterdam. Great moments with existing partners (celebration of CCT’s 20th anniversary) and new partnerships (@TOS,  @LTE Netherlands B.V. ) The celebration of the 5th anniversary of our own shipping company (A2B-online Ship Management)  Meeting with  students on school open days, trainees, (new) colleagues, customers, partners, suppliers, relations … with you!  

We confidently look forward to 2025 with the introduction of our new train service between Moerdijk and Mezo (Italy) in January,  Trade Fair Center Messe ‘Transport Logistics 2025’ in Munich at the beginning of June where we are working  together with @Port of Moerdijk, and further construction and arrival of our new-building vessels and much more…  

Without you we wouldn’t be where we are today! On behalf of the entire A2B-online team in the Netherlands, UK and Poland we thank you, our customers, partners, suppliers and associates, for your continued support and trust in 2024.

We wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday and a joyful and prosperous new year. 

31 October 2024 – Logistics service provider A2B-online is proud to announce the launch of its new train service, the A2B-online Express. This new service will see trains running 3 times a week between Moerdijk (the Netherlands) and Melzo (Italy), with a planned expansion to 4 roundtrips from April 2025.

“With the launch of the A2B-online Express, we offer our customers
a reliable, efficient and sustainable solution
for transport between the Netherlands and Italy”.

Michael van Keulen, Managing Director A2B-online Container B.V.

Supply chain optimization through the A2B-online Express
The A2B-online Express is an important step in strengthening the connections between the Netherlands and Italy and fits seamlessly with A2B-online’s objective of continuously optimizing the supply chain for its customers.

This new service offers A2B-online customers not only faster transit times, but also a more sustainable alternative to road transport, helping to reduce carbon emissions. With this move, A2B-online continues to respond to changing market needs and strengthens its position as a reliable partner in international freight transport.

Partnership with LTE Netherlands B.V.
For the traction of the A2B-online Express, A2B-online works together with LTE Netherlands B.V. LTE is an experienced and reliable supplier in European rail freight transport and specializes in providing flexible and efficient solutions under its own license in 13 countries. With a wide network and a strong focus on customer satisfaction, LTE strives to offer its customers the best service.

Managing director Mark Timmermans of LTE Netherlands B.V. is elated about the partnership with A2B-online: “We are very excited about working with A2B-online. A2B-online’s flexibility, decisiveness and professionalism make this a strong partnership. We look forward to building on this new connection together.”

More information
For more information, please contact A2B-online Container B.V. (+31(0)168 334300)

–  Michael van Keulen, Managing Director (mvkeulen@a2b-online.com)
–  André  Mast, Commercial Director (amast@a2b-online.com) 

On Saturday, October 5th 2024, A2B-online was, of course, present at the Open Port Day in Moerdijk! Our Ship Management department and Containers department participated alongside several other stakeholders around the CCT terminal, including WEC Lines, Euro Nordic, GCA, and Move Intermodal. It was a very successful and sunny day, with hundreds of visitors—including many colleagues and their families—enjoying the various organized activities! Thanks to the Port of Moerdijk and everyone else involved for organizing! 

Reflection on the MATCH Career Event

We look back on a fantastic start to the World Port Days 2024 in Rotterdam. On Friday, September 6, the MATCH Career Event took place at the Nieuwe Luxor Theater. It was the place to be for students, starters, and job seekers interested in a maritime career. The same goes for our A2B-online colleagues (from left to right): Madhevi, Pieter, Paul, Michael, Maroesjka, and Pim. We look back with satisfaction at the many enjoyable interactions and inspiring conversations!

Thank You
A big thank you to all visitors for your interest and enthusiasm; thanks to all partners and fellow participants for your presence and the great atmosphere, and of course, thanks to the World Port Days for the excellent organization and catering!

Missed the MATCH Career Event?
Are you looking for a great job or internship? Did we miss each other today? Maybe A2B-online could be a great fit for you, and you for us! Learn more about working at A2B-online; apply for one of our vacancies, or upload your details for an open application. Because who knows, Your Ambition might also be Our Future! 👉 Learn more >

Today was the day: the steel cutting of our first newbuild vessel, the A2B Vision. We’ve been eagerly looking forward to the steel cutting of our first newbuild vessel, the substantial part of the ship’s construction, the foundation of the construction! In the presence of colleagues, the festive ceremony took place at the shipyard in Turkey this morning (click here to see an impression of the ceremony).

Word of thanks
After the intensive period of preparation, we are delighted and proud to share this milestone with the world outside today. A word of thanks to all involved for their part in making this dream a reality, especially our investors, the Hamburg-based design and engineering company Technolog Services, our yard Sedef Shipyard in Turkey and all colleagues involved. Without their trust, commitment and expertise, we would not have been able to celebrate this milestone today! 

About A2B-online’s fleet revitalisation

Taking a longer-term view, A2B-online is implementing a fleet revitalisation programme. In June 2023, A2B-online announced it had ordered the construction of the first 2 new container ships, with a strong focus on sustainable performance and optimized efficiency. The first newbuild vessel is forecast to be commissioned in autumn 2025. The construction and commissioning of the second newbuild vessel, the A2B Progress will follow three months after the first vessel.   

Sustainable choices
The vessels have an improved intake for 45-feet containers and tanktainers resulting directly into 50% CO2 reduction per container compared to the existing fleet. The vessels are designed with a Methanol based propulsion system enabling us to carry  our clients valuable containers at sea compliant to the most stringent European rules. Next to this future compliant power plant the vessel includes energy reducing features further reducing greenhouse emissions.

Follow the progress of our newbuild!

The keel laying is the next milestone! Would you like to follow our newbuild and read more about it? We will keep you up to date on this via this website page!