What Birsterminal does

Birsterminal AG is a privately held Swiss trimodal logistics platform headquartered at Hafenstrasse 54, Birsfelden, operating on a 90,000 m² footprint inside the Swiss Rhine ports. Founded in 1940 and led by CEO Martin Ticks since 2017, the company integrates barge, rail, and road handling at a single node, delivering container transport, project cargo, steel logistics, industrial packaging, recycling/bulk handling, and warehouse services. Its branded service lines include Tango Shipping Line (inland waterway container service to Antwerp and Rotterdam operated with Dutch partner Dubbelman Container Transporten BV), Tango Rail Line (direct rail to Belgian seaports via Terminal Container Athus S.A.), and i-Log (an on-campus industrial and logistics park).

Core infrastructure includes a SENNEBOGEN 875 E Hybrid material handler mounted on a 16m-gauge rail portal spanning three tracks, a fleet including the CAMARO VII motor vessel (135m, 268 TEU, 53 reefer connections), and 16,000 m² of rooftop solar providing 100% green electricity to cranes, reefer connections, and handling equipment. The company holds GDP (Good Distribution Practices) certification from Bureau Veritas for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical logistics and operates a smartphone-optimized Container Portal for digital pre-notification and pickup status.

Birsterminal serves enterprise industrial customers across Switzerland and Western Europe — heavy machinery manufacturers (Hatebur Umformmaschinen AG), cable producers (Brugg Kabel AG), pharmaceuticals (Roche), retail/food (Migros/Delica), wind energy, mining equipment, and government/emergency services. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based container handling, freight, and project logistics fees, with recurring warehouse and i-Log storage income. Public pricing is published as per-TEU and per-ton tariffs, including tiered low-water surcharges indexed to the Kaub gauge (e.g., EUR 30–150 per 20'/40' container depending on water level) and reduced per-ton port fees for recycling materials.

Name

Birsterminal

Legal name

Birsterminal AG

Website

https://birsterminal.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birsterminal AG is a privately held Swiss trimodal logistics platform in the Birsfelden Rhine port, operating barge, rail, and road handling across a 90,000 m² facility. It serves European industrial enterprises with container transport, project logistics, warehousing, and GDP-certified pharma cold-chain services via its Tango Shipping Line and Tango Rail Line brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multimodal Logistics Services

NAICS

Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Warehousing and Storage (493), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Short Line Railroads (482112)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail-Truck Transload Terminals (Inland) (TLALAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project Cargo & Heavy-Lift Transload (TLALAFAL), Bulk Commodities Transload (Grain, Feed, Fertilizer, Aggregates) (TLALAFAG), Project Cargo Packing, Crating & Securing (Lashing/Dunnage) (TLAIAKAJ), Bulk Ingredient Logistics, Storage & Transloading (Food Commodities) (AFAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Trimodal logistics terminal
• Inland waterway container transport
• Project cargo logistics
• Warehousing and storage services
• Heavy lift handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Birsfelden

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Container Handling and Transport: Container shipping services via Tango Shipping Line (barge) and Tango Rail Line (rail) connecting Swiss Rhine ports with seaports of Antwerp and Rotterdam.
2. Cargo Handling Services: Handling services for steel, project cargo, wind energy components, industrial machinery, and temperature-controlled goods (GDP-certified for pharma).
3. Warehouse and Storage: 90,000 m² of logistics space including i-Log industrial and logistics park for production and storage.
4. Industrial Packaging: Custom industrial packaging services for project cargo.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Birsterminal AG operates a trimodal, multifunctional logistics platform on 90,000 m² in the Swiss Rhine ports, providing container transport via its own Tango Shipping Line (barge) and Tango Rail Line (rail) between Switzerland and the North Sea ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. The company also delivers cargo handling for steel, project, and bulk goods, industrial packaging, GDP-certified pharmaceutical logistics, warehousing, and the i-Log industrial/logistics park.

Product overview

Birsterminal operates a trimodal, multifunctional logistics platform with 90,000 m² of surface area in the Swiss Rhine ports. The portfolio comprises branded service lines — Tango Shipping Line (inland waterway container transport to/from Antwerpen and Rotterdam), Tango Rail Line (rail connections to Belgian ports), and i-Log (industrial/logistics park) — alongside specialized service offerings for steel products, project logistics, industrial packaging, recycling/bulk goods, and warehouse logistics. The company also provides a Container Portal for customer container management. All services leverage the trimodal water-rail-road infrastructure at the Birsfelden location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tango Shipping Line: Container liner service between Antwerp/Rotterdam and Switzerland operated in partnership with Dutch operator Dubbelman Container Transporten BV.
• Tango Rail Line
• i-Log

Products and services

• Tango Shipping Line Inland waterway container liner service connecting Swiss Rhine ports to the North Sea seaports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, operated in partnership with Dubbelman Container Transporten BV; offers combined fleet weekly capacity of 2,500 TEU.
• Tango Rail Line Direct rail connection from Birsfelden Rhine port to Belgian seaports (Athus and Antwerp), operated in partnership with Terminal Container Athus S.A.
• i-Log Industry and Logistics Park Industrial and logistics park offering short-term, flexibly available areas for production and warehousing, integrated into the trimodal Birsterminal logistics platform at Birsfelden.
• Container Portal Customer-facing online portal enabling pre-registration of export containers and checking of import container readiness, optimized for smartphone use.
• Steel logistics services Specialized services for steel products including handling, storage, and transport logistics.
• Project Logistics Comprehensive project logistics services for oversized and heavy cargo handling, including tandem lifting for non-standard cargo such as wind turbine components, mining excavators, and large press machines.
• Industrial Packaging Custom industrial packaging services tailored to specific customer requirements for project cargo.
• Recycling and Bulk Goods Handling Handling of recycling materials and bulk goods with reduced port fees for certain material types (CHF 0.20/ton truck deliveries and CHF 0.25/ton ship outputs since July 2021).
• Warehouse Logistics Storage and warehousing services within the Birsterminal terminal facility.
• General Logistics Services General logistics and transport services offered at the Birsterminal terminal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Barge transport uses 3.7x less fuel per transported ton compared to trucks (ADEME study)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Terminal Container Athus S.A.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Belgian terminal partner for the Tango Rail Line service, providing direct rail connection from Birsfelden to Belgian seaports.
• Bureau VeritasminorOthers · 1 December 2020Certification body providing GDP (Good Distribution Practices) certification for pharmaceutical logistics operations.
• Dubbelman Container Transporten BVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch partner operating barge services for the Tango Shipping Line between Swiss Rhine ports and North Sea ports. Dubbelman provides the vessel operations and infrastructure for the joint container liner service.
• YComm GmbHminorOthersWebsite development and content management for corporate web presence.
• R hoch² AGminorOthersDesign and information architecture services for corporate website.
• ITRAVIXminorOthersProgramming services for website and digital platform development.
• cyon.chminorOthersWeb hosting services provider.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hupac SA: Swiss-based intermodal operator shifting containers between road and rail across the Alps and northern Europe. Comparable on Swiss-anchored intermodal container transport and competes for the same cross-border rail/container customers.
• Kombiverkehr Deutsche Gesellschaft für kombinierten Güterverkehr mbH & Co. KG: European intermodal operator coordinating rail-based container transport across the Rhine-Alpine corridor. Comparable on rail-truck intermodal container services connecting inland terminals to North Sea ports.
• De Boer Internationaal Transport: Dutch multimodal container transport and barge operator with strong North Sea/Rhine connections. Comparable on inland waterway container logistics and a natural competitor/partner to Tango Shipping Line on the Antwerp/Rotterdam-to-Basel lane.
• Swissterminal AG: Swiss inland container terminal operator in Frenkendorf/Birsfelden with direct rail and barge connections to Antwerp/Rotterdam. Closest functional peer — same geography, same trimodal inland terminal business model, and direct overlap on Swiss Rhine container volumes.
• Contargo GmbH & Co. KG: Inland waterway container logistics specialist operating a network of Rhine and European terminals. Comparable on barge-led container transport on the Rhine corridor and competes for the same Antwerp/Rotterdam-bound shippers as Birsterminal's Tango Shipping Line.
• MSG eG (Mittelrheinische Schiffahrtsgesellschaft): Cooperative barge operator on the Middle Rhine providing inland waterway transport services. Comparable on barge-led container and bulk movement on the Rhine corridor and a potential partner/competitor for Tango Shipping Line-style services.

Broad incumbents

• Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport): Largest inland port in Europe, operating multimodal logistics, container handling, and warehousing on the Rhine. Broader scale and more diversified than Birsterminal but overlaps on Rhine-based transload, container handling, and heavy-lift project cargo.
• Rhenus Logistics: Large European logistics provider with inland waterway transport, port operations, and contract logistics. Overlaps with Birsterminal on Rhine barge/container transport and warehousing, but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth (and owns Contargo).
• HGK (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG): Cologne-based inland port and logistics group operating Rhine terminals, barging, and warehousing. Comparable on Rhine inland terminal operations, container handling, and intermodal connections, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Hafen Rorschach AG: Swiss Rhine/Lake Constance port operator handling bulk and container cargo in eastern Switzerland. Comparable on Swiss inland port operations and transmodal handling but does not directly overlap on Birsterminal's Basel-region catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BirsterminalAG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birsterminal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Birsterminal