“Even though the first call was scheduled at very short notice, immediate planning was executed to ensure the vessel and cargo operations were safely and efficiently handled” stated APM Terminals Bahrain Chief Commercial Officer Simon  Brebner. Pre-stocking of imports combined with the observances of the Muslim Ramadan holiday had contributed to congestion at some facilities.

Both calls were handled with an average (GMPH) of 36 and (BMPH) of 115 and the vessels were able to continue their voyage and make up previously lost schedule time. APL, which has used the facility as their Upper Gulf hub since 2010, also decided to focus their WAX service solely at APM Terminals Bahrain for the time being, to beat the delays currently being experienced and similarly benefitted from high, consistent productivity.   

On September 6th, APM Terminals Bahrain marked 365 days, representing two million man-hours worked without a Lost-Time Injury (LTI). The facility commemorated the occasion with a formal recognition ceremony. During the 12 months up through the 2nd Quarter of 2012, APM Terminals’ overall company-wide Lost-Time injury Frequency Rate (LTIF) declined to 3.23 from 4.53 per million man-hours worked.

APM Terminals Bahrain is a multi-purpose facility and serves as a trans-shipment hub for Qatar, Kuwait and parts of Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the growing Gulf shipping market. Container throughput in 2011 was approximately 375,000 TEUs. Opened in April 2009, the facility is operated by APM Terminals and is part of the company’s Global Terminal Network. 

Britain’s Rail Freight Group (RFG), comprising more than 100 members from shipping lines to high street chains, bestowed the title to DP World Southampton, which runs the terminal.

DP World Southampton impressed judges for offering the most reliable port rail feed service of its kind in the UK, with a near 100% success rate for delivering container boxes to rail.

The accolade is especially significant as boxes moved by rail account for 36% of the terminal’s throughput, with each freight train removing an estimated 60 lorries from congested roads.

An average 3,000 boxes a week are moved by DP World Southampton to and from the dedicated Freightliner Maritime Terminal

Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, said: “Exemplary customer care is at the heart of our philosophy and, with this prestigious award, we can justifiably say that the terminal offers the most reliable port rail feed service for boxes-to-rail in the UK.

“Indeed, the rail freight service has never been more reliable and efficient out of Southampton, and it’s fantastic to get this recognition from the rail freight industry.”

He added: “None of this was achieved by chance, though. We can prioritise boxes for rail because we know what an integral part they are for the overall supply chain operations, and our staff are committed to delivering the best service for our customers.

“Logistics and supply chain managers are demanding more flexibility and just-in-time delivery, often not deciding what mode of transport to use until their boxes have arrived here.

 “Our response to such unpredictability, despite us being one step removed from the supply chain at this stage, was to rise to the challenge to ensure Freightliner can in turn meet the needs of its customers further along in the supply chain.

“We brought in a unique ‘sprinter’ feed which brings boxes straight from the operational stack to directly underneath the Freightliner cranes for the loading and discharging of trains, and this bespoke service is another proactive example of customer care.

 “Boxes rarely miss trains, less than 0.5% overall, and the improved productivity is benefitting all processes in the supply chain.

Rail freight volumes at Southampton jumped from 30% to 36% in four months on the back of the W10 Southampton to Nuneaton (West Coast Main Line) Gauge Clearance Project, which was declared open in February 2011 and is Britain’s latest rail freight highway.

The Liebherr crane was officially welcomed to Exolgan in a ceremony at the terminal which saw participation of the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner along with local dignitaries and representatives from Exolgan.

Speaking at the ceremony the president of Argentina strongly praised the commitment to growth shown by Exolgan Container Terminal and noted that Exolgan currently handles a third of all containers into and out of Argentina.

The newest addition to the Liebherr fleet at Exolgan has an outreach of 51.5m, a backreach of 14m and a span of 31.37m. The crane has a safe working load of 62.5t under twinlift spreader and has a lift height of 40m over the rail. All crane drives are Liebherr AC. The crane will be able to handle vessels with up to 20 rows of containers.

Gerry Bunyan, Liebherr’s sales and marketing manager said “The commissioning of this crane is the next phase in the long-term partnership between Liebherr and Exolgan Container Terminal. The first Liebherr ship to shore crane was supplied in 1994 and since then Liebherr have worked with Exolgan Container Terminal, providing ship to shore cranes. Exolgan is today, one of South America’s leading ports.”

The acquisition of the Liebherr ship to shore crane is part of continued expansion at Exolgan Container Terminal that has already seen a 360m long berth extension. The expansion plans when completed will allow Exolgan Container Terminal to service two super post panamax vessels simultaneously.

The latest crane supplied by Liebherr will work with the other Liebherr ship to shore cranes at Exolgan Container Terminal, allowing Exolgan to offer a safe, reliable and efficient service, turning vessels around in the shortest possible time. Bunyan continued “The faith Exolgan place in our cranes is a reflection of a Liebherr ship to shore crane’s ability to deliver unrivalled availability, exceptional productivity and very attractive entire lifetime costs.”

The HPA congratulates the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development office for the excellent work it does driving investment in the city.

“Hamilton is increasingly top-of-mind for investors throughout Ontario and Canada, and this profile benefits the whole community,” said Bruce Wood, HPA President and CEO. “We are definitely seeing the effects of that awareness with the number of companies knocking on the Port’s door looking for space, or a more efficient way to move goods.”

Several of the projects placing Hamilton at the top of the REIN ranking have located or expanded at the Port of Hamilton. Major investments by the HPA and port partners such as Biox, Fluke, Lafarge, Richardson International, Parrish & Heimbecker and Bermingham Foundations represent over $250 million over the last few years in long-term commitments and contribute to prosperity and employment in the city.

These recent investments are part of an ambitious strategic plan launched by HPA in 2008, which targeted $500 million in port infrastructure, warehousing, land development and cargo diversification. Just four years into the mandate, the HPA is ahead of target on virtually every front. The Port of Hamilton is currently the busiest Canadian port on the Great Lakes, and is poised for further growth.

The expansion of the agri-food sector is an excellent example of the plan in action. The Port of Hamilton is now home to three grain handlers, and is developing a brand as a major agricultural hub in southern Ontario. Facilities built by Richardson International and Parrish & Heimbecker, including P&H’s iconic domed grain silos are helping to transform the port city’s image and reputation. Agricultural commodities coming through the port as cargo have grown by 35 per cent since 2008, and in total, non-steel cargo has increased from less than a quarter to a full third of the port’s tonnage.

“In the years to come, our focus will turn to acquiring new properties and offering new logistics services that will serve the port’s increasingly diversified customer base,” said Bruce Wood. “Working with Economic Development and the wider business community, we hope to do our part to help Hamilton land on the top of the list of investment locations again in 2013.”

The Port of Hamilton offers companies a significant value proposition: a strategic location on the Great Lakes with access to 100 million North American consumers, extensive multimodal transportation connections, a skilled workforce, and a proactive, customer-focused approach to economic development at City Hall. The Port of Hamilton is an economic engine for Hamilton and Ontario, contributing to $5.9 billion of economic activity and 38,000 jobs in Ontario.

The Port of Hamilton is the largest Canadian port on the Great Lakes in terms of both size and cargo handled. The Hamilton Port Authority’s strategic vision is to be the Great Lakes port of choice.