NO WINE UNDER 1 DEGREE, AND NO BROKEN GLASS
The summer is over, and the wines are bottled. Some of these wines are already on the way to
Japan. This is the case for the Beaujolais wine from Lyon, currently on the train to Shanghai, where
it will be shipped to the final destinations in Japan. “It is a rather unique shipment”, says Niels
Wildekamp from Rail Bridge Cargo.
“This is a shipment that is usually on the plane. That is much faster, but it costs a lot, especially now
the air prices have increased. So, the shipper wanted to experiment with rail transport. The wines
are currently one the way to two different locations in Japan, and everything goes according to plan!”
Tailor-made solutions
Rail Bridge Cargo is a Dutch independent Rail logistics company, offering multimodal transport
options. For each of these transport options, it looks for tailor-made solutions. “For example, the
Beaujolais wines needed to be
transported in a shock-proof manner, kept
at a certain temperature and arrive on
time.”. This project was organized by Rail
Bridge Cargo in close cooperation with
NSR – New Silk Road Intermodal and
Nissin Logistics.
In order to realise the temperature
requirement, Rail Bridge Cargo opted for
40ft containers isolated with thermo
blankets. “The Beaujolais committee
decided that the wines should not dip
under 1 degree. For this season, the
blankets proved to be enough. But in
winter you may need a reefer container.”
The journey
The journey is not a complete train line. The wines were moved by truck from the Beaujolais region
to Lyon Rail station, where they were put on the train. From this French hub they made the long train
journey to Yiwu, and then Shanghai. In this Chinese port they were transshipped on vessels, to cross
the Japanese sea to Tokyo and Osaka: the final destinations.
“The shipper did have some doubts before it
chose this solution”. “The blankets were a good
solution, as reefer containers are more
expensive, and more difficult to organize.
There is currently a shortage of reefer
containers on the market, as there is an
increasing demand for food and beverages
from Europe in China. Wines, meat,
pharmaceuticals, these are all transported by
conditioned units.”
Compromises
Moreover, the multimodal journey takes a lot longer than the journey by air, average 26 days, the
logistics expert explains. “The consignee did compromise on the lead time, but at the same time
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saved costs. And it contributed to a
reduction in CO2 emissions. This was
increasingly important for the consignee in
Japan as for many companies these days.”
Rail Bridge Cargo’s mission is to create a
healthier environment by using rail cargo as
a way to transport goods and make it an
irreplaceable
transport
method
for
companies. Compared to air freight, rail
freight produces 27 times less C02
emissions p/tonne km. “This makes that we
not only transport great wine, but also
contribute to our global C02 targets. We are
sure this will make the taste of the wine
even better.”
Source:
https://www.railfreight.com/beltandroad/2020/12/04/no-wine-under-1-degree-and-no-brokenglasses/
Mark: ____/60
Comprehension:
Are these statements true or false? Correct the false statements:
(16/17)
(Circle true or false; correct the false statements in complete sentences; do not simply make the statement
negative)
1. Shanghai is the wine’s final destination.
True/False
No, the wines final destination are Tokyo and Osaka
2. Wine to Japan is usually shipped by plane.
True/False
True
3. The Beaujolais shipment under way is transported in reefer containers.
True/False
No, the wine is being transported in 40ft containers.
The Beaujolais wine is grown and made in Lyon.
True/False
No, The Wine is grown and made in the Beaujolais Region
4. The consignee in Japan wants the wine to arrive as fast as possible.
True/False
No, he knows, that by train it will take even longer. (avg. 26 days )
5. Not the whole shipment is a train journey.
True/False
True
6. At the time the article was written, the wine had already left Lyon.
True
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True/False
Rail Bridge Cargo offers exclusively transport by rail.
True/False
No, they offer multimodal transportation options
7. The wine is transported in 40 containers.
True/False
No, the wine is getting transported in a few 40ft containers.
8. In Shanghai the containers are loaded onto a plane.
True/False
No, they were loaded onto a Ship
Choose the correct answer:
(7/7)
(More than one answer may be correct)
1. Rail Bridge Cargo is:
a. from Holland
b. does not offer tailor-made solutions
c. offers multimodal transport options
d. belongs to NSR (New Silk Road Intermodal)
2. The Beaujolais:
a. is on its way to Lyon
b. is fragile cargo
c. must arrive on time
d. must be refrigerated
3. Air freight is:
a. faster than rail freight
b. cheaper than rail freight
c. less good for the environment than rail freight
d. more complicated than multimodal transportation
4. Reefer containers:
a. are more difficult to organise
b. are cheaper
c. are in high demand
d. are used for transporting food
5. The multimodal journey:
a. is cheaper than the transport by plane
b. takes a lot longer than the journey by air
c. is worse for the environment
d. produces less CO2 emissions
6. The consignee:
a. is the person who ordered the wine
b. is located in China
c. was ready to compromise on the lead time
d. does not care about CO2 emissions
Match the words from the text with their definition:
(7/10)
(Verbs in infinitive form; nouns in singular form)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
something that you must have in order to do something else
a place to which something is going or being sent
a ship or large boat
to give up some of your demands in order to reach an agreement
very special or unusual
a feeling of being uncertain about something
to be one of the causes of something
at the present time
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A Requirement (n)
A Destination (n)
A Vessel (n)
to compromise (v)
Unique (adj)
A Doubt(n)
To Contribute(v)
Currently(adv)
9. a medical drug
10. any type of drink except water
a pharmaceutical(n)
a baverage(n)
Answer these questions:
(___/18)
(Make complete sentences; use your own words; do not copy from the text)
1. Describe the wine’s journey from the Beaujolais region to its destination.
(4/4)
Firstly it is being transported by Truck to a French Hub in Lion. After that its taking a journey on
the train to Shanghai in China, an from there on it is going to be loaded on a vessel up to Tokyo
and Osaka.
2. Which three conditions have to be met with the Beaujolais shipment?
(2/3)
The wine needs to be transported in a shock proof manner, it needs to get delivered in time and
it needs to be kept at a certain temperature.
3. What alternative to reefer containers did the company choose and why?
(2/4)
They used blankets, because reefer containers are more expensive and there are not many on
the marked right now because of high demand.
4. Why does this alternative no longer work in winter?
(2/2)
Because the blankets just cant keep up with the freezing temperatures from outside and are not
isolating as-well as a reefer container.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this multimodal shipment compared to the
journey by plane?
(1/4)
The advantages are, that its much cheaper and there are not so many CO2 emissions and it is
also not as safe as a Plane.
6. Whose instruction was it, that the wine’s temperature should not drop below 1 degree?
(___/1)
It was the instructions of the Beaujolais committee.
What do you think?
(___/8)
(Choose one of the following subjects and elaborate on it in at least 120 words)
1. Why do you think that reducing CO2 emissions becomes increasingly important to companies
around the world?
2. What measures could the EU take to make rail cargo more attractive?
3. How do you think logistics companies can adapt to stricter CO2 emission rules in the future?
Subject choice: Nr°1
4
Because in the long term even these companies will be affected by the rise of Temperature around
the world. It would become harder and harder to transport goods, that need to be refrigiated for
example. And if the CO2 emissions don’t drop even ways of transportations can get un usable, like
for example Transportations over the sea, because huge storms and bad weather would become
very common with the climate change, and so in a long term even that would become very risky and
obviously not many companies, would take the risk, and without the transport over the sea almost
no countries would „work“ in the meaning of getting goods from countries or to countries that are not
connected to land.
Word count:__121_____ words
GOOGD LUCK!
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