The agreement comes after a long period of talks, and follows the completion of Zim’s debt settlement, in which Zim expressed its readiness to restore its trans-shipment activity to Haifa. The company said that the decision to bring its trans-shipment activity back to Haifa was made, among other things, at the request of Haifa Port management, as well as out of operational and commercial considerations.

Zim transferred its trans-shipment activity to Piraeus in Greece because of concerns that its activity would be affected by labor disputes over reform of the ports. This meant a fall in activity at Haifa Port., which the current decision should reverse. ZIM CEO Rafi Danieli said, “We are happy to be returning to Zim’s home port of Haifa. We see Haifa Port as a modern and advanced port that is committed to efficiency and constant improvement in its service to customers. Zim is happy to return and to expand its cooperation with Haifa Port, with the aim of improving its service to customers in Israel and in the whole region.”

The facility with its modern technology is able to unload this quantity from the cargo ship in just three days; the volume is the equivalent of about a thousand times the weight of a classic large steam locomotive. “We’ve comprehensively modernised and expanded the BTW so that it can handle these volumes of freight. This makes economic sense for our customers, as larger cargo volumes mean lower sea freight rates per tonne,” says Matthias Schrell, Managing Director of Rhenus Midgard in Wilhelmshaven.

The handling equipment at the long-standing Rhenus Midgard site, which has undergone a process of expansion and modernisation during the past few years, ensures that the terminal is equipped to unload these kinds of large quantities quickly. The new unloading equipment and the efficient conveyer belt systems ensure that the coal from the bulk carriers reaches the spacious storage areas on land quickly. The specially deepened navigable channel off the BTW, which enables the company to handle vessels with a draught of as much as 18.50 metres, has allowed this German port to unload fully laden Capesize vessels forthe past two years.

Under the name “Ocean Three,” the service covers the Asia–Europe, Asia–Mediterranean, transpacific and Asia–US east coast trades through a combination of vessel-sharing, slot-exchange and slot-charter agreements.

Recognizing the importance of Rijeka as a trade gateway, Ocean Three has decided to make Adriatic Gate Container Terminal in Rijeka, Croatia the first port of call for one of the services, the Adriatic service called PHOEX.  This Asia–Mediterranean route has four weekly services, two to the Mediterranean, one to the Black Sea, and one to the Adriatic.  This means that the transit time for a container travelling from Shanghai, China to Rijeka will be 29 days, 26 from Busan, South Korea, 24 from Ningbo, China, 21 from Chiwan, China and 16 from Port Kelang, Malaysia.

 On the other hand, the Asia–Europe trade route will have four weekly services, which complements two existing services, thereby offering a total of six departures a week. The Transpacific trade route meanwhile has four weekly services to California and one service to the Pacific Northwest (United States and Canada). Lastly, the Asia–US east coast route will have one service via the Suez Canal and one service dedicated to the Gulf of Mexico. These transatlantic agreements are being finalized and will be announced soon.

“Sustained growth in our container business necessitates PMT’s return to service and is a sign of health for The Port of Virginia,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). “Reopening the berth at PMT to container operations is the first phase of a larger plan to establish the terminal as a multi-use facility and improve service to our customers.”

The first vessel call is scheduled for early October and from that point forward the 30-acre operation will process between 75,000 and 100,000 containers annually. The operation will be “wheeled,” or containers-on-chassis; there will be no stacked containers except for those units in the empty yard. Navis N4 is the terminal operating system.

The terminal is owned by the VPA, will be operated by Virginia International Terminals, LLC, and members of the International Longshoremen’s Association will handle the vessel, gate and terminal services there. Sworn VPA port police officers, teaming with professional contractors, will secure the terminal.

“Reconstituting a portion of PMT will provide some relief at Virginia International Gateway (VIG) and NIT, as both of those terminals are busy and pushing their capacity limits,” Reinhart said. “PMT is a deep-water facility that will serve an important role for our purposes, but over the long-term as a facility that handles many different types of cargo: bulk, breakbulk and ro-ro.”

In 1967 PMT opened for business and on Sept. 20, of that year, Atlantic Container Line’s M/V Atlantic Span was the first commercial ship to call the terminal. For 43 years, the 287-acre facility played a vital role in the success of The Port of Virginia, servicing thousands of ships and processing millions of containers and significant general cargo volumes.

In late 2010, following the successful negotiation of a 20-year operating lease for VIG, the VPA made a strategic decision to shutter PMT. By January 2011, all former PMT customers and cargo had been consolidated at VIG, allowing the port to achieve the full benefit of that facility’s automation and efficiency. For more than three years, PMT was largely dormant.

In spring 2014, a short-term cooperative agreement between the port and Pasha Automotive Services brought business back to PMT. Pasha provides automotive transportation solutions throughout North America with port, distribution and service facilities. During a two month period, Pasha staged and processed more than 6,000 Chrysler-Jeep vehicles at PMT for export to the Asia-Pacific market.

Similar operations hold promise for PMT’s future, Reinhart said: “We’re always open to evaluating options for maximizing the facility to generate economic benefits for the Commonwealth and jobs for our region.”

PMT facts:

• Within the 287-acre footprint:

o 30 acres to container operations

o 45 acres committed (short-term) to Skanska as a materials staging area for construction of the Downtown Tunnel.

o 44-acre Portsmouth Container Yard (PCY) – an empty container depot operated by VIT.

o 13 acres leased to ecoFUELS, LLC

• 3,540 feet of marginal wharf

• Main channel – 45 feet

• Depth alongside – 42 feet

• Six post-Panamax gantry cranes, three of which will be dedicated to the container operation.

• Rail service via CSX and Norfolk Southern via the Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line.

• Terminal operating hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday — Friday.

• All drivers must have a valid, VPA port identification card and a TWIC to get onto the terminal.