A smart and sustainable alternative to the full road network
With a combination of advantages - fewer trucks, lower emissions and more predictability - waterborne transport is rapidly gaining ground. With its unique location and multimodal inland port, Flevokust Haven shows that logistics can also be done differently.
Commercial manager Grant Pinkney of the C2U terminal at Flevokust Haven in Lelystad is optimistic about the future: "we now handle 15,000 containers a year and expect to be at 35,000 within five years. We serve companies based at Flevokust Haven, but also far beyond. More and more customers in the region are opting for transport by water." According to Pinkney, this growth is no accident: more and more companies are looking for smart alternatives to the crowded road network.
Fixed logistics route
Flevoland province developed Flevokust Haven port years ago. The terminal started in 2017 on Lelystad's clay soil, even before the surrounding business park was developed. The goal was clear from the start: to create a strong connection between Rotterdam's seaport and the smaller ports in the Netherlands, reducing companies' reliance on road transport. What started as an ambitious plan has since become a regular logistics route for more and more companies in the region.
This makes the port an important link in the further development of regional and international logistics. Thanks to its strategic location on the IJsselmeer, the area offers plenty of opportunities for companies operating on an international scale. Commissioner Jan Klopman emphasises this importance: "The unique location on the IJsselmeer provides many opportunities to serve precisely these international logistics companies with the business park behind it. Flevokust Haven forms the link here for international companies in the logistics field."
"Ultimately, transport by water is the most efficient, as well as sustainable transport there is. C2U, the barge branch of TMA Logistics, transports one hundred 40ft containers at a time on one ship, where only one container can be transported per truck per trip. Transport by water is also much more reliable with the growing congestion on the roads," Pinkney said. "You simply take a lot of trucks off the road."
Port-related business park advantages
For JYSK, on the adjacent business park, around 10 trucks a day currently depart from the terminal. This number is expected to grow to around 30 per day from October this year, when the new DC will be operational. At the same time, the agricultural sector is also showing an increasing presence in Lelystad: in four months, some 3,000 containers of agricultural products were exported through the port.
Sustainable ambitions and financial benefits
From 1 July 2026, a new truck charge will be introduced on most roads, making waterborne transport more cost-effective. "That's definitely going to help," Pinkney expects. "Apart from that, you see that fuel consumption and sustainability are weighing more and more heavily. By barge, you use about 15 litres of fuel per container between Rotterdam and Lelystad, compared to about 45 litres by road. That difference adds up quickly and it makes a huge difference in emissions."
Sustainability is also a high priority at JYSK, which was one of the reasons for locating at Flevokust Haven. This issue is central to its promise to customers, employees and the planet - a big but necessary task. JYSK is committed to reducing its footprint and aims to achieve a 50.4% CO2e reduction by 2032. "Through transport by water, we are taking concrete steps to make our logistics more sustainable."
"More and more companies are discovering that water is not only an alternative, but often just the better choice. "
- Grant Pinkney
Companies from the city and region benefit from the port
The possibility of storage and transhipment of goods, import and export via the major (sea) ports and the combination of different transport flows make it attractive. And it is not only the companies at Flevokust Haven that benefit; companies from other parts of the city and the region also make grateful use of the port. Waterman Onions from Emmeloord has been using the port since the terminal was launched in 2017: "For us, this is a logical route towards Rotterdam. We export worldwide and using inland shipping allows us to work more efficiently as well as reduce our emissions," says Erik Waterman. "It also gives more peace of mind in planning, because you are less dependent on traffic jams and crowds on the road."
Garden Impressions from Swifterbant transports about a thousand containers a year via the terminal. "It saves us a lot of transport movements by road. Besides, it's just more pleasant planning: less uncertainty, less delay."