Through improved operational efficiency created by these investments, the terminal’s rail volume capacity will rise by 50% annually.

“This is a very positive step for Swedish industry” noted APM Terminals Gothenburg CEO Keld Pedersen, adding “With the increased train capacity we deliver another competitive advantage to our customers whose supply chains can realize time and money savings. Equally important, train operators gain an extra 15% track capacity as we extend rail tracks from 640 meters to 750 meters”.

Gothenburg is the busiest container port in Scandinavia, with volume of 860,000 TEUs in 2013, 90% of which were handled by APM Terminals Gothenburg. Nearly half of all of the port’s container traffic moves by rail into and out of the facility, the highest proportion of any European port. At present, there are 25 weekly rail shuttles currently serving the facility, linking the terminal with industrial and population centers in Sweden and Norway.

The rail investment is part of a total investment package by APM Terminals worth just over SEK 800 million (USD 120 million) by the year 2016 designed to increase the capacity, efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the terminal.

“The expanded rail access will bring significant benefits not only to port capacity and operations, but also to the environment as long-haul truck traffic is also reduced” said Mr. Pedersen.

The new container terminal will provide importers and exporters improved opportunities for getting their goods to market, due to its increased capacity and use of the latest quayside technology.

The tour coincided with Mr Cameron announcing a £150m partnership between Peel Ports and Culina Logistics to create the first canal-linked logistics park in the UK, further strengthening the region’s supply-chain capabilities. By linking directly to Liverpool2, the new facility will offer importers and exporters an all-water route to warehousing and manufacturing in the heart of the country, without using any road or rail infrastructure.

The Prime Minister also heard about the growing interest in Liverpool from shipping lines, including the announcement that Evergreen, the fourth largest container line in the world, is to begin a new service into Liverpool from the beginning of July.

As well as hearing about the new facilities for international container shipping, Mr Cameron was shown a range of Peel Ports’ other recent investments, including the £10m widening of the dock system to accommodate new vessels from a major US shipping line, the £7.5m extension to its animal feed store and the £3.5m upgrade to Gladstone Steel Terminal. 

Mr Cameron said: “Liverpool2 will allow the biggest container ships in the world to unload their cargo via Merseyside. This is a really good example of where you need an active, industrial policy to help rebalance the economy. So many of the big container ships come into southern ports such as Southampton and Tilbury. Yet so much of that freight is destined for the north of the country. This new terminal in Liverpool will ensure that freight can come directly to the North of England. That is an active rebalancing of the economy. Rebalancing is happening but it needs to go further and it needs to go faster. Whether you are looking at investment, new business creation, exports – it is clear to me economic revival is on the way.”

Over the last two years, steel volumes at the Port of Liverpool have doubled, while quantities of animal feed were up 44% for the first three months of 2014 compared with last year. There has also been growth in container volumes on Manchester ship canal from 3000 in 2009 to 22,500 last year, with the number of container feeder services increasing from two in 2011 to six in 2014.

Mark Whitworth, chief executive of Peel Ports, said: “We were very pleased to have the chance to show the Prime Minister how the development at Liverpool2 is progressing and how it will contribute to the UK’s capacity for international trade. Keeping cargo moving from origin to destination is essential and we understand customer requirements to move their goods to market faster and more efficiently.

“What makes Liverpool2 special is its location and facilities, with our improved offering through the steel terminal being a perfect example of both. We have anticipated the future demands and growth of the industry, to ensure that our investment in infrastructure and technology is both flexible and adaptable to the current and future delivery-critical needs of our customers.”

The Gladstone Steel Terminal is now the UK’s most advanced steel handling facility, with the unique benefit of being able to accommodate Panamax size vessels with 12.8m deep berth running alongside the facility. Its proximity to the West Midlands also enables its customers to reduce transport costs and carbon emissions. The terminal offers a fully automated warehouse and interactive customer web portal, as well as real time stock availability, precision coil selection and a vehicle booking system.

The Port of Liverpool currently handles a diverse range of cargo, including bulk solids and liquids, RORO and containers. In 2012 it was named by leading industry journal Containerisation International as Port Authority of the Year in recognition of its progressive and innovative approach ‘beyond the port gates’.

The project has been generated in anticipation of increased container traffic brought about by the arrival of larger vessels at the port of Barcelona. The order was signed in April 2014. The work is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014 with completion for all three cranes by the end of this year.

Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona at Muelle Sur wharf, with a current annual capacity of 2.3 million TEU, is one of the main logistics platforms in the Mediterranean. Its focus is the development of intermodal container traffic throughout South Europe, where increasing its front line ship-to-shore crane capacity is an important strategic development for the business and its competitive positioning in the market.

The cranes, originally provided by another supplier, will be heightened by Kalmar’s Crane Upgrades team in the region. The scope includes complex engineering works and coordination of the project through to completion. Heightening an STS crane, which can weigh up to 2000 tonnes, involves the use of Kalmar’s specialist jacking device in order to insert heightening construction and raise the whole crane by six metres, reaching 47m under spreader. Additionally, to maintain the rigidity of the structure, the sill beam is strengthened and braces are installed on the waterside portal frame.

Gonzalo Serrano, Equipment Director at the Grup TCB: “With the arrival of larger vessels it was imperative that we found an effective solution to increase the handling capacity of our STS cranes and maintain maximum container throughput. Kalmar’s expertise on crane upgrades really ticked all the boxes for us. Not only were they able to offer a highly innovative engineering solution but also provide an impressive timing schedule, meaning the minimum disruption to our operations. We are confident that the project is in the right hands.”

“Kalmar has a lot of experience in similar type of successful projects worldwide,” says Eduardo Prat, Vice President, EMEA South, Kalmar. “Our combination of competencies including consultancy, engineering and planning all the way to execution makes us unique. We are proud that we can help Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona to build their future success.”

Several container terminals worldwide and Kalmar SmartPort Automation rely for this key functionality on Symeo products and solutions, which include Symeo LPR® radar sensors and the Symeo global navigation satellite system (GNSS). In addition to solutions for tracking container movements, Symeo will also present complete anti-collision solutions and highly-precise distance measuring systems.

A key element for Kalmar SmartPort Automation is the Symeo SensorFusion, which combines the state-of-the-art LPR® radar technology, GNSS and powerful fusion software. This holistic approach enables full-coverage, highly-reliable positioning of terminal vehicles and cranes even in difficult-to-access areas, such as underneath ship-to-shore cranes and in narrow container corridors. More than 700 cranes and vehicles in container terminals around the world are equipped with the Symeo LPR® and Symeo GNSS solutions. This includes 14 joint projects with Kalmar SmartPort Automation at terminals in Africa, South America and the United States. “The unique strength of our systems lies in the ability to provide fully reliable, maintenance-free, weather-independent and highly-precise positioning,” explains Symeo managing director Christoph Rommel.

Distance measuring

Symeo’s robust sensor technology is also an integral part of the 1D distance measurement solution. Rotterdam ShortSea Terminals B.V. currently uses Symeo LPR®-1DHP sensors for the centimeter-precise positioning of ship-to-shore crane trolleys. In contrast to encoder and laser systems, the Symeo radar solution is maintenance-free, easy to install and the measurement data can easily be accessed via standard interfaces from all sensor units.

Reciprocal warnings

Symeo will also present an anti-collision solution at the TOC in London. Known as Symeo AntiColl, this positioning, communication and visualization system is suitable for all crane and vehicle types and can be expanded to prevent collisions between container handling equipment and persons. AntiColl is reliable even in extremely dirty environments and can be deployed indoors or outdoors.