Italy to Finland: one shipment, several modes

When the standard route is not enough, you build a new one. EFFIMODAL has recently started handling a significant new flow from Italy to Finland — cargo that needed a solution beyond a conventional trailer movement.

The route, step by step

For this project we combine several transport modes and specialised handling operations into one coordinated supply chain:

1. First mile in Italy — our trailers collect the cargo and bring it to the intermodal network.
2. Rail to Lübeck — the units travel by rail to Lübeck Skandinavienkai.
3. Transloading in Lübeck — together with Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft mbH (LHG), the cargo is transferred from our trailers onto Mafi/cassette equipment, so it can continue as unaccompanied project cargo.
4. Short-sea to Finland — the Baltic Sea leg from Lübeck to Turku is operated with our partner WALLENIUS SOL.
5. Final mile in Finland — after arrival in Turku, final-mile distribution completes the chain to the consignee.

One order, six synchronised steps

What looks like a single transport order is in fact the synchronisation of road, rail, terminal handling, specialised transloading, short-sea shipping and final-mile delivery. Every handover has to fit the next one — train slots, terminal capacity, equipment availability and vessel departures.

Why it matters for shippers

This is where intermodal logistics becomes interesting. It is not simply about finding a truck from A to B, but about designing the right combination of infrastructure, equipment and partners to make a difficult flow commercially and operationally viable. Moving the long-distance legs to rail and sea also takes trucks off the road for most of the journey across Europe.

Thank you

A big thank you to Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft mbH for the handling support in Lübeck, to WALLENIUS SOL for the sea connection to Finland — and especially to our customer for trusting EFFIMODAL with a project of this scale.

One shipment. Several transport modes. One coordinated solution. If you have a flow that does not fit a standard trailer movement, tell us about it.

Originally shared on LinkedIn — follow Effimodal for more updates.