CEVA Logistics has begun operations this week at its new finished vehicle logistics (FVL) hub at the Port of Dunkirk. The hub is equipped with a rail spur and connects to maritime import and export trade flows to and from the northern French port.
The hub also comprises vehicle reception and storage areas, as well as loading and unloading areas for trains and vehicle transport trucks. “The implementation of a rail spur will enable CEVA to speed up turnaround times by reserving one or two rail links per week and by allocating part of our own fleet of vehicle transport trucks on a recurring basis,” a spokesperson for CEVA told Railfreight.com.
“By using the rail spur, we will be able to offer our customers long-distance rail transport to and from the Port of Dunkirk, for example, for the transport of finished vehicles to and from Eastern European countries,” the spokesperson added. The rail spur runs to the edge of the port’s quays and is located in proximity to the FVL hub.
With the opening of CEVA Logistics new FVL platform, the Port of Dunkirk “will enter a new era, that of electric mobility. Its arrival will enable us to offer a complete range of services to automakers,” according to the port’s chairman, Maurice Georges.
High demand in place
“We’ll be ramping up to reach a volume level the equivalent of 47,000 vehicles per year, probably in October. Then by March 2025, we’ll be at a volume the equivalent of 95,000 vehicles per year,” the spokesperson added.
CEVA has close relationships with major automakers who are keen to transit their flows through the Port of Dunkirk, the gateway to France’s (electric) ‘Battery Valley’ and the only European port to offer an ecosystem around electric mobility, the company underlined.
As for the hub itself, CEVA will double its capacity in the medium term with an additional 10.5 hectares of land. This will bring the total surface area of the platform to 20 hectares and increase parking spaces to 8,700.
Right place, right partners
CEVA describes itself as “Europe’s leading multimodal operator of finished vehicles” and operates a fleet of 3,000 trucks and 3,000 car-carrier wagons. Last year, the company transported a total of 5.5 million vehicles and plans to deploy four new 7,000-car capacity, LNG dual-fuel hybrid ships this year, chartered by its parent, CMA CGM, to ensure capacity requirements.
Dunkirk, which claims to be France’s leading multi-modal port, is looking to increase its rail freight traffic through a programme of investment in dedicated facilities. A road-rail terminal is scheduled to enter service in 2025, offering new destinations.