The name clearly focuses the new objectives of the company on its future marketing and sales activities. This also helps us create an important platform that communicatively embraces all of the marine, terminal and onshore facets of the location, as well as guaranteeing a standardised national and international name.

The new name has no direct consequences on existing contracts and agreements, telephone numbers, email addresses, and bank account details, which naturally all remain unchanged. The company request that you modify the name in your address databases and in your financial accounting systems if you have not already done so!

The new fenders will be installed along the port’s Bykaia quay, allowing the quay to berth the latest ultra large container and cruise ships.

The two MV1250 linked corner fender systems, each of which comprises three modular fender panels, will be installed either side of seven MV750 side modular fenders at the 84 meter quay. One MV750 side panel will also be installed on either side of the quay at 16 meters.

Askjell Våge, Managing Director at A. Våge AS, says: “Located just 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole, the port of Longyearbyen represents a logistic and commercial hub for cargo and cruise vessels for the Svalbard archipelago. However, the port’s existing fenders weren’t able to successfully accommodate these larger vessels.

“Therefore, we worked closely with Trelleborg and their representative for marine fenders in Norway, Fenconor, to define the ideal solution that would not only stand the test of time in even the harshest of arctic weather conditions, but guarantee the demanding load-bearing requirements of larger vessels. Suitable for high energy applications, whilst ensuring long service life and low maintenance, Trelleborg’s modular fenders certainly didn’t disappoint.”

Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg Marine Systems, says: “To be awarded the contract to supply such a significant and remote project is testament to Trelleborg’s adaptability and technical qualification. Whilst some ports have been slow to acknowledge the need to upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels, as highlighted by this year’s Barometer Report 4, it’s pleasing to see that the port of Longyearbyen is committed to addressing the issue.”

Trelleborg’s latest Barometer Report 4, which surveyed 200 port owners, operators, contractors and consultants on a range of industry issues, revealed that as many as 40% don’t think current port infrastructure is adequate to keep up with the onwards logistics demands of increased vessel sizes and throughput.

Despite sub-zero temperatures, A. Våge AS successfully installed both the MV1250 corner fender systems, each of the nine MV750 side modular fenders and the MV750 side panels using water cooling equipment. This ensured that from beginning to end, the installation process took less than half the time originally anticipated.

When the wider quay upgrade is complete, Longyearbyen’s Bykaia will offer 116 meters of deep water quay, with up to nine meters depth, enabling berthing for vessels over 330 meters in length.

Trelleborg’s modular fenders fulfil the need for a simple and low maintenance fender system with high performance and a robust design. These modular units guarantee long service life as they are compression molded from a high performance polymer, which is highly resistant to the effects of ultraviolet light, ozone and immersion in seawater.

Suitable for very large vessels and high energy applications, Trelleborg’s modular fenders are available in a full range of sizes. The geometry of these fenders is optimized for maximum energy absorption per unit volume of rubber, combined with a low reaction force.

The simulator system will include training modules for seven different types of heavy lift equipment, and will feature three different student-training stations to expand the training program in Montreal.

“The simulator will be the first step of every training program, for each type of equipment we use in Montreal,” says Sebastien Lambert, MEA’s Training Coordinator. “This will allow our trainees to start their training in a controlled environment with less stress and less chance of causing an accident.”

MEA chose Kongsberg GlobalSim as a sole source supplier after a long process of evaluating different simulation companies: “After six months,” says Lambert, “we finally made the decision to sign with Kongsberg GlobalSim because of the general quality of the system, especially in the realism of the simulation.”

The centrepiece of the training system will be a Full-Mission simulator cabin featuring dynamic motion, authentic controls, and an immersive visual environment. It will be Kongsberg GlobalSim’s first Full-Mission simulator installed in Canada. Alongside the Full-Mission trainer, the system will include two more student stations; a K-Sim Lift Essential and a K-Sim Lift Portable desktop system.

All three student stations will be capable of training operators of ship-to-shore, rubber-tired gantry, ship pedestal, and mobile harbour cranes, as well as commercial reach stackers, 5K warehouse forklifts, and empty container handlers.

Installation of the system is scheduled to begin in late August 2014.

This would include covering ferry services and agricultural trades – after the leading French port’s CEO Christine Cabau Woehrel requested and hosted a meeting with Morocco’s transport and logistics minister Aziz Rabbah.

Their talks opened by exploring the launch of a Tangiers-Marseilles ro-ro service aimed at enhancing Morocco’s trailer trades with Europe.  Marseilles Fos then stressed its wish to assist shipping lines responding to the Moroccan marine department’s call for expressions of interest in operating a new ro-pax service.             

The meeting concluded by examining the creation of a dedicated logistics platform in Tangiers and Marseilles Fos, which would consolidate flows of temperature-controlled agricultural produce between the two ports.

The discussions will be continued in September when the promotional body Via Marseilles Fos (VMF) – a consortium of the port authority, port professionals and the chamber of commerce – undertakes a trade mission to Tangiers and Casablanca.  

Meanwhile, maintaining a customer confidence-building campaign since the French port reforms of 2011, VMF has hosted French and Turkish clients in separate two-day visits – which followed notable 9% growth in container volumes to the end of May.

A visit by 40 French shippers was organised in cooperation with the AUTF, the national association for freight transport users.  Presentations on services, inland links, productivity and logistics zones featured case studies by Fos users Nestle Waters and Castorama.

Earlier VMF followed up its trade mission to Turkey last November by receiving 30 Turkish shipowners, forwarders, shippers and agents.  Their visit included a tour of port installations after seminars focusing on the range of container, con-ro and ro-ro services to Turkey – almost daily at 29 calls per month.   

Turkey is one of the main trading nations for Marseilles Fos.  In 2013 it ranked fourth for general cargo – after 27% growth to some 1.5 million tonnes – and first for conventional trades, which rose 60% on the back of steel products exports from the ArcelorMittal plant at Fos.