Total Freight: Transito integrates maritime and inland shipping

The Dutch chartering company Transito launched Total Freight, a new service that combines maritime transport and inland navigation under a single contract, at a time when low water levels and other incidents continue to complicate the movement of goods between European seaports and the continent's interior.

The service covers the sea voyage, port handling, transshipment, and subsequent transport by inland vessel. Shippers receive a single price per ton, one contract, and one invoice for the entire journey. Within agreed margins, Transito also covers the costs arising from waiting times between the sea vessel and the inland vessel.

This service addresses a common problem for those transporting dry cargo from Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Poland, and northern Spain to inland Germany and the Netherlands. Such shipments can involve up to four different contracts. When low water levels, port congestion, vessel delays, or lack of documentation interrupt the connection between the maritime and inland sections, the resulting waiting times often fall on the owner of the goods.

"A sea vessel waits for an inland vessel, the inland vessel waits at the quay, and the terminal waits for documentation. These waiting times end up affecting the cargo owner. We manage both types of vessels; thus, if one is delayed, we adjust the schedule of the other accordingly," said Bas Weinberg, Head of Business Management and Development at Transito.

Total Freight is aimed at industrial buyers and medium-sized trading companies that do not have their own transport department, especially those transporting agricultural bulk, construction materials, fertilizers, minerals, recycling materials, and project cargo. Transito handles the transfer from the overseas loading port to the destination quay in inland Europe.

"Often, the difficult part is not finding a vessel, but ensuring coordination between the sea vessel, the terminal, and the inland vessel. If any change arises at sea, in port, or on the river, we manage that connection, preventing the cargo owner from having to coordinate with different parties," Weinberg detailed.

Low water levels can affect vessel loading and schedules, while congestion or offshore delays can also disrupt port connections. By managing both segments of transport, Transito can adjust schedules when circumstances change. Total Freight is available in both directions, including the transport of goods from inland Europe to overseas destinations.