The requirements analysis was prepared by the ISL Institut für Seeverkehrswirtschaft und Logistik in Bremen (Institute for Shipping Economics and Logistics). Olaf Lies, Niedersachsen’s Economic Affairs and Ports Minister, said at the publication of the study: “It is good that the feasibility study is now available for the second construction phase. This shows that the construction of a second container terminal in Wilhelmshaven is not only technically feasible, but also economically prudent in the medium term.
According to the study, the current port will reach the limits of its capacity by 2027. We will invest in the construction planning in future when this forecast is increasingly underpinned by facts. We have therefore decided to only push ahead with more planning when JadeWeserPort has clearly passed the one million TEU per year container handling milestone for the first time.”
The study covered eight aspects in total, including the main operating parameters such as quay length and site depth for a competitive and independently-operating container terminal, as well as the cost-benefit ratio. Other aspects analysed included the evaluation of the building plot and sand extraction, a differential assessment of road and rail connections, as well as a nautical simulation to analyse the safety and easy handling of the shipping traffic. Other aspects included a noise assessment, as well as an impact forecast concerning any possible negative environmental factors.
The evaluation of the environmental aspects revealed that nothing would jeopardise the basic ability of the project to acquire all the necessary authorisations. The draft terminal design recommends a 1.8 kilometre-long quay in a northerly direction, with a quay position angled at 10 degrees, and a terminal depth of 620 metres.
Andreas Bullwinkel, Managing Director of Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-Marketing GmbH & Co. KG, says: “We are delighted to now have the findings of this comprehensive study, and that the basic feasibility, including the ability to acquire all the necessary authorisations, has been confirmed. We continue to work at full speed ahead for the success and the future of our port.”