“We are delighted to begin the new phase of the company’s history with our new brand NOATUM. We will build NOATUM into a solid brand of reference nationally and internationally in our sector. In the coming weeks we will launch the entire new branding strategy which will further reinforce our market leading position,” said Douglas Schultz, CEO of NOATUM.

NOATUM is one of the leading operators of maritime terminals in Spain with interests in Bilbao (Abra Terminales Maritimas “ATM”), Valencia (Maritima Valenciana “MARVALSA”), Málaga (Terminales del Sureste “TdS”) y Las Palmas (Operaciones Portuarias Canarias S.A, “OPCSA”), and in the largest vehicle terminal in the Mediterranean in Barcelona (“Autoterminal”).

NOATUM also operates bulk cargo and general cargo terminals in Santander (Graneles Solidos Minerales (“GSM”), Sagunto (“Marvalsa Sagunto”) y Valencia (“Terminales Marítimas Servicesa”), the rail terminal at Coslada (“Madrid”) and is the Spanish market leader in shipping agency and related businesses through its subsidiary, Maritima del Mediterraneo (“MARMEDSA”).

NOATUM Ports SLU is held by NOATUM Port Holdings S.L. (previously known as Turia Port Investments SLU) and MARMEDSA is held by NOATUM Maritime Holdings SLU (previously known as Turia Port Management Investments SLU) 

DSPL (“NOATUM”) was acquired by a group comprising institutional investors including Dutch pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP and advised by JP Morgan Asset Management, from construction conglomerate ACS late in 2010.

With 3 round trips a week, the shuttle will link the KTL terminal in Ludwigshafen – ideally situated to serve East-European regions – with the Port of Le Havre in 24 hours (departure day A/arrival day B). The service through Strasbourg doubles the frequency of rail shuttles between the port terminals in Le Havre and the port of Strasbourg.

This new rail service is not only designed for the shipping sector but also for companies involved in cross-continental traffic with the chemical and petrochemical industries in Le Havre. As indicated by Hervé Cornède, Commercial and Marketing Director for GPMH, “this service provides companies in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg with access to the major shipping lines calling at Le Havre and optimised transit times”.

As noted by Philippe Petit, CEO of Naviland Cargo; “For the second largest chemical and petrochemical industrial zone in Europe, the shuttle service provides a new means of transporting rail tanks and swap bodies”.

Transport services for dangerous goods, excluding storage, in strict compliance with the currently applicable regulations (ADR / RID) are also available. These services, which comply with the currently applicable EU regulations and international standards for quality and safety, are consistent with the objectives of the port of Le Havre.

Because the port of Le Havre is one of the few European ports capable of berthing giant containerships (capacity higher than 10,000+ TEU), the port – the leading French port for containers – offers highly efficient mass transport services for large volumes under optimum conditions.

The scale of Le Havre’s aims to develop mass transport services has been reflected in the creation of a Multimodal Terminal (road-river-rail) in the centre of the port. “It is a vital project we really need, because port calls by large ships, during which more than 2,000 TEU are loaded/unloaded, have to be processed using every kind of mode,” said Laurent Castaing. “Whether it concerns road or rail connections, the quality of the supply of inland services is vital for the attractiveness of a port like Le Havre, which has the capacity to handle 6 million TEU a year”.

DP World is interested in modernising the port infrastructure in the port located in West Bengal. With a shortage of container capacity in the country Kulpi would be a viable option according to a DP World insider. Currently, DP World has terminals in Mundra, Chennai and Visakhapatnam. Container capacity at Vallarpadam port could be expanded to around 4 million TEU by 2016 from the 1 million TEU at present.

According to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the expansion of the Port of Colombo is on schedule for opening in April next year. The construction work, which includes the construction of a 6.83km long breakwater along with dredging of the new harbour basin and the navigation channel will increase the arrival of larger vessels to Sri Lanka in 2012. The USD300 million project will also greatly improve the container handling capacity from the current situation. The depth of the new port is 9.5m.