HGK Logistics and Intermodal

What HGK Logistics and Intermodal does

Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK), headquartered in Cologne, Germany, is a municipal logistics group owned by Stadtwerke Köln Konzern that has operated since 1925 and employs more than 2,500 people across 23 European locations. The group is organized into five business divisions — HGK Logistics and Intermodal, HGK Shipping, HGK Rail Operations, HGK Infrastructure & Maintenance, and HGK Real Estate — delivering integrated trimodal (road, rail, inland waterway) freight services, specialized hazardous-materials and chemical logistics, warehousing, ship management, and rail infrastructure operations. HGK Shipping is described as Europe's largest inland shipping company (dry, chemical tanker, and gas tanker), while RheinCargo — a joint venture with Neuss-Düsseldorfer Häfen — operates the second-largest inland port in Germany with 90 own locomotives, 700 freight wagons, and over 20 million tons of goods moved annually. The group also owns and operates 253.8 km of private rail track in the Cologne region, in-house locomotive and wagon workshops, and a Ship Design Centre developing alternative-propulsion vessel designs.

Underlying the offering is a vertically integrated asset base: owned ports, owned rail network, owned vessel fleet (including custom-designed mega gas tankers built to the ADN-2019 standard for customers such as INEOS), and dedicated maintenance infrastructure. HGK generates revenue through direct B2B contracts with industrial customers across chemicals, paper, aluminium/steel, bulk goods, containers, and automotive segments; named enterprise contracts include a multi-vessel gas tanker operating agreement with INEOS and a multi-year short-sea liquid coaster service for Covestro. GTM is sales-led via division-specific contact channels on the multilingual corporate website, with no public pricing. A technology differentiator is the Seafar NV partnership for remote-controlled inland barge operations, with onboard video feeds used as training data for future AI-driven autonomous navigation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the company is not listed on any exchange.

Name

HGK Logistics and Intermodal

Legal name

Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG

Website

https://hgk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

HGK Logistics and Intermodal is a Cologne-based municipal logistics group (Stadtwerke Köln subsidiary) operating Europe's largest inland shipping fleet, Germany's largest inland port network, and 253.8 km of private rail through five divisions serving industrial customers across chemicals, metals, paper, and bulk goods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multimodal Logistics Services

NAICS

Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Intermodal Forwarding (Container/Rail-Ramp) (TLACAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hazmat & Regulated Goods Intermodal (TLADAFAI), Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile) (TLADAFAC), Intermodal Terminal Value-Added Services (Cross-Dock, Transload, Stuffing/Stripping) (TLAJAFAL), Automotive & Industrial Parts Transload (TLALAFAE)

Keywords

• Multimodal freight transport
• Inland waterway shipping
• Rail freight operations
• Hazardous materials logistics
• Container logistics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Logistics Services: Integrated logistics solutions including hazardous materials logistics, paper logistics, container logistics, aluminium and steel logistics, bulk goods logistics and material processing, warehousing, and general cargo logistics. Revenue generated through service contracts with industrial customers requiring multimodal transport.
2. Shipping Operations: HGK Shipping operates dry shipping, chemical tanker shipping, and gas tanker shipping services. HGK Shipping is described as Europe's largest inland shipping company. Services include ship management, crewing, technical support, and monitoring.
3. Rail Operations: HGK Rail Operations and the joint venture RheinCargo operate rail freight transport, system transport, and rail network infrastructure. RheinCargo operates the second-largest inland port in Germany and one of Germany's largest private freight railways.
4. Infrastructure and Maintenance Services: Wheelset machining, wagon workshop, locomotive workshop, and network operation services for rail vehicles and infrastructure.
5. Real Estate Services: Commercial real estate and logistics real estate services within the HGK Group.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HGK Logistics and Intermodal provides integrated multimodal freight logistics across inland waterway, rail, and road, including system transport, hazardous materials logistics, container logistics, paper logistics, aluminum and steel logistics, bulk goods logistics and material processing, and warehousing. The offering is delivered through a network of ports, terminals, and combined transport nodes across approximately 40 locations in Germany and Western Europe.

Product overview

HGK Group offers integrated logistics services through five specialized business divisions operating across Europe. The portfolio combines physical transport and logistics services (not a software platform): HGK Logistics and Intermodal provides multimodal freight transport solutions including system transport, hazardous materials, container, warehousing, and bulk goods logistics; HGK Shipping operates Europe's largest inland shipping company with dry, chemical, and gas tanker vessels; HGK Rail Operations runs one of Germany's largest private freight railways with its own locomotives; HGK Infrastructure and Maintenance manages rail network operations, locomotive and wagon workshops, and wheel set machining; and HGK Real Estate handles commercial and logistics properties. The Group operates Germany's largest inland port network across 23 locations with approximately 2,500 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HGK Shipping: Inland waterway shipping services - Europe's largest inland shipping company operating dry shipping, chemical tanker shipping, and gas tanker shipping.
• HGK Rail Operations
• HGK Infrastructure and Maintenance
• HGK Real Estate
• RheinCargo

Products and services

• HGK Logistics and Intermodal Multimodal freight logistics division of HGK offering system transport (combined transport), hazardous materials logistics, container logistics, paper logistics, aluminum and steel logistics, bulk goods logistics with material processing, and warehousing to industrial shippers across approximately 40 locations.
• HGK Shipping (Inland Waterway Shipping) Inland waterway shipping services covering dry cargo, chemical tanker, and gas tanker transport, supported by Europe's largest inland shipping fleet as referenced in the HGK group material.
• HGK Ship Management Technical and crew management services for inland vessels, contracted by ship owners and inland shipping operators needing outsourced management of their fleets.
• HGK Rail Operations Private freight railway operations providing rail freight transport on HGK's own network infrastructure and operated rail connections, including intermodal rail services.
• HGK Rail Network Operations Operation of HGK's own private rail network, providing routing and infrastructure services for rail freight movements on the company's owned track.
• HGK Locomotive Workshop Certified maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for locomotives operated by HGK and third-party rail undertakings.
• HGK Wagon Workshop Certified maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for freight wagons, supporting both HGK's own fleet and third-party wagon owners.
• Wheel Set Machining (Radsatzbearbeitung) Specialized wheel set and bogie machining services as part of HGK's certified workshop portfolio for rail vehicles.
• HGK Real Estate Commercial and logistics real estate services connected to HGK's ports, terminals, and rail sites, including leasing of logistics-grade properties to industrial and logistics tenants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 million tons of goods transported annually by RheinCargo
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Allianz WasserstraßestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026The 'Allianz Wasserstraße' (Waterway Alliance) was founded by partners including the HGK Group to strengthen the position of inland ports and inland shipping. The alliance was presented to State Secretary Claudia Elif Stutz at the Federal Ministry of Transport in Berlin and is explicitly supported by NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst.
• Seafar NVcoreTechnology or IntegrationSeafar NV provides the technical remote control system for inland barges, enabling skippers to operate vessels from land-based command centers. Seafar processes personal data (video surveillance) as a joint controller with ship operators under Art. 26 GDPR. HGK uses Seafar's system for remote vessel navigation technology, with video cameras serving as the 'eyes' of the skipper on land. Seafar NV, Schaliënstraat 3, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
• INEOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINEOS contracted HGK Ship Management for the conceptual design, consultancy, and construction supervision of four mega gas tanker vessels. HGK Ship Management monitors handover and subsequently operates the vessels on behalf of INEOS. These tankers have three times the capacity of conventional gas tankers and were built to the ADN-2019 standard.
• Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Spedition GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHGK Ship Management converted the 'Amadeus Titanium' liquid coaster for Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Spedition GmbH. The coaster was converted to specialize in tanker transport for Covestro's needs and operates on European short-sea routes.
• Neuss-Düsseldorfer Häfen GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRheinCargo GmbH & Co. KG is a joint venture between Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG and Neuss-Düsseldorfer Häfen GmbH & Co. KG, operating the second-largest inland port in Germany. RheinCargo transports over 20 million tons of goods annually using 90 locomotives and 700 freight wagons.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eurogate: Operator of German seaport container terminals and intermodal connections. Comparable as a German port-and-intermodal specialist, though focused on deep-sea container handling rather than inland waterway and hazmat logistics.
• HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik): German publicly-listed port and intermodal logistics operator (Hamburg). Direct peer: combines port authority, container handling, and rail-based intermodal transport. Comparable AG structure and integrated port/rail model makes HHLA the closest listed read-across for HGK's blended business.
• Rhenus Logistics: German multimodal logistics provider (part of Rethmann Group) covering road, rail, inland water, warehousing, and port logistics. Directly comparable integrated multimodal European offering targeting industrial shippers, with similar scope across transport modes.
• SBB Cargo: Swiss national rail freight operator running trans-European block trains and combined transport. Comparable rail-freight competitor with adjacent intermodal offerings, overlapping with HGK Rail Operations in continental European freight flows.

Emerging players

• Imperial Logistics: European-focused logistics provider (formerly Imperial, with operations in Germany) active in contract logistics, freight, and shipping-related transport. Smaller and more emerging in European inland multimodal than HGK but targets similar industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• CMA CGM (Ceva Logistics): Global ocean carrier with inland logistics arm (CEVA). Broad incumbent across inland freight forwarding and contract logistics in Europe; competes for industrial shipper contracts but is ocean- rather than inland-waterway anchored.
• DB Cargo (Deutsche Bahn): Incumbent German rail freight operator (subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn) and the dominant line-haul rail freight provider in Germany. Overlaps with HGK Rail Operations in private freight rail; broader national network but focused on rail rather than integrated trimodal.
• DP World: Global port operator and logistics provider with inland terminal and intermodal reach. Overlaps with HGK on port operations and inland connections but at much larger, multi-continental scale and outside European Rhine focus.
• DHL Group (Deutsche Post DHL): Global logistics integrator with road, rail, air, and ocean freight plus warehousing. Broad incumbent operating across all modes, but largely parcel/express-forwarder oriented and not specialized in industrial trimodal / port-authority services like HGK.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider. Broad incumbent in freight forwarding with intermodal offerings; competes for shipper contracts but does not own rail infrastructure or inland fleet on HGK's scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HGK Logistics and Intermodal