Hyundai Glovis, BLG form JV for automobile port handling

South Korean roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping company Hyundai Glovis and Germany-based seaport and logistics service provider BLG Logistics have entered into a strategic partnership for automobile port handling in Bremerhaven. 

As informed, this is BLG’s first joint venture in car handling at the German seaport terminals, following the successful cooperation in the container business unit with Danish shipping giant Maersk Line and its Swiss counterpart MSC.

The new joint venture, BLG GLOVIS BHV GmbH, will be launched in January 2022.

In the coming years, Hyundai Glovis will use the BLG AutoTerminal Bremerhaven as its European hub for automobile transports between Asia and Europe.

Hyundai Glovis already calls Bremerhaven for the shipping of Hyundai, KIA and vehicles of other manufacturers. The purpose of the joint venture is to pool volumes and optimize the OEM’s logistics chains in terms of lead times, cost and carbon footprint.

“We’re delighted to have a strong partner at our side in a difficult market environment. The JV secures volumes and strengthens Bremerhaven as a port location. By joining forces, we want to pursue strategic development and secure Bremerhaven’s competitiveness,” Andrea Eck, CEO of the Automobile Division at BLG LOGISTICS, added.

Currently, transports by Hyundai GLOVIS from and to Asia account for more than a quarter of the volume handled at the BLG AutoTerminal Bremerhaven.

With its 240-hectare site and annual handling of more than 1.7 million vehicles, the AutoTerminal Bremerhaven ranks among the largest automobile ports in the world. It will remain a universal port, open to all shipping companies, according to BLG.