The 8 Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes will be delivered to a new container terminal at Puerto Antioquia, Colombia, that will provide new export and import power for the regional economy of Antioquia and Colombia as a whole. The order was booked in August 2023.

The eight RTGs for Puerto Antioquia were ordered by Puerto Bahia Colombia de Uraba, whose key shareholder is the CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions. They are fully electric, powered by cable reels connected to the local grid.

“Konecranes’ Ecolifting effort in the form of these electric, cable reel RTGs is a good fit with the CMA CGM Group’s ambition to accelerate the decarbonization of port terminals on its path to reach Net Zero carbon by 2050 for all its operations,” said Neil Clegg, Sales Manager, Konecranes, Port Solutions. “The new RTGs will contribute to the successful launch of operations at the new Colombian container terminal.”

This order is part of Ecolifting™, Konecranes’ continuous work to decrease the carbon footprint of our customers. From eco-optimizing diesel drives, to hybridization and fully electric fleets, we will continue to do more with less.

A strong focus on customers and a commitment to business growth and continuous improvement make Konecranes a lifting industry leader. This is underpinned by investments in digitalization and technology, plus our work to make material flows more efficient with solutions that decarbonize the economy and advance circularity and safety.

STBERNARD, with a budget of € 6.7 million co-funded by the Horizon Europe Programme, will improve the safety of first responders in risk or emergency situations, while reducing the number and severity of casualties and mitigating environmental impact. 

Valencia, 20 September 2023. – The kick-off meeting of the STBERNARD project was held yesterday in the town of Valdemoro in Madrid. Its main objective is to improve the safety of first responders in risk or emergency situations, while reducing the number and severity of casualties and mitigating the environmental impact, especially in situations of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear)threats in the port area. Safety to prevent fire or explosion risks in the handling of dangerous goods in bulk will also be of relevant. 

STBERNARD is a project coordinated by the technology-based company Counterfog, in which the Fundación Valenciaport is actively participating, and which has a total budget of around 6.7 million euros, co-financed by the Horizon Europe Programme.  

The project is based on the research and development of advanced technologies to address the aforementioned CBRN threats. These technologies will include rapid sensors to detect hazardous aerosols and vapours, as well as rapid decontamination methods. The focus is on bringing these technologies to a more advanced level of technological maturity, which will allow them to be ready for deployment in operational environments. These technologies are expected to enable rapid detection of CBRN threats and to be portable, which would benefit responders and the general public in the event of such an emergency. In addition, mass decontamination of infrastructures and vehicles will be addressed, using aerosol-based technologies. 

An additional aspect of this initiative is the analysis of the risks associated with CBRN threats in rescue and recovery operations. It is proposed to develop a modular artificial intelligence tool to generate specific operating procedures for first responders working in such emergencies. These procedures and tools would significantly increase the safety of emergency teams, reducing the need to enter contaminated areas and minimising exposure. 

To achieve all these results, the project will draw on the extensive experience of its 19 partners: Counterfog EBT of the UAH (coordinator); Universidad de Alcalá; Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturia; National University of Ireland Galway; Austrian Institute of Technology; Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna Im. Jaroslawa Da; Ustav Anorganicke Chemie AV CR VVI; Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigación; Kentro Meleton Asfaleias; Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft; Mirion Technologies (MGPI) SAS; Saint George Tech Ltd; San Jorge Tecnológicas S.L.; Veproil Ltd; Ministry of Interior of Finland; Association Pegase; Escuela Española de Salvamento y Detección con Perros; Hellenic Police; and Fundación Valenciaport. 

Ocean carrier ZIM is now offering a first-of-its-kind direct service between the Port of Savannah and the West Coast of South America to support the growing perishables market.

“We’re excited to be the first U.S. port of call on this new ZIM service,” said Flavio Batista, vice president of sales and marketing at Georgia Ports Authority. “Fresh produce from the West Coast of South America is a major growth target for Georgia Ports, with citrus, avocados, grapes and blueberries gaining traction through our gateway.”

Direct service on the ZIM Colibri Xpress will take advantage of Savannah’s refrigerated cargo infrastructure and partner network that can support a suite of services, such as agriculture inspections, cold treatment/retreatment services, fumigation and repacking. The Port of Savannah has the capacity to power more than 3,000 refrigerated containers simultaneously.

Judd Bare, GPA regional sales manager, pointed out that GPA’s third-party logistics market has also played a significant role in helping attract new perishable cargo through the Port of Savannah. 

“Our ecosystem of cold storage warehouse space continues to expand with the recent addition of a Lineage Fresh less than 6 miles from our gates. This brand new, state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to fresh produce,” Bare said. “Americold is also well established, and has played an important part in attracting new opportunities for the port.”

Private, near-port cold storage amounts to approximately 2 million square feet, with 1.4 million devoted to frozen and 600,000 square feet for chilled cargo.

“Savannah is increasingly seen as more attractive option than traditional points of entry, because of its proximity to important markets,” Bare said. “Real estate developers, private equity and cold storage providers alike are actively considering new direct investments in the Savannah area.”

The Port of Savannah’s central location within the U.S. Southeast offers a strategic gateway to serve the Eastern U.S. and Midwest, with the deepwater terminal 100 miles closer to Atlanta than any other port.

ZIM officials touted competitive transit times between WCSA and the U.S., best-in-class transit times from Savannah to all Latin America trades, and connectivity between ports on the West Coast of South America.

ZIM Colibri Xpress rotation

San Antonio (Chile) — Callao (Peru) — Guayaquil (Ecuador) — Kingston (Jamaica) — Savannah — Philadelphia — Miami — Kingston — Balboa (Panama) — Buenaventura (Colombia) —Guayaquil (Ecuador) — Callao (Peru)

The Ports of Duisburg (duisport) and Rotterdam have launched a new feasibility study as the next phase in their collaboration to establish European hydrogen networks.

According to the Port of Rotterdam’s feasibility assessment, a large rise in demand for low-carbon hydrogen of more than 3 million tonnes per year is predicted in North Rhine-Westphalia until 2045.

Methanol consumption is also predicted to rise dramatically, reaching more than 2.5 million tonnes per year.

However, greater information on supply and demand is required, and duisport and the Port of Rotterdam are mediating between the governmental and corporate realms to match supply and demand and give the essential clarity to assist speed up investment and subsidy decision-making.

The ports are supported by the hydrogen initiative Hy.Region.Rhein.Ruhr e.V., co-founded by duisport, which the Port of Rotterdam has now also joined.

OCI Global working with the ports to demonstrate that the planned hydrogen corridor between Rotterdam and duisport is already in place and well-positioned to satisfy the significant demand for low-carbon, renewable hydrogen in the Ruhr region.

OCI Global runs the Port of Rotterdam’s only ammonia import terminal, which it is upgrading to increase its throughput capacity in anticipation of rising demand for ammonia as a greener fuel in difficult-to-abate industries.