Set up at the port’s creation, the Société du Port de Mertert manages the port, which is based on a trimodal transport system. This was made possible by the canalisation of the Moselle, work on which was completed in 1964, enabling river transport to be developed. Today, the port of Mertert is a key player, at a time when climate change is going to reshuffle the cards for goods transport in Europe, and the world.
Paperjam: Raphaël Zumsteeg, you know the transport business inside out, and in particular you are in charge of the railways at the ministry of mobility and public works. How is your experience in the rail sector an asset for the port?
Raphaël Zumsteeg: My experience with the railways, accumulated since the mid-2000s, has given me a good knowledge of the Luxembourg rail network: every railway line, every station and stop, as well as most of the technical installations needed for the railways. I was quickly made aware of the need to invest in infrastructure in order to develop the network and keep it in perfect condition for the safe operation of passenger and goods trains. But beyond these technical aspects, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work on a number of cross-functional projects that have required me to work alongside government departments such as the Roads and Bridges Administration, most of the local authorities where the railways run and also those involved in the Port of Mertert site for the realisation of various rail projects. The port of Mertert is a trimodal hub that is connected not only to the Moselle, but also to the European rail network. It is these connections that are now an asset for the port of Mertert, because not only do I know the port’s rail facilities, but I also know most of the players responsible for operating and maintaining the infrastructure and developing the port of Mertert.
How many port handlers currently operate on the site? What are their activities?
There are currently two main operators, Luxport and Tanklux. Luxport operates the port dock and most of the port on the Mertert side. Its activity is mainly focused on steel products, but it has also diversified into the transport of agricultural products, containers, etc. On the other side of the site, Tanklux, which, as its name suggests, operates a tank farm for petroleum products, is now a real gateway for supplying the country with this type of product. It has a quay on the banks of the Moselle for the transhipment of these products.
What are the major challenges currently facing the port of Mertert?
The Société du Port de Mertert is what I would call the ‘manager’ of the port. We are not responsible for the actual operation of the port, but we do ensure that the port’s facilities are managed in a ‘prudent manner,’ so that operators can develop their business by water, rail and road. From my point of view, one of the major long-term challenges is linked to climate change and the proper management of waterways, and even rivers, to ensure that barges can navigate even in times of drought. Another major challenge is related to the port’s right of way, which is limited on all four sides with no possibility of extending the activity. For this reason, ingenuity will have to be redoubled in order to optimise the use of storage areas and their utilisation.
Seven percent of the country’s total volume of goods is transported by inland waterway: so as things stand at present, the port would not be in a position to increase this share in the years to come?
Yes, the port still has potential. Even though the surface area is limited, there are alternative logistics solutions that can be put in place, such as hubs in the ‘hinterland’ that will be connected to the port. Digitalisation could play an important role in these solutions, to optimise logistics chains and deliver goods ‘just in time.’ Warehousing will also be an important issue for the future, in order to reduce Luxembourg’s dependence on neighbouring countries.
The lorry is not going to disappear from our roads, because neither rail nor waterway will ever have the flexibility and ease of access that road transport has.
How do you think we can make inland waterway transport more competitive than road transport? Is it even possible or feasible?
The question is not to make one mode of transport more competitive, but to make the whole logistics chain more competitive. The lorry is not going to disappear from our roads, because neither rail nor waterway will ever have the flexibility and ease of access that road transport has. However, we need to work on regular and substantial flows over medium and long distances, and ensure that river and rail can become the preferred links in the logistics chain. To achieve this objective, hubs will become increasingly important, and trucks will remain the solution for first and last miles.
What have been the main investments made over the last five years?
The main investments made by the state over the last few years have been in infrastructure work as part of the port’s extension to Zone Portuaire 2, along the Route du Vin towards Mertert. These investments have enabled the Société du Port de Mertert to build halls for rental to small businesses. Other investments include the construction of a 135m-long turning area for barges (work in progress), an increase in the safety of drinking water and fire-fighting supplies, ongoing upgrades to the stormwater and wastewater networks, and modernisation of the dry networks, including a major upgrade to the electricity supply network for the coming years and an extension to the fibre-optic network.
What are the port’s plans for the coming years, and what investments will be made?
In order to maintain the current level of service, maintenance work will continue to be carried out by the Roads and Bridges Administration, as will the refurbishment of infrastructure that is required over the next few years. Where necessary, adaptations will be made to meet higher requirements in the future, such as increasing the load per ground unit in order to be able to store more. As in the past, this work will be carried out in parallel with the uninterrupted operation of the port and will be spread over several years. The work will cover the roadways, storage platforms and underground networks.
There are also plans to refurbish the south quay of the port’s dock over the next few years. At the same time, certain rail facilities will be upgraded by the CFL infrastructure manager so that rail can be further developed and become a real asset for this multimodal hub. Among the large-scale projects, we should also mention ecological compensation projects, such as the renaturation of the Syre at the port of Mertert, with the construction of a fish pass linking the Moselle to the Syre.
What do you think the river transport of the future will look like? What about multimodal transport?
We’re going to have to move towards an energy transition, like all the other sectors. To achieve this, barges are going to be optimised in terms of their draught, and their engines are going to be powered by biodiesel initially, then by electricity or hydrogen in the longer term. The latter fuel will have to find its place thanks to green production, and I think that the port of Mertert will be able to play a role in this transition. Digitalisation will also play an important role in synchronising the different modes of transport, enabling us to create river-rail-road flows with a better quality offer and thus promote modal shift towards river and rail for certain well-targeted volumes.
This article was originally published in French.
