Expansion of Chinese Business: Duisburger Hafen AG and its International Partners Develop the Largest Container Terminal in the European Inland
November, 2019 - Germany
| Duisburger Hafen AG, together with its international partners COSCO SHIPPING Group, Hupac SA and HTS Group, is developing the largest container terminal in the European hinterland on the site of the Port of Duisburg, thereby expanding the port into the central European anchor point of the New Silk Road. A team of Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek led by the Düsseldorf-based partner Dr. Martin Imhof advised Duisburger Hafen AG comprehensively on establishment of the joint venture and the operating company, including corporate and competition law aspects. Duisburger Hafen AG, which is owned by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Duisburg, is the owner and the operator of the world's largest inland port and one of Europe's leading logistics companies. With the construction of the trimodal "Duisburg Gateway Terminal", Duisburger Hafen AG is responding to the changing requirements of the European logistics market and to the rapidly growing business with China. The Duisburg Gateway Terminal is to serve as the Key European Gateway hub for the New Silk Road. On the 240,000 square meter area, up to 100 trains per week are expected to run to China and inland vessels are to depart for the nearby seaports. The investment volume amounts to approximately 100 million EUR. Duisburger Hafen AG and the Chinese COSCO SHIPPING Group, one of the largest shipping groups in the world, each hold 30 percent of the shares in the newly founded company. Further partners are the Swiss Hupac Group, a leading network operator with around 100 intermodal trains a day in Europe, as well as the Dutch HTS Group, which offers comprehensive container logistics services with its own inland vessels and terminal investments. Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek previously advised Duisburger Hafen AG on terminal investments on the river Rhine and most recently on the establishment of a terminal joint venture in Turkey with the Turkish ARKAS Group. Counsel to Duisburger Hafen AG Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek: Dr. Martin Imhof, Sebastian Pollmeier (both Corporate) Dr. Rainer Velte, Beatrice Stange, LL.M. (both Antitrust), all Düsseldorf |
