Archive 2 - Page 229 of 1311 - World Port Development

Biomass terminal construction reaches 1 million incident free hours

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22 September 2016

Biomass terminal construction reaches 1 million incident free hours

Riddor (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) requires employers to report to the relevant authority any work related accidents and incidents of a certain nature.

The first phase of the £100m facility opened in 2015 with further phases due to come on stream in the coming months. The terminal handles up to three million tonnes of wood pellets a year to supply Drax power station in Yorkshire, with the material shipped directly from the Port of Liverpool by train.

Paul Scott, contracts director, Graham Construction said: “Safety is one of our core values with the aim of ensuring all staff on our projects remain free from harm or ill health as a result of their work. We firmly believe that good safety statistics are as a result of diligent planning, effective supervision and management, trusted supply chain partners and a trained and competent workforce. It’s absolutely essential to have realistic timescales, achievable standards and expectations, and attention to detail throughout both the design and build phases. We also place a lot of store by the relationship we have with our client, Peel Ports, who have approached this project in the spirit of partnership and always maintained an open door policy with us to make sure we’re all communicating effectively.”

Graham Construction has attributed its achievement to a range of measures it has put in place:
• Encouraging the whole team to make health and safety observations
• Introducing a reward scheme that focussed on the quality of observations, not just the number
• Having a ‘no blame’ culture that minimised any reservations felt by younger or more junior staff
• Issuing clear guidance on minimum standards and documentation to suppliers
• Demonstrating senior level buy-in by having its own project manager attend the opening of all site safety committee meetings
• Introducing a ‘you said, we did’ board to provide feedback to staff

Peel Ports’ Project Director Garry Sharpe said: “Reaching a million man-hours without a Riddor reportable incident is a phenomenal achievement by Graham Construction and their supply chain partners. Graham’s management team have driven a culture of safety awareness, with a strong focus on the basics, using risk assessment and method statement as the foundation to all activities. Particular credit has to go to Alan Wallace, Stevie Collins and Chris Murphy for putting a proactive health and safety approach at the heart of the project and for ensuring the safety of not only their team, but that of Peel Ports, in a joint construction and operational environment.”

Fourth new TNPA tug rolls off production line

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WPD

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22 September 2016

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Fourth new TNPA tug rolls off production line

The tug – named OSPREY in honour of the fish eagle – will serve at the Port of Saldanha. In line with maritime tradition, the duty of officially naming the vessel was carried out by Lady Sponsor, Thandeka Mabija, who earlier this month was appointed General Manager for Human Resources at TNPA.

TNPA Chief Operating Officer, Phyllis Difeto, said: “The work by Durban ship builder, Southern African Shipyards, on this project has helped to cement the marine ship building and support industry locally. Having a local manufacturer also promises excellent after-sales support for the 35-year service life of these vessels. Local ship building expertise is exactly what the government’s Operation Phakisa initiatives aim to leverage in unlocking the potential of the Ocean Economy.”

This is the largest single contract TNPA has ever awarded to a South African company for the building of harbour craft. Nine new tugs are being built over three and a half years, as part of a wider fleet replacement programme that covers tugs, new dredging vessels and new marine aviation helicopters. The programme – aimed at improving operational efficiency in the ports – sits within TNPA’s R56 billion contribution to Transnet’s R300 billion-plus Market Demand Strategy. Five tugs are under construction simultaneously at any given time due to the project’s tight deadlines.

To date two tugs – MVEZO and QUNU – have been delivered to the Port of Port Elizabeth. Saldanha took delivery of CORMORANT in August and OSPREY will be delivered in December, followed by the port’s third tug next year. The Ports of Durban and Richards Bay will also receive two new tugs. There will be handovers every three months until the last tug is launched in early 2018.

Southern African Shipyards CEO, Prasheen Maharaj said the launch of OSPREY to TNPA has yet again demonstrated the capabilities of the South African shipbuilding industry.

“This is the fourth tug that has been completed on time and within specifications. The OSPREY is tangible proof that South African shipbuilders can deliver technologically advanced, world-class products and can build, support and sustain the technologically superior capabilities of these tugs. Southern African Shipyards is well on its way to delivering the remaining five tugs to TNPA within the timelines agreed upon. While celebrating this significant milestone we implore South African parastatals to continue to support the local shipbuilding industry,” he said.

Karl Wiesner, Chief Commercial Operations Officer at Southern African Shipyards, agreed. “South Africa is investing to secure trade through our ports through the TNPA tug programme and to continue to transition to our new ocean economy. The Government’s significant investment in our shipbuilding industry will support long-term highly skilled jobs in building, maintaining and sustaining cutting-edge ships for Transnet,” he said.

Wiesner said a vibrant and strong local shipbuilding industry would promote innovation and technology and provide advanced manufacturing jobs for South Africans for decades to come.

“We encourage Government to continue with these investments in the shipbuilding industry for the continued development of appropriate levels of skills and technology transfer to our workforce,” he added.

TNPA’s new fleet of nine tugs are each 31 metres long with a 70 ton bollard pull. The older fleet of 29 tugs has 32.5 to 40 ton pulls. The increased bollard pull of these new generation tugs meets international standards and they also feature the latest global technology such as Voith Schneider propulsion which makes them highly manoeuvrable and able to change direction and thrust almost instantaneously while guiding large vessels safely into South Africa’s ports.

DP World London Gateway wins new service to Australia. South Asia and the Mediterranean

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21 September 2016

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CMA-CGM’s NEMO (North European Mediterranean Oceania) and Hapag Lloyd’s EAX (Europe, Australia Express) combined service will begin calling at DP World London Gateway Port in early January 2017, with CMA CGM’s Rossini as the first to call on the service. The new business will mean DP World London Gateway is handling all of the UK’s direct services to Australia.

In addition to four port calls at cities in Australia, the service will provide the Port with more direct links between Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Malta and Italy.

The full NEMO/EAX service loop into the UK from Australia comprises: Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Singapore, Port Kelang, Chennai, Colombo, Cochin, Damietta, Malta, Salerno and DP World London Gateway. Outbound of the UK, the NEMO/EAX service loop comprises: Rotterdam, Hamburg, Le Havre, Fos Sur Mer, Genoa, Damietta, Pointe Des Galets and Fremantle.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said: “DP World London Gateway is an important part of our international network helping us achieve our vision of leading the future of world trade. It is a prime example of the high level of our service offering to our customers supported by state-of-the-art technologies and innovative trade solutions.

“London Gateway Port, which was built to reflect our flagship Jebel Ali Port and free zone in Dubai, is considered one of UK’s biggest infrastructure projects this century. Its ability to attract more shipping lines and services underlines the valuable role it plays in supporting the growth of the British economy.”

Rob Waterman, UK CEO, CMA CGM, said: “CMA CGM has been constantly innovating to offer its clients new sea, land and logistics solutions in the UK and worldwide. The collaboration with DP World London Gateway Port will give our customers excellent service levels and we are pleased to offer this new port of call.”

Cameron Bowie, UK Managing Director, Hapag Lloyd, said: “DP World London Gateway has good access to road and rail connections along with quick and reliable truck turnaround times, so we are confident this service will be providing operational efficiencies from the start.”

James Leeson, Head of Port Commercial, DP World London Gateway, said: “We’re delighted to add the NEMO/EAX service to our portfolio. With this new service we are now the only UK port to provide direct services to Australia, giving importers and exporters a unique trade advantage. This service also enhances our connection to the Mediterranean, opening up new markets for Port and Logistics Park users at DP World London Gateway.

“This is testament to the excellent service the Port is offering. Unmatched weather reliability, consistent truck turnaround times, high ship-side productivity and superb customer service are all combining to provide customers with a reliable, safe and fast service.”

Abu Dhabi Ports continues double digit growth

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21 September 2016

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This comes in parallel with the prosperous economic growth witnessed in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, reaffirming its prestigious commercial status across the region.
The company has experienced continuous growth as the UAE’s maritime trade hub with major growth across general and bulk cargo, container volumes and Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) traffic. Since Jan 2016, Abu Dhabi Ports has witnessed an impressive 77% jump in net profit and 20% revenue growth while the EBITDA margin exceeded 40%, reflecting a 15% increase compared to H1 2015 figures.
At the Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT), which is operated by Abu Dhabi Terminals, container volumes increased by 11% in the first half of the year.
Bolstered by rapid growth in polymer exports and transhipment activity across the Gulf, 699,776 TEUs were handled in the first six months of 2016, up from 629,941 TEUs in the same period of 2015.
Building on the infrastructure of Abu Dhabi to keep abreast with its economic growth, Abu Dhabi Ports successfully completed the implementation of the Terminal Operating System (TOS) in Zayed and Musaffah Ports. TOS is a database providing bookings, detailed tracking for containers and Gate Transaction tracking. Increasing the attractiveness of the ports to both sea- and land-based users, TOS acts as an integrated business platform with physical and technological infrastructure and processes.
The RoRo offering saw new levels of productivity with a record average of 206 cars handled per hour in April 2016 alone, an important boost for the automotive industry in the UAE and the region, demonstrating the growth of Abu Dhabi as a logistics hub for this industry.
During the first half of 2016, Abu Dhabi Ports enjoyed an increase in RoRo volumes of 4% compared with the same period in 2015, with 58,000 vehicles passing through the ports so far in 2016.
The amount of new land leased in Khalifa Industrial Zone is over 1.5 million square metres, 50% up on this time last year. Industries in Khalifa Industrial Zone continued to expand with 82 Standard Musataha Agreements (SMAs), at an investment amount of over AED 40 billion to date. The area has now leased 14.5 million square meters of land, 1.9 million square meters of which is leased in the trade and logistics zone. There has also been a 17% year-on-year increase in the number of investors from 2011, with a value exceeding AED 22 billion.
10 facilities in logistics, warehousing, food, printing and packaging, aluminium, workshops, repairs and mixed use are already operational, while 13 more will be operational by December 31, 2016.
Since the beginning of 2016, the container business has seen the addition of new liner calls, providing added regional connections, primarily the Indian subcontinent, to support the transshipment business for the KPCT. Moreover, Admiral Group started their feeder services in the Gulf area along with TDS, furthering the momentum. Despite a bleak outlook for world trade, the Jan-Jun 2016 volumes grew by 11% over the same period in 2015. Bay Lines has also started serving KPCT area, positioning Abu Dhabi as a key enabling link to Indian subcontinental trade, and a major contributor to world trade.
Commenting on H1 2016 results, Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “These results demonstrate the crucial role that Abu Dhabi Ports plays as a UAE’s regional and increasingly global maritime trade hub, especially for those seeking to access the USD 7.8 trillion Middle East, Africa and South Asian region. We continue to invest and upgrade our offerings and facilities to support fast, inter-connected and efficient supply chains while also reaffirming Abu Dhabi’s position as a centre of excellence in maritime trade. The positive role played by Abu Dhabi Ports’ suppliers, partners and employees is at the heart of this growth, in line with the wise vision of the UAE leadership, the Abu Dhabi Plan and Economic Vision 2030.’
Over the past six months, Abu Dhabi Ports has also successfully completed the first cruise season from the new state-of-the-art Cruise Terminal and signed multiple retail agreements with various goods and services providers to achieve a 100% retail occupancy. The 184,815 passengers represent an increase of 49% on this time last year, resulting in a 16% year-on-year I growth from the 2015 season. Such diversified projects further enhance the economic pillars of Abu Dhabi, as part of a holistic, well-integrated paradigm, with world-class infrastructure on a par with the best in the world.