The traffic situation in Hamburg is a challenge. Traffic jams around the terminals, on highways, and on access roads cost time, money, and patience. Addicks & Kreye has responded to this: For more than 10 years now, we have been specifically utilizing the night hours for smart container logistics and are continuously expanding this service portfolio. With a 24/7 dispatch center in Hamburg operating from 4:30 a.m. on Mondays to 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays and a fleet of vehicles with two drivers each in Hamburg and Bremerhaven, we provide our customers with a seamless, traffic-jam-free logistics system. The market needs this flexibility. With our night shift model, we adapt to this reality and create a seamless, traffic-jam-free logistics chain for our customers.

Here’s How the Concept Works

Containers are transported directly to customer warehouses at night and placed at designated loading docks. There, they are loaded or unloaded during the day—depending on whether they are imports or exports. The key feature: At night, we swap full containers for empty ones—or vice versa. This not only saves time but also storage space and reduces the number of handling steps. It’s particularly efficient with what’s known as a “direct turnaround”: Import containers are unloaded during the day, reloaded immediately, and don’t go to the depot at night but instead head directly to the terminal. This dramatically reduces turnaround times.

Customers benefit from a flexible model: We either provide an in-house service or support the service operated by the customer. Regional transit and feeder services between Hamburg, Bremen, and Bremerhaven are seamlessly integrated. Everything is managed by our dispatch center in Hamburg.

The Benefits for Our Customers

• Predictability: Containers arrive at night, allowing for full focus on loading and unloading during the day = no downtime due to traffic congestion
• Efficiency: Direct rotators eliminate trips to the depot, reduce the number of runs, and speed up handling cycles
• Reducing Traffic Congestion: Congestion-Free Transportation in Hamburg, for Greater Reliability and Shorter Overall Transit Times
• Flexibility: Farm services as needed or support for your own services, tailored to your specific needs
• 24/5 Availability: Our scheduling department is staffed continuously from 4:30 a.m. on Mondays through 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays = quick response to changes and inquiries, and real-time optimization

The Reality: Terminals and Staff Scheduling

However, experience shows that nighttime operations are only half the solution. Processing times at the terminals—even at night—are often disproportionately long, even though the terminals are sometimes nearly empty. This is often due to suboptimal staffing plans on the part of the terminal operators. There is significant potential for improvement here. Through regular dialogue, we identify these challenges in order to make the overall system more efficient. Customers benefit when all stakeholders work together toward a common goal.

Addicks & Kreye takes a holistic approach to container logistics, viewing it not merely as transportation but as an integrated system comprising nighttime transport, temporary storage, and optimized processes. With a modern fleet of vehicles, state-of-the-art equipment, and a well-coordinated team, we leverage the nighttime hours as a strategic advantage to achieve real efficiency gains.

There is great potential to expand this proven model, especially for customers who want to optimize their logistics and avoid delays caused by traffic congestion.