Spain-Belgium Intermodal Transport of Steel Coils: Sacytrans Case

Sacytrans has more than 30 years of experience transporting steel coils. Our specialisation is reflected in the infrastructure and logistics process developed to guarantee safe and efficient deliveries. We use a success story to explain our international transport services from Spain to Belgium.

Adapted trailers

We have trailers and mobile boxes from our fleet that are reel carriers. We use “tautliner coil holder” type semi-trailers that, in addition to allowing the loading of all types of merchandise, have cradles to secure the coils during transport and vertical posts to prevent displacement of the coils during the journey. We offer 10 swap bodies and 35 semi-trailers, all carrying coils.

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Example of an Intermodal Coil Transportation Process

1. Customer Request:

A 22,500 kg coil was transported from Bilbao to the Port of Antwerp through an intermodal road and rail process..

2. Logistics Cargo:

A mobile box is sent from Sacytrans, with our Irún base destined for Bilbao, Spain,  to load the coil. You have to unload in Antwerp on Wednesday. It's the same time frame as if it were done by road. We sent a moving box on a chassis suitable for the C45 moving box to load the coil.

3. Transfer to Train Station:

The coil in the swap body is taken to the FR-64 Mouguerre station (Bayonne, France), where it is loaded onto a train car with a gantry crane, placing it on top of the vehicle. The train with our mobile box and steel coil leaves Mouguerre on Monday afternoon.

4. Railway Transport:

The train departs from FR-64 Mouguerre (Bayonne) bound for the FR-62 Dourges station, near the border with Belgium, arriving on Tuesday mid-morning. We pick up the box from the station with our driver with a chassis to take the coil to Antwerp to unload.

5. Unloading and Delivery by road in Belgium:

In Dourges, the box with the coil is picked up and transferred to its final destination in Antwerp on Tuesday at noon or Wednesday first thing in the morning.

Environmental and Operational Comparison

Environmental Impact of the Intermodal Route:

• By Road: 1,276 km x 0.75 Kgs CO2/km = 957 Kgs of CO2.

• Intermodal: 320 km by road x 0.75 Kgs CO2/Km = 240 Kgs of CO2 + Train journey 45 Kgs CO2 = 285 kgs of CO2.

Result: A reduction of 672 Kg of CO2 in intermodal transport compared to international road transport.

Operations and family conciliation:

The total time of intermodal transport is equivalent to the entire road journey. However, this modality allows for more adequate management of drivers' work hours and improved social benefits and family conciliation.

Cargo Handling:

Cargo is not manipulated from origin to destination, ensuring a more efficient and safer process.

Recognition and Security

The accumulated experience and a low accident rate have positioned Sacytrans as a trusted carrier, being chosen by several international clients as their logistics provider in Spain.

Sacytrans combines experience, infrastructure and an intermodal approach to offer optimised logistics solutions for transporting steel coils between Spain and Belgium.