The pipe-laying vessel, which will be undergoing heavy maintenance and adjustments in Amsterdam, will be used for the construction of natural gas pipeline systems and oil pipelines. Owned by Swiss/Dutch offshore pipe-laying and subsea construction company Allseas, the ship arrived in the port today and is currently moored in the USA Terminal/Dutch Offshore Base in the Amerikahaven port.

When Conquest Offshore BV chose the Port of Amsterdam as its home port for the 1,400-tonne crane vessel Conquest MB1, this marked an important step in the port’s strategy of accommodating more companies operating in the offshore industry. Amsterdam’s central and strategic location (including to Schiphol Airport), its non-tidal port and its goal of expanding its services to the offshore industry were all factors in the construction of the large terminal operated by the Ter Haak Group.

Michiel Zwagerman, owner-director of Dutch Offshore Base: ‘Given the presence of the crane ship the MB1 here in the port, it only made sense for us to offer Allseas to have the adjustments and construction carried out here as well. We have the knowhow and experience here in the port, and – which may be even more important – a can-do attitude. You really need that when you’re trying to facilitate the passage of a 397-metre ship through a 400-metre-long lock. A challenge which shows you have great reserves of confidence.’

Richard ter Haak: ‘The arrival of the Solitaire is beneficial to the Port of Amsterdam and a milestone for Amsterdam’s offshore operations. In taking on this challenge, we are demonstrating our capacity in this area both here in the Netherlands and internationally. We have really expanded our services with this project, and now other companies operating in the offshore industry will also start considering Port of Amsterdam as an option.’

Port of Amsterdam’s Chief Operations Officer Koen Overtoom: ‘We are very proud of the arrival of the Solitaire, as it is sure to be a great boost for the offshore operations in our port and will also create more jobs in the area. The guts, vision and sense of enterprise of our local companies have paved the way for the arrival of the Solitaire, which will be a great asset to the Port of
Amsterdam, the city itself, and the region as a whole.’ The pipes will be deburred, coated, aligned and welded together on board, after
a stinger and will trench them on the sea bottom. The 420-crew ship can carry up to around 22,000 tonnes of pipelines and installs 9 kilometres of pipeline at a maximum depth of 2.7 kilometres every 24 hours.

The ship is scheduled to return to sea in summer 2016.

Christophe has over 15 years of Sales experience in the tyre industry and has worked for various renowned tyre companies. He will be working alongside Peter Schreudering and focus on the southern part of the country.

“Magna Tyres Group is still growing significantly and to keep up with the rising demand, expansion of the Sales team was necessary” says Hein de Wind, Sales director of Magna Tyres Group. “Christophe has a proven ability to develop sales in both new and existing markets and with his experience we expect him to be a valuable addition to both our team and customers”. As the global presence of Magna Tyres continues to grow, Christophe will support the further development of the company.

From 14 march 2016, Christophe Cantou will offer Sales support to all dealers of Magna Tyres in the southern parts of France. Also, he will further promote the new brand “MTP Tyres” to expand the recognition among tyre dealers and customers. Christophe will travel on a continuous basis to visit customers of Magna and MTP Tyres and to provide overall sales and marketing support to tyre dealers.

This means that the channel, dredged to a depth of 18.5m, can provide 24-hour access to East Port Said, and SCCT, to the Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS) of 18,000 TEU capacity and above now deployed in the Far East/Europe trade lanes, and using the canal in increasing numbers.

A ceremony formally inaugurating the project was hosted by SCCT at East Port Said. Attendees at the ceremony included Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Suez Canal Authority Chairman, Admiral Mohab Mamish, and the Governor of Port Said, Major General Adel El Ghadban to witness the opening of the project, which represents an investment of approximately USD $40 million.

“I would like to express both my appreciation and my admiration of Admiral Mamish, the Suez Canal Authority, and the Government of Egypt for their inspiring dedication to this historic infrastructure investment, which emphasizes the key role that Egypt plays in global trade and the global economy” stated SCCT Terminal Director Jan Buijze.

In August 2015, a USD8.2 billion project to deepen the Suez Canal, and excavate a new 35km channel parallel to sections of the existing canal was completed, enabling two-way traffic along the entire 193km canal route, and doubling canal traffic capacity from 49 vessels daily to 97. The canal project was completed in one year, leaving the dredging and other heavy equipment in place for construction of the access channel.

APM Terminals is the majority shareholder in SCCT, with a 55% ownership. Other shareholders include Chinese-based COSCO Pacific, with 20%, the Suez Canal Authority, with 10.3%, and the National Bank of Egypt, with 5%. The remaining shares are held by the Egyptian private sector. Over USD800 million has been invested in the terminal, which opened in October 2004, and has become one of the busiest container facilities in the region, handling 2.95 million TEU, primarily for trans-shipment, in 2015.

Approximately one tenth of all global seaborne trade moves through the Suez Canal, carried by 18,000 vessels, including container ships, transiting annually; in 2015 5,941 container vessels traveled the canal, representing an aggregate capacity of 41.2 million TEU. SCCT is currently undergoing an expansion, including the installation of new, larger

cranes to accommodate the increased vessel traffic, and larger container ships. The four additional Super-Post Panamax cranes scheduled for delivery to the terminal in mid-2016 will bring SCCT’s crane total to 24, increasing the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to 5.4 million TEU, and making it the largest container terminal by capacity on the Mediterranean Sea. Representing an infrastructure investment of USD42 million, the new STS cranes will each have a 72m reach, and a height of 52m, with the ability to handle the world’s largest vessels now entering the global fleet.

There are currently 36 vessels of 18,000 TEU capacity and above in service, deployed on the Far East/Europe trade lane, the world’s busiest, with another 73 on order. The new cranes will be operated by remote-control to improve both safety, and productivity. SCCT is the only container terminal in Egypt capable of working ULCS, emphasizing the importance of the terminal as a global and regional transshipment hub.

SCCT is also exploring further investments into dry port facilities and other port functions, including general and liquid bulk operations in order to meet the needs of Egypt’s growing population of 91 million, the third-largest in Africa (after Nigeria and Ethiopia), which has been projected to reach 150 million by 2050.