China Logistics investing Euro 100 million in JadeWeserPort
Althusmann: “Contract with China Logistics is a major success for Wilhelmshaven”
China Logistics, one of China’s largest logistics companies, signed a leasehold contract for 20 hectares in the freight village (GVZ) of JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven on 20 February. By 2021 Germany’s only deep water container port will see the construction of the “China Logistics – Wilhelmshaven Hub” offering 40,000 m2 of hall space plus 110,000 m2 of open storage area for handling Chinese goods. A second building phase is planned for a further hall providing 20,000 m2 of space. The project has an overall investment volume of around Euro 100 million.
Lower Saxony Minister of Economics Dr. Bernd Althusmann says: “The signing of the leasehold contract between China Logistics and the state-owned JadeWeserPort Marketinggesellschaft is a major success for Wilhelmshaven. The planned investment by one of China’s largest logistics companies emphasises the international standing of JadeWeserPort and of Niedersachsen as a maritime location. The freight village directly adjacent to Germany’s only deep water container terminal offers ideal conditions for internationally active logistics companies. I assume that the decision by China Logistics for Wilhelmshaven will act as a signal for further settlements at the JadeWeserPort and also have positive effects for the line service at the Eurogate Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven.”
Andreas Bullwinkel, managing director of Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-Marketinggesellschaft is also happy about the contract conclusion: “We, together with the state of Lower Saxony, negotiated for about five and a half years with Chinese partners about the settlement. We are pleased that we were able to persuade the responsible bodies at China Logistics that Wilhelmshaven is the right site for the company’s first investment in Europe. We hope that this decision by China Logistics will also help move Germany’s only deep water container port into the focus of other internationally active market players.”
More information:
The portfolio of goods to be handled at the “China Logistics-Wilhelmshaven Hub” will include the sectors automotive (man area), stone products for DIY markets, food and consumer goods imported to Wilhelmshaven for temporary storage and distribution. The long-term goal of the Chinese partner is to raise turnover to around TEU 100,000 per annum. The site will have a rail link to allow rail traffic from China to arrive at Wilhelmshaven over the medium term. As a result, the seaport of Wilhelmshaven will be well placed to become part of the Chinese government’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative. The construction period for the logistics centre including rail siding, store and open areas is scheduled at around 9 months. Building is scheduled to commence in winter 2020/2021, with commissioning expected in 2021. China Logistics intends to contract a German or European company to operate the logistics hub. The leasehold contract has a term of 99 years. The decisive factor in the location choice was the availability of sufficient space in the vicinity of a seaport terminal plus existing development potential. Wilhelmshaven was not the only site considered by China Logistics managers, who also studied and evaluated other port locations in Europe, for example Antwerp.
Information about China Logistics:
China Logistics operates 58 logistics hubs in China and is a subsidiary of the state-owned China Chengtong Holding Group (CCT), which is also a minority shareholder in Cosco Shipping Lines. The company is active in goods transportation by road, rail and water as well as providing integrated logistics services including international transport, warehousing and distribution.
