The new Drive-in L system has an extremely compact design, works entirely without pneumatic or hydraulic components, and is currently the lightest on the market. This means it can be used for any type of RTG – even if there’s little room for additional components.

The first orders for Drive-In L systems have already come in: In APM Terminals Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles, they will be installed as part of the global framework agreement in place between APM Terminals and Conductix-Wampfler since 2011.

Reduction of maintenance and downtime

Thanks to its compact design, the Drive-In L – regardless of the type of RTG and the position of the diesel engine – can be installed on both sides of the RTG under the sill beam. That makes the solution the most flexible of its kind currently on the market. The entry or exit time of the RTG is less than 20 seconds with Drive-In L. The short entry zone also makes it possible to supply the RTG with power right from the first row of containers. Compensation is also ensured for tolerances that occur during travel of the RTG in the container blocks or due to lifting and lowering. The purely electrical drive reduces maintenance effort and thus downtime to a minimum. Coupling into the conductor rail with Drive-In L is entirely automatic and is controlled exclusively from the cabin of the RTG. Ground personnel are no longer required to switch blocks, increasing safety in the terminal.

“The reactions of customers show us that we have consistently understood their needs and implemented them as an intelligent solution,” says Claus Burger, Director Business Unit E-RTG at Conductix-Wampfler. Thanks to its many advantages, the new product has enough potential to set entirely new benchmarks in the RTG electrification market.

71 million Euros and 51 million kg CO2 saved

The conversion of RTGs from diesel to electric operation leads to savings of up to 95 percent of diesel consumption. E-RTGs no longer need a diesel engine at all during regular operation, only for driving from one container aisle to the next or in the maintenance area. “If you compare the diesel costs with the projected electrical power costs of an RTG, you can see the specific savings that can be achieved with a conversion. They’re often so high that the conversion costs – about 150,000 Euros per RTG – can be completely amortized after only two years,” says Burger. The elimination of diesel operation also reduces maintenance and operating costs by up to 70%, as well as CO2 emissions and noise in the port.

Thanks to E-RTG technology from Conductix-Wampfler, the savings have already amounted to over 71 million Euros around the world, with emissions of over 51 million kg of CO2 being prevented. “The demand for E-RTG systems is large and will continue to grow. We are assuming that diesel-powered cranes will only be used in the future where electrical power is unavailable for technical reasons,” says Burger. With the new, innovative Drive-In L system, Conductix-Wampfler is breaking new ground in this future market, simultaneously highlighting its pioneer role to an impressive extent.

Multi-day cruise passengers, those sailing on cruise ships that go out for more than one night, reached a record 3,664,103 in FY 2011, a 10.6 percent increase from 3,314,208 in FY 2010. The total number of passengers, including single-day and multi-day, was 3,952,843 in FY 2011, up 7.6 percent from 3,674,226 passengers in FY 2010. Cruise traffic generated a record $56.7 million in revenue for FY 2011, which is 24.1 percent higher than in FY 2010. Royal Caribbean International’s introduction of its second year-round 5,400-passenger Oasis-class ship, Allure of the Seas, in December 2010, contributed significantly to the increase in multi-day passengers at Port Everglades. Thirteen cruise lines offered services at the Port in FY2011 via a 55-ship cruise fleet, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Discovery Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn, and Silversea Cruises.

Containerized cargo activity increased approximately 11 percent in FY 2011 to 5,787,961 tons and 880,999 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units which is the standard measuring tool for containerized cargo), up from 5,216,831 tons and 793,227 TEUs inFY2010. Revenue from containerized cargo increased by 7.4 percent in FY 2011 to $31.7 million from $29.5 million in FY 2010. In FY 2011, export activity exceeded imports at Port Everglades, accounting for 57.9 percent of the loaded TEU activity. The Port’s primary trade lanes are in the regional Caribbean, Central America and South America markets, representing nearly 83.9 percent of the Port’s cargo movements. Of that amount, 39.4 percent of the Port’s containerized cargo volume was destined for Central America where Port Everglades dominated all U.S. seaports, with 17.5 percent of the entire Central American market. There are 22 container shipping lines that maintain regular service at the Port, providing service to over 200 ports in 129 countries. FY2011 also saw the opening of a new 25-acre cargo terminal operated by SeaFreight Agencies with a 10-year agreement.

Petroleum activity, the third largest source of revenue for Port Everglades, decreased by 1.0 percent in FY 2011 to 108,262,845 barrels from 109,380,437 barrels in FY 2010 due to a decline in consumer demand. (One barrel, the standard measurement for petroleum throughput, equals 42 gallons.) Twelve petroleum terminal operators receive refined product across Port docks to their privately-owned storage facilities within the Port Jurisdictional Area. Gasoline arriving at the Port is transported via tanker truck to gas stations in the twelve counties of southern Florida.  Jet fuel is also delivered from Port Everglades to Palm Beach International Airport by truck and by pipeline to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport. Petroleum products handled at the Port include asphalt, diesel fuel, gasoline, residual fuel oil, jet fuel, propane, crude oil and alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

Total waterborne commerce, as measured in short tons (2,000 pounds) and including all cargo that crosses the docks, reached 22,087,515 tons, which is a 2.1 percent increase over the 21,640,144 tons recorded in FY 2010.

Operating revenue at Port Everglades also reached a record high of $139.2 million in FY2011, which is 11.6 percent higher than the Port’s previous record high of $124.7 million achieved in FY 2010, while the Port’s Gross Operating Margin increased by 26.6 percent. This was accomplished by holding expenses flat in spite of increased volumes.

As one of South Florida’s leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of the nation’s leading container ports. Port Everglades is also South Florida’s main seaport for receiving petroleum products including gasoline, jet fuel and alternative fuels. The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County government with operating revenues of approximately $139 million in Fiscal Year 2011 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations. The total value of economic activity at Port Everglades is approximately $14 billion. More than 143,000 Florida jobs are impacted by the Port, including

The loan facility has a tenor for 13.5 years and a grace period of 3 years. The contribution made by banks includes US$50m from Unicredit, US$75m from Finansbank, US$100m from Garanti, US$100m from Isbank, US$50m from Sinai Kalkinma Bank and US$50m from Vakiflar Bank. The project will total US$750m and the
concession has a length of 36 years. And the construction is expected to begin this year.

Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle Port Corporation, Gary Webb, said “the 2011 annual coal exports of 114.1 million tonnes is a new record surpassing the 2010 calendar year exports of 102.5 million tonnes. This trade worth $12.8 billion is a major contributor to the state and national economy.”

“The 11% increase for the year is a reflection of continued strong demand for coal from the Hunter Valley and the co-ordinated work of producers and service providers to expand exports.” said Gary.

“The ramping up of exports from the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group terminal has been a significant contributor as well as expanding export capacity at the Port Waratah Coal Services terminals facilitated through the Hunter Coal Export Framework completed with the Newcastle Port Corporation in 2009,” said Gary.

In addition to the annual record a new monthly coal export record of 11.6 million tonnes beating the previous record of 10.2 million tonnes by 14%.

“The monthly record for December of 11.6 million tonnes demonstrates the capacity of the coal supply chain when all of the elements are aligned. This highlights the opportunity available in 2012 for further periodic and annual records,” said Gary.

Trade in non-coal commodities is also strong in the second half of the 2011 year and the Port is on track to have increased growth in non-coal trade for the financial year ending June 2012.