The acquisition thus adds 8 ports with a combined 2 million TEU equity-weighted volume to APM Terminals, expanding the network to 72 operating ports, across 69 countries.

The acquisition complements APM Terminals current portfolio, adding 7% throughput in key locations including Spanish container  terminal concessions in Barcelona, Valencia and Castellon, on the Mediterranean coast, along with the concessions in Gijon, on the Bay of Biscay. Outside of Spain, Grup Maritim TCB’s terminal operations include Yucatan, Mexico; Quetzal, Guatemala (under construction, opening 2016); Buenaventura, Colombia, on the Pacific Coast; and Paranagua, Brazil. APM Terminals will invest an estimated USD $400 million over the next five years in upgrades and expansion to these operations.

“We are excited to complete the acquisition of Grup Maritim TCB and look forward to working together with our new colleagues. The acquisition expands our position in Spain and accelerates our growth in Latin America. While growth in Latin America has slowed overall, Colombia, Mexico and Guatemala are outperforming the rest of the continent and we believe offer exciting short and medium term opportunities,” said APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer.

In September 2015, APM Terminals reached an agreement with Spanish-based Perez y Cia to acquire their 61% majority stake in Grup Maritim TCB. In October 2015, the remaining minority shareholders also agreed to sell their shares, resulting in APM Terminals becoming the sole controlling shareholder of Grup Maritim TCB subject only to relevant approvals.

While we are pleased to close the main transaction, APM Terminals has yet to receive approval for the acquisition of the terminal in Turkey. Because of the corporate structure of Grup Maritim TCB, this terminal and those in the Canary Islands are not included in today’s closure.

Joe Nicklaus Nielsen, APM Terminals Vice President for Port Investments said: “We are continuing to pursue the acquisition of TCB’s Turkish and Canary Island terminals and are confident we will be able to provide satisfactory responses to the regulators’ questions in Turkey in due course. However, as these assets make up less than 5% of the value of the acquisition, we have decided to move ahead with the acquisition to capitalise on the significant momentum we have been building towards the closure of the deal.”

The new shuttle service is a cooperative venture between the Rotterdam company, Shuttlewise, and the French company Novatrans. Through the connection to the terminals in the Port of Rotterdam, France will gain access to short sea and deep sea destinations.

There are also plenty of developments in the inland shipping sector, which will not only be beneficial to logistics service providers in Rotterdam, but also to French shippers. In April, the inland shipping container connection between Rotterdam and Lille/Dourges will be starting, with several sailings per week. In addition, funding for the new Scheldt-Seine connection has now been settled. The project will commence in 2018 and will be finished in 2021.

All these developments create opportunities. In order to inform all the parties involved about this, the Rotterdam Port Promotion Council will be organising a Port of Rotterdam Seminar & Business Event in Lille on 26 May. In the meantime, the innovative Rotterdam Port Connector website will make it easier for international companies to get in touch with service providers who are active in the Port of Rotterdam or who are located in the network of satellite ports and inland terminals that are connected to Rotterdam.

During the Royal couple’s visit, the focus will lie on the further deepening of economic, cultural and European ties between the Netherlands and France. The King and Queen will be in Paris at the invitation of the French President, François Hollande, and their visit will be a follow-up to the official visit made by Hollande to the Netherlands in January 2014.

Presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, GOOD DESIGN™ honours yearly achievements of extraordinary design excellence. The Stage IV ReachStacker was selected based on its efficient engine technology and productivity enhancing design.
“At Hyster, we continually examine our products, looking for innovative ways to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, improve fuel economy and lower the total cost of ownership – all while maintaining the level of power and performance needed to move even the heaviest loads,” said Herman Klaus, Director of Big Truck Application Solutions for Hyster. “Receiving a GOOD DESIGN™ award for the Stage IV ReachStacker is a result of this dedication, confirming our philosophy of design excellence.”

Engineered to be the most manoeuverable in the industry, with class-leading lifting speeds and excellent stacking capabilities (can stack up to five containers high and three rows deep), the award winning ReachStacker is ideal for demanding port and terminal applications. To power through these challenging jobs, the ReachStacker comes standard with a Stage IV Cummins QSL 9L engine rated at 350 hp (261 kW) and a 4-speed Spicer Off-Highway TE 32 powershift transmission. The truck features an integrated drivetrain with an emission reduction package, and is designed to help increase efficiency by delivering up to 20% lower fuel consumption over previous Stage IIIA (Tier 3) models. Additionally, the truck is equipped with hibernate idle, which reduces idle speed when idling for extended periods of time, further conserving fuel.

To maintain optimum cooling and lower fuel consumption, the ReachStacker comes with an on-demand cooling system with a hydraulically powered fan that operates only when cooling is required. This is more efficient than direct drive fans which continually draw power during operation.
The series also includes a load sensing on-demand hydraulic system that delivers flow only when necessary. The on-demand hydraulic system’s variable displacement pumps are capable of more oil displacement, even at low pump speeds. This allows the engine to run at lower speeds and extends the life of hydraulic oil and components, while consuming up to 10% less fuel than a typical fixed displacement hydraulic system, and produces less heat and noise. The ReachStacker also includes automatic throttle-up, an innovative feature that automatically increases engine throttle to match desired hydraulic speed, which keeps the engine operating in its most efficient power band, while making operation easier for the driver.