Archive 2 - Page 697 of 1311 - World Port Development

Benelux Ports weather the ups and downs of 2013

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6 March 2014

For example, Antwerp saw its container handling fall but had a bumper year in the liquid bulk sector while Zeebrugge recorded rises in container and break-bulk but experienced a drop in overall traffic volume. The ports cite the continuing troubled economy for the drop in container volume. Increased traffic from the UK has helped the port of Zeebrugge while in Amsterdam growth was fuelled mainly by the agri-bulk and coal segments. Rotterdam is steaming ahead with the Maasvlakte II project which sees two terminals opening in 2014 and the port is confident that increased capacity delivered by this project will see container traffic grow in the years ahead eventually doubling by 2023.

Port of Antwerp

2013 volume up by 3.6% to set new record
container traffic down slightly (-0.7%) to 8,578,269 TEU
dry bulk drops by 24.8%

The Belgian port of Antwerp handled 190,849,079 tonnes of freight last year, an increase of 3.6% compared with 2012. The main driving force behind the growth was liquid bulk, however, container volume witnessed a slight drop as a result of the continuing recession. The volume of liquid bulk rose over the past 12 months by 31.4% to 59,493,776 tonnes. Imports and exports of oil derivatives were well up, (+34.8%) ending at 43,129,916 tonnes. Chemicals and crude oil figures were positive with chemicals showing a 9.75% rise and crude oil increasing by a massive 83.4% to 4,680,763 tonnes. The volume of dry bulk on the other hand fell by 24.8% to 14,376,834 tonnes, mainly due to a reduction in coal volumes (down 62% to 2,178,213 tonnes). The container volume showed a small dip both in tonnes and in the number of containers. In terms of twenty-foot equivalent units the number of containers handled was down slightly (by 0.7%) to 8,578,269 TEU. In terms of tonnage the drop was 1.7%, with the total volume totalling 102.3 million tonnes for the 12 month period. Ro/Ro volume declined by 4.9% to 4,562,397 tonnes, although the number of cars actually rose by 4.8% to 1,299,961. Conventional break-bulk also witnessed a drop during the course of the year, falling by 7.4%, which represents a total of 10,090,138 tonnes. During the past 12 months the number of seagoing ships calling at the port of Antwerp was 14,220, a decrease of 2.3% compared with the previous year. On the other hand the gross tonnage rose by 3.5 to 329,636,387 GT. The number of ULCS (Ultra-Large Container Ships of 10,000 TEU or more) was 198, or 31 more than the previous year. This growth is due exclusively to the category of +13,000 TEU vessels. The current year has got off to a good start with the arrival of the 14,074 TEU CLSL Jupiter. After MSC, Maersk Line and Cosco, China Shipping is the fourth shipping company to send such Ultra-Large Container Ships to Antwerp.

Port of Rotterdam

container handling down by 2.6% in 2013
total goods handled totaled 440.5 million tonnes – down 0.2%
Maasvlakte II project on schedule

Recent figures released by the Port of Rotterdam show that in 2013 container traffic totalled 11,621,249 TEU, which represents a drop of 2.6% on the previous year when 11,865,916 TEU were handled. According to the final figures for 2013, total goods throughput in the port of Rotterdam amounted to 440.5 million tonnes. Compared to throughput in 2012 (441.5 million tonnes), this is a fall of 0.2%. For the separate categories of goods, the deviations are a maximum 0.5% compared to the provisional figures. This concerns differences both upwards and downwards, with the exception of other general cargo, which showed a 19.6% decline, as opposed to 18.2% with the provisional throughput figure. Since January 2013, the sea port of Dordrecht (throughput approximately 3 million tonnes a year) has been operated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Dordrecht throughput has therefore been included in Rotterdam’s throughput figures for the first time this year. Construction of the Maasvlakte II project is on schedule and is Europe’s largest land reclamation project. Due to the construction of the Maasvlakte II, the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s level of investment has been very high in recent years, particularly in the period 2010-2012. In 2014, two new terminals are set to open on the new Maasvlakte II – Rotterdam World Gateway and APM Terminals Maasvlakte II. The new APM Terminals facility will open with an initial annual capacity of 2.7m TEU, a 1km quay with a depth of 20m alongside. Once completed the terminal will have a capacity of 4.5 million TEU and will feature 26 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes, a fleet of 37 battery-powered lift AGVs, eight remote controlled ship-to-shore cranes and an on-dock rail terminal. Rotterdam World Gateway facility will be operated by DP World and will have an initial annual capacity of 2.4 million TEU. The terminal features a quay length of 1.9km and in addition a 550m quay for inland and feeder vessels. It will also have it own rail terminal and once the terminal is fully completed it will have an annual capacity of 4 million TEU. Once the Maasvlakte II project is completed the expansion will add 12,000 hectares to the existing port and annual capacity for container transfer is expected to double to 34 million TEU by 2033.

Port of Zeebrugge

2013 container traffic up slightly
Break-bulk up by 23%
Shortsea volumes up

A revival in the volumes to and from the United Kingdom, a rise in the number of new vehicles, a status quo in containers and a fall in the LNG volume, mark the past year in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. According to provisional figures released by the port the total volume handled is expected to reach 43 million tonnes, which is slightly less than the 43.5 million tonnes handled in 2012. The figures for roll-on/roll off traffic show little change holding at 12.5 million tonnes. After a difficult 2012, the traffic to and from the UK significantly rose particularly in the second half of 2013. However, Scandinavian paper volumes witnessed a drop. The number of new vehicles handled in Zeebrugge grew by 10%, to a total of 1.92 million. While new car sales stagnate in the European market, Zeebrugge saw shortsea volumes go up. Container volumes show a slight improvement with 20.5 million tonnes or 2 million TEU being handled. Fewer containers were shipped in the first half of the year, due to the slow economic growth. The second half of 2013 showed improvement, especially thanks to new services in Zeebrugge like Evergreen/Hanjin and CMA CGM FEMEX 1. Break-bulk closed a record year with 1.7 million tonnes – a rise of 23%. Liquid bulk volumes were down due to the 21% drop in liquid natural gas volume. The low supply of LNG is a consequence of the high demand for LNG on the Asian energy market. The negative figure for liquid natural gas presses on the total volume handled in the port of Zeebrugge, which has done quite well overall. Solid bulk fell 20% to 1.3 million tonnes. The main reason is the current economic crisis in the building sector, where more and more large projects are being postponed. As expected, 2013 was a record year in cruise calls with 108 cruise ships bringing over 447,000 cruise passengers to Zeebrugge. For 2014, the port already expects 114 cruise ships. In late 2013 Adani Ports & SEZ Ltd, India’s largest private port developer and part of the Adani Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Zeebrugge, to act as a strategic entry port for the lucrative European market. It will now collaborate with the Belgian port to explore joint business opportunities between the two ports along with other forms of trade, shipping, railway infrastructure across India and Europe. The MoU over a period of time will help in an enhanced movement of traffic to and from APSEZ into Europe and beyond. It will also enable sharing of global best practices including technical know-how between two of the leading port developers globally. In early 2014 Transfennica dec
ided to increase capacity on its Zeebrugge-Bilbao route. From early January mv Forerunner and mv Forecaster will operate 2 sailings per week in each direction. Transfennica currently operate two sailings a week in each direction.

Port of Amsterdam

record trans-shipment volume in 2013
containers and mixed cargo up by 12%
growth mainly in agri-bulk and coal segments

According to recently published provisional figures the seaports of Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Beverwijk and Zaanstad achieved record trans-shipment volume totalling 95 million tonnes in 2013. This represents an increase of 1% compared to 2012. The last record was set in 2008 when the trans-shipment volume amounted to 94.8 million tonnes. The total trans-shipment volume of Port of Amsterdam amounted to 78.5 million tonnes in 2013. This represents an increase of 2% compared to 2012 and sets a new record. Growth was achieved primarily in the agri-bulk (+17%) and coal (+14%) segments. Imports rose by 3.5% to nearly 52.2 million tonnes in Amsterdam. Exports decreased by 1% to 26.3 million tonnes. The tentative trans-shipment volumes of the other North Sea Canal seaports are as follows: IJmuiden decreased slightly in 2013 (3.4%) to 16.3 million tonnes. The trans-shipment volume in Beverwijk rose by 9% to 260,000 tonnes, while in Zaanstad trans-shipment increased by 95% to 230,000 tonnes. Liquid bulk cargo fell by approximately 5% to 41.1 million tonnes while dry bulk cargo rose by approximately 11% to 33.7 million tonnes. Containers and mixed cargo rose by 12% to 3.7 million tonnes mainly due to the increase in mixed cargo (+40%). The number of sea cruise ships that called at the port decreased slightly to 137 (2012: 144). A number of cruise ships had to divert to another port due to strong winds. Port of Amsterdam CEO Dertje Meijer commented on 2013 results saying: “I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve together in 2013. The corporatisation on 1 April 2013 means we can now anticipate market developments more effectively and we have now also set a new record. The recovery in the port region began in 2010 and is continuing steadily. We see this reflected in these excellent figures.” Amsterdam is Western Europe’s fourth largest port and plays a large role in the trans-shipment and processing of energy products. Lats year, the North Sea Canal Area trans-shipped approximately 95 million tonnes of goods, with the port of Amsterdam accounting for approximately 78 million tonnes of the total.

igus transcontinental endurance test for polymer plain bearings has begun

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6 March 2014

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After weeks of retrofitting work at Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the small car set off on its round-the-world trip. Low-friction and dry running is the modern solution for a wide range of moving applications. To continuously improve its products, igus has been conducting research in this area for decades using its in-house test laboratory, the largest

in the sector. To demonstrate the capabilities of the carefully tested, innovative plastics technology, which has now been used millions of times, igus decided to fit a small car with iglidur components and send it on a strenuous round-the world trip along tarmac, gravel and mud tracks and roads across four continents. On the way, it will spread the company’s motto to the world:

‘plastics for longer life’. For its first point of call, the small car is in India, where it will be exhibited at the ‘Auto Expo’ trade fair. It will then continue to China and spend a month driving to various destinations around the country. Further Asian countries of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will then follow before the car makes the crossing to America. On arrival, the plans include a coast-to-coast step straight through Canada and the USA. The route plan then returns to Europe, where several customers, trade fairs and igus offices will again be visited. Every stop and every kilometre can be experienced and tracked in detail at ‘blog.igus.de/iglidurontour’.

To prepare the car for this ambitious practical test, it first had to be retrofitted by a team from Cologne University of Applied Sciences under the leadership of Johannes Thomé and the igus bearing developer Michael Krug. The aim was to replace everything possible with igus plastics – in so far as technically feasible and permitted by TÜV regulations. The metal bearings on the brake pedal, windscreen wipers and window lift mechanism, along with the shift unit, seat console, handbrake and alternator were replaced with pure polymer bearings. Also replaced with the iglidur bearings was the throttle valve and the convertible roof. Many modules had to be disassembled and rebuilt to factory and functional specifications. Although standard plain bearings could often be used, in some cases CAD modules were needed to create carefully customised spare parts. The components were then milled or turned from iglidur bar stock. This involved the use of several of the 45 different iglidur catalogue materials. igus high-performance plastics were installed at a total of 56 bearing points. Attention was even paid to ensuring visual likeness, for example in the case of the seat locking mechanism. All modifications to the small car have now been successfully completed and the team of vehicle mechanics and plastic developers are thoroughly excited about sending their creation into the world.

More and more manufacturers are discovering the qualities of cost-effective, high-performance components made from tribopolymers. ‘Motion plastics’ are used in numerous modules, from seat and convertible roof systems through multi-link hinges and engine compartment components to undercarriage applications. This trend will become even greater in the future. This is because maintenance and corrosion-free polymer plain bearings that require no external lubrication, and weigh seven times less than metallic rolled bearings, speak for themselves. They are kind on both the environment and the pocket as they reduce production costs and offer a longer service life thanks to their wear resistance. In vehicle interiors, they are the ideal solution for dampening noise. At the same time, however, their robust structure and resilience make them equally predestined for ‘outdoor use’, which will be clearly manifested when they encounter the many weather conditions, altitude kilometres and road types along their journey. The range of potential uses has far from been

exhausted and perhaps the polymer-bearing-packed car’s demonstration triparound the world will inspire developers to come up with further new and exciting ideas and concepts.

DP World London Gateway takes ships unable to call at other UK ports due to bad weather

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6 March 2014

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Dean Hawkridge, Head of International Supply Chain at B&Q, said: “Importers order stock months in advance with an expected date for goods to be on the shelf. It is difficult to predict if and when weather issues may cause delays, but the impact can generate problems along supply chains, with back logs taking days to clear after a port’s operations are halted.”

“DP World London Gateway’s ability to continue operating when other ports have stopped operations is welcome news as shippers are seeking reliability for deliveries to go as planned.”

In a further boost to efficiency in UK supply chains, DP World London Gateway has become the first UK port to use a quad lift system on its quay cranes, which can pick up four twenty foot containers in a single lift. The system is also capable of a tandem lift of two forty foot containers, effectively doubling the number of containers that can be unloaded from a ship at a time.

In addition to the existing weekly call by the Southern Africa Europe Container Service, Hamburg-Sud and Hapag Lloyd have recently announced the transfer of services to London Gateway in May, to include services to and from South America East Coast, South America West Coast and India, Pakistan and Middle East.

WienCont first Austrian terminal to join InlandLinks

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6 March 2014

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WienCont handles at its 7-track rail terminal some 200,000 rail cars per year to and from German cities, Rotterdam and Central-Europe. Via Rhine-Main-Danube Canal there are inland shipping connections with the ARA ports and the Black Sea ports. The terminal loads and unloads approximately 200,000 trucks per year.