Antwerp, 15 October 2020 – EWS Group, that specializes in fumigation and gas measurement, together with Lineas, the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, will double the fumigation capacity at the Main Hub in Antwerp. This enables them to meet the strongly increased demand for lumber transport from Europe to China. Every week more than 3.000 containers of wood pass through the Main Hub, double of last year’s 1.000 – 1.500 containers per week.
Hundreds of thousands of containers lumber leave Europe for China every year, where it is processed into chipboard and furniture. This wood comes from German production forests, that have recently become infested with the bark beetle, increasing the speed at which the trees need to be cut.
The wood travels by rail or truck to the Port of Antwerp. The fumigation process then neutralizes the beetles. Fumigation, also known as the quarantine treatment, is mandatory for wood to be transported to China.
After a treatment of 24 hours, the containers can continue their journey. Thanks to a railway connection with the fumigation zone, the containers are brought straight to the deep-sea quays on Lineas’ so-called LORO and RORO trains. They run several times a day to the deep-sea quays on the Port of Antwerp’s Left Bank and Right Bank.
Due to the increased demand from China, Lineas and EWS Group have doubled their capacity on the Main Hub. The cooperation started in 2017 with two zones for twenty 40ft containers. The terminal will now be extended to four zones for twenty 40ft containers.
About EWS Group
EWS Group is the specialist and innovative partner for all forms of pest control, fumigation, gas measurements, ventilation and bio treatment of goods in storage.
The headquarters of EWS Group is located in Werkendam, the Netherlands. In addition to the headquarters in the Netherlands, EWS has several European branches in Belgium, France, Austria, Italy, England, Spain and Germany.
The mission of EWS Group is to remove the customer’s concerns about bioinfections and hygiene risks. Our vision is to realize, together with our employees, a leading position in the industry through cooperation, innovations and transparent agreements with clients. EWS Group takes into account the effects of our business operations on people, environment and society.
About Lineas
Lineas is the largest private rail freight operator in Europe with its headquarters in Belgium and branches in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
The company’s mission is to provide rail products and services of such quality that customers shift the transportation of their goods from road to rail in order to improve their supply chain and reduce the negative impact of their operations on climate, mobility and air quality.
Lineas’ main product is the Green Xpress Network, which provides fast and reliable rail connections between Belgium and major European hubs on a daily basis. It bundles different types of freight into a single train. The GXN offer was launched in 2014 and already has 20 connections.
Lineas employs more than 2,100 people and has a fleet of more than 250 locomotives and 7,000 wagons. The company’s shareholders are the independent private equity group Argos Wityu together with the management of Lineas (90%) and NMBS (10%).
www.lineas.net