Giving “excellent” and “very good” as their ratings for 2011 and the year to date in 2012, the Top 2 makers of rail car dumpers, rail wagon unloaders, or tipplers as they are variously called, are working hard to keep up with demand. Metso Minerals and ThyssenKrupp Fordertechnik GmbH (TKF) are storming along, setting a blistering pace that defies any talk of double-dip recession. Their main rivals can only continue to bid in the hope that the Big Two won’t be able to satisfy all of the global demands for these big ticket items – a single rotary dumper and train positioner could cost from USD6 to USD10 million installed. With its group office based in Helsinki, Finland, Metso is the world’s undisputed No. 1 with more rail wagon unloaders in service than anyone else. The company’s Manager of Product Support, Tim Sexton, says from his Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office that business for rotary dumpers has been and is “very good.” Rivals would most likely term his order book as “something to dream about” as it details over a dozen major projects spread from British Columbia in Canada, to China, Venezuela and Australia.

Prospects “pretty good”

“When talking about the rotary car dumper business there has not been a recession, except for the domestic utility area,” says Sexton. “The prospects for the future continue to look pretty good.” The world No. 2 in the rail wagon dumper business, ThyssenKrupp of Germany, has had “an excellent last year and so far this year,” according to Dr Wei Ye, Vice President Project Sales. “Our order intake is up 20% making it one of our best years ever.” ThyssenKrupp has orders in the pipeline from Russia and China and projects underway in Peru, Indonesia and Brazil. Other major companies in the Top 4 – Heyl & Patterson and Aumund Schade – are highly active, but without the busy order book success as yet. “We finished up several machines last year, but did not get a lot of orders,” says Harry Edelman, Executive Vice President of the Pittsburgh-based Heyl & Patterson, which has been making and maintaining rail car dumpers since the 1940s. “So far in 2012, business has been picking up.” Edelman says “a lot of importing or exporting ports are spending dollars again.” For him the market represents “interesting times, you just have to learn how to adapt.” Heyl & Patterson actually hired its way through the US recession and Edelman says the company is handling a “serious level of inquiries” for its rail car dumpers.

Tippler office

Another major player, the Netherlands-based Schade, part of the Aumund Group, has been operating an office for rail wagon tippler sales in Bristol, England, for over a year and is starting to sense results are close. “We’ve been working very hard in our first year in business, but orders are a little thin on the ground,” says Matthew Jones, General Manager, Wagon Unloading Systems, for Schade. “We are still very much the new boy on the block, but we anticipate success in two or three projects in the coming weeks.” There’s been “lots and lots of feasibility studies” and Jones says some projects have been in the works for four or five years, although others initiated as recently as 12 months ago are now going ahead. Schade recently commissioned a dumper in Russia.

Global trends

Increasing world coal sales are part of the reason for a vibrant rail wagon dumper market, but that’s not all. Metso  Vice President Global Sales, David Hicken, also reports from his UK office that demand for rail car dumpers in the iron ore industry, particularly in Australia and West Africa, is also strong and likely to stay that way for the next few years. On the West Coast of North America, the three Canadian coal export terminals are all expanding capacity and two are installing new tandem rail car dumpers supplied by Metso. Westshore Terminals in Port Metro Vancouver and Ridley Terminals in the Port of Prince Rupert to the north are both in the process of installing new twin rotary dumpers to help boost their capacity. At Westshore, the busiest coal export terminal in North America, three Metso train positioners are also being installed this October, including two exit positioners for the first time to help improve the unloading efficiency of CP Rail’s mid-locomotive staged coal trains. The six-week long shutdown sees the removal of an existing single rotary dumper to be replaced by a twin rotary, giving the terminal side-by-side tandem dumper sets. The first of the exit train positioners will be completed on the existing twin dumper by the end of July and the other entry and exit positioners will be installed as part of the new twin dumper project in the third quarter of the year.

Sales successes

Metso has the big order book and sales successes. Sexton lists hot spots as Australia, Brazil and India for iron ore dumper systems and North America and China for coal car dumping projects. Metso set the pace in China with a quad in-line dumper at the Port of Caofeidian, the first time in the world to operate four dumpers in a row. Most common usage is for tandem (two in line) or a twin (side-by-side) dumpers and Metso lists such sales for FMG at Anderson Point, BHP at Boodarie, Rio Tinto at Cape Lambert, and BHP on Finucane Island all in Australia; a replacement dumper for CVG Ferrominera at Oronoco in Venezuela; a tandem dumper for Vale in Sao Luis, Brazil; and in China a C-frame dumper for Jintag at Taijin, a twin for Haunghu Port, and three triple dumpers and a tandem to add to the growing mass of dumper lines at Caofeidian; plus the two tandems soon to be installed in Canadian West Coast coal export ports.

ThyssenKrupp has two high performance, 40-car-per-hour, tandem dumpers being installed in Porto Sudeste in Brazil for commissioning later this year; another two-car dumper for iron ore producer Brazil CSN also to be in service by year’s end; a smaller side discharge car dumper for unloading copper concentrate at around 1,000 tonnes per hour in the Port of Callao in Peru; and two tandem dumpers for the Tarahan Coal Terminal in Indonesia in what is a breakthrough contract for TKF in that country.

Innovations

Faced with longer trains with sometimes heavier, larger cars, rail wagon dumper makers have had to be continuously innovative with their product design and manufacture, often with custom made solutions to project demands. Quad setups, triples and multiple side-by-side dumpers are no longer uncommon around the globe in iron ore or coal handling ports. Metso has turned to component finite element analysis so it can now offer a design fatigue life for its dumpers of over four million dump cycles. Heyl & Patterson has
been busy perfecting ways of having its dumpers fit into containers for break bulk type delivery, says Edelman. Containers are governed by weight, but even the dumper barrel can be broken down into pieces for delivery and bolted back together on site. “It’s a little bit more work in fabrication on site, but it’s definitely the way to go,” he adds.

Wary eye

The Big 4 are also keeping a wary eye on China and its ability to reverse engineer and manufacture equipment, including rotary rail car dumpers.  “China continues to look for intellectual property it can copy,” says Edelman from Heyl & Patterson. “It is something we are definitely worried about, but, these are low cost copies made with minimal understanding of how to customise the equipment or provide much by way of after-market service.” For ThyssenKrupp’s Dr Ye, the competition between Chinese suppliers and overseas suppliers is “quite tough” but while the Chinese are beginning to copy machines, any new developments in the higher capacity rail car dumpers offered by the major manufacturers are usually not easily replicated. Schade’s Matthew Jones notes that in most high prestige projects, specifications and reliability are proving more important than price. “In any case,” he adds, “the Chinese are not significantly cheaper for top end machines.”

Lower volumes

If high volumes aren’t crucial to a venture’s success, there are a growing number of companies that offer cheaper, less complex rail car unloaders. These shallow pit dumpers can unload any dry, free-flowing material usually using bottom dumping (opening gates) rail car stock.

Typical of these manufacturers is Ashross Mobile Unloading Systems, based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, which has had six sales of railcar unloaders so far this year. The huge advantage, says Managing Partner, Lloyd Ash, is that while the deep-pit variety rotary barrel car dumpers can cost from USD15 to USD20 million, his unloaders range from USD850,000 to USD1.4 million depending on capacity. One recent sale in Philadelphia was for an unloader capable of a throughput of 2,000 to 3,500 tonnes per hour. Ashross takes out 50 feet of track to create a shallow pit and its rail car unloader machine bridges the gap. Other machines have recently been sold to a Detroit Energy, BP, and Kinder Morgan conglomerate in Chicago for two end-to-end rail car unloaders; another to Ferry Bridge east of Leeds in England; and another to Tampaco Bay in Guymas, Mexico, for a rail car unloader and a truck unloader that can also load petroleum coke onto rail cars.

World-wide bids

Ashross is currently bidding on rail car unloader projects in Canada, Venezuela, Australia Alaska, the Persian Gulf, Scotland, and Africa offering its series of RUM – Railcar Unloading Machines –in a variety of models and formats. Some are capable of unloading a 100-tonne car every seven minutes, while others, including a mobile unloader model that can be moved from site to site, can manage a more modest four to six cars an hour. The 20-year-old company even has a continuous discharge railcar unloader in development and is looking for customer to help partner the first to market.  Ashross expects the machine will cost around USD2.5 million and be able to unload at a rate of about 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes an hour using chains and belts under the machine on a live floor that travels at the same speed as the train.

Huge demand

Another Utah manufacturer of portable rail car unloaders, Cambelt International Corp, of Salt Lake City, has been in business for 30 years and can’t keep up with demand for its mobile, push-around model. “We can’t keep this model in stock,” says Clay Hawkes, Mechanical Engineer and Sales Rep for Cambelt. “They sell as fast as we can make them.” The rail car unloaders handle materials such as carbon black, cement clinker, alumina, zinc oxide, pet food, pet coke and other minerals such as their particles are smaller than is under ¾ of an inch. The unloaders are totally enclosed and have minimal pit requirements and can handle up to 160 tonnes per hour on a unique molded belt. Another in this low volume rail wagon dumping market hails from in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, where Telestack Bulk Material Handling builds mobile loading and unloading equipment for rail wagons. Established in 1999, the company offers a complete range of mobile bulk handling equipment including the rail car unloading machines. It boasts sales all over the world – from the Americas to Siberia and even New Zealand – and has its machines busy moving aggregate, biomass, coal and other ores.

Continuing domestic economic difficulties and fierce competition among Mediterranean ports made 2011 a tough year for Italian maritime container handling operations. A general slowdown that began in the second half of 2011 continued into the first quarter of this year. However, there were a number of positives to note among these results and there have been some signs of gradual recovery as 2012 progresses. Cumulatively, TEU throughout across all Italian ports in 2011 fell by 2.4% on the previous year to 9,513,000 TEU. A major contributory factor in this overall downturn was a significant drop of 13.3% in the volume of TEU handled by the trans-shipment ports of Gioia Tauro, Taranto and Cagliari. At 3.5 million TEU, these ports collectively accounted for 37% of the country’s total throughput, thus having an obvious knock-on effect on the overall figure. It is however worth noting that Taranto actually notched a 3.9% increase in throughput by handling 604,000 TEU.

GIOIA TAURO

The dip in the total trans-shipment figure mainly relates to a 19.2% fall in TEU traffic at Gioia Tauro, Italy’s busiest container port and the eighth largest in Europe. Indeed, the 2,305,000 TEU handled at the port’s Medcenter Container Terminal (MCT) accounted for just over 24% of the nation’s overall total. However, TEU throughput at MCT has picked up significantly as 2012 has progressed, to the extent that this year could see a resurgence to 2008 levels.

In January, Contship Italia Group signed an agreement to sell 50% of CSM Italia-Gate S.p.A., the sub-holding company controlling 66.7% of MCT, to Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). A major global terminal operator with interests in 16 countries across five continents, TIL handles around 15 million containers per annum and has a unique relationship with the world’s second largest container line, Mediterranean Shipping Company SA. (MSC). The terminal is now owned one third each by Contship Italia Group, TIL, and APM Terminals. New services that have recently started calling at Gioia Tauro include a direct connection to and from Montreal. Added to MCT’s existing services with North America, Contship states that this service creates “unparalleled connectivity” to the continent. In April, existing connections with the Indian subcontinent were enhanced by changes in the I-Med service, introducing both westbound and eastbound calls. On 5 July this year, MCT for the first time successfully berthed and operated on three ultra-large container carrier (ULCC) vessels at once. Vessels of this class have previously been regular callers at MCT, but Contship states that three such sizeable ships being simultaneously berthed at a terminal for operations represented a “record-breaking achievement in the Mediterranean.” Four other ships also arrived and departed in a busy day for the terminal, with a maximum of five ships alongside throughout a 24-hour period. In June, MCT recorded 166,000 quay moves, and the terminal had by early July served some 80 ULCC ships in the 13,000–14,000 TEU range.

A development plan for Gioia Tauro, scheduled to take three years, has been approved. The main elements are quay strengthening, deepening and positioning of a 30-meter rail span along 650 meters of berth, a port entrance enlargement, a new intermodal terminal within the port area, and depth maintenance, with regular dredging scheduled at six intervals each year.

GENOA

The nation’s second busiest container hub, Genoa, helped to minimise the overall national downturn in 2011 by notching a 5% rise in its annual TEU throughout. By handling a total of 1,847,000 TEU, it returned to the same level recorded in 2007. First half results for 2012 are even more encouraging, with the 1,043,817 TEU handled by the end of June representing a 13.9% rise on the comparative period last year. Short-term enhancements to stimulate further growth at the port include landfill and restructure works to specific areas in the port terminals. The Port Authority of Genoa is also working to optimise berth occupation and extend current operating surfaces, improve road and rail access, and expand storage facilities. A landfill between Ronco and Canepa piers that will create 63,000 square meters of new yard space for container and general cargo in the Sampierdarena basin is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015. This will extend available yard space in the area to more than 300,000 square meters, with the construction of a new 640-linear meter quay with an alongside depth of 14.5 meters. A EUR 40 million project, these works will increase the Ronco Canepa terminal capacity from 200,000 TEU to more than 400,000 TEU.

The port’s TEU capacity will be further boosted by the development of a new container terminal at Calata Bettolo, which is set for completion in 2014. With a 180,000-square meter yard area and 18,000 box yard capacity, the new terminal will be equipped to handle 500,000 TEU per annum. It is being built to handle two 15,000-TEU ships simultaneously and the new generation of ultra large container vessels (ULCVs), with a 750-linear meter quay and an alongside depth of 17 meters.

LA SPEZIA

The country’s third largest container port, La Spezia, processed 1,307,000 TEU in 2011 – a rise of 1.7%. The port’s La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT), operated by Contship Italia Group, set an all-time handling record within this total of 1,069,000 TEU (82% of total port throughput) – up 2.7% on 2010. On 10 July, LSCT berthed three China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) ships simultaneously. One of these services – the Mediterranean to West Africa Service connection (MAF, a joint service co-operation with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd) – was making its maiden call at La Spezia. This was part of what was dubbed ‘COSCO Day 2012’, with the shipping line making La Spezia its new Mediterranean gateway to West Africa, which it states will result in notable time and cost savings. This augments existing links already offered by COSCO to and from La Spezia with North America, the Far East, Australia, the Black Sea, and East and West Mediterranean. These international sea routes are further bolstered by the port’s extended links to domestic inland locations. New investments in expansion works make these exciting times for Le Spezia. In the short-term, LSCT recently welcomed a 10th gantry ship-to-shore (STS) crane that can operate 20 rows across to further boost its operating capacity. Such equipment enhancements are geared at improving the terminal’s capability to handle the increasing number of ULCC ships operating in the Mediterranean. However, there is greater change afoot. With a throughput productivity of approximately four TEU per square meter, La Spezia has one of the highest container to handling space ratios in the world, and Contship Italia is investing EUR 200 million into increasing space and capacity at LSCT. This includes EUR 85 million for infrastructure. LSCT’s be
rth lengths will be increased to handle multiple 300–400-meter long ULCCs. Around three quarters of the container ships arriving at the port already exceed 300 meters in length, and this work will dramatically increase La Spezia’s capacity to handle more of these vessels simultaneously. Indeed, the investment will include bringing in new and refurbished cranes with a reach of up to 23 rows across that will enable the port to handle three such vessels at once. The Asia-Mediterranean Container Service 1 (AMC1) provided by China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has upgraded the ship capacity for its calls at LSCT. The service deployment will be 3 x 8,530 TEU and 7 x 6,919 TEU.

RAVENNA, CAGLIARI, AND SALERNO

A 14% surge in TEU handling at Terminal Container Ravenna (TCR) returned it to pre-2009 levels of 198,000 TEU. Strengthening work on the quay wall at TCR, which commenced in 2011, has now been completed. Contship Italia is investing EUR 100 million in expansion works for Ravenna, 85 million of which is being spent on infrastructure. This, the operator states, will make Ravenna the only Adriatic port with more than 14 meters draught, at 14.5 meters. This strategic work is reportedly geared at giving TCR the capacity to handle vessels of up to 9,999-TEU capacity that will be redeployed by carriers from the main east-west arterial, where they are starting to use vessels of more than 10,000-TEU capacity. Italian shipping operator Sermar Line has introduced new services running between North Africa and the Black Sea from Ravenna. Of the other Contship Italia Group terminals, Cagliari International Container Terminal (CICT) and Salerno Container Terminal (SCT) recorded downturns in 2011 of 3.2% (to 558,000 TEU) and 0.3 % (to 171,000 TEU) respectively.   

Civil work for the upgrading of the yard at CICT, with the addition of 6,000 square meters, commenced in January 2012, reaching completion at the time of World Port Development going to press. The project is geared at delivering improved safety conditions and performance for Prime Movers, in addition to cost savings for maintenance. Meanwhile, a programme to revamp rubber tyred gantry (RTG) crane operations at CICT has been completed. Hapag Lloyd and Hamburg Sud have enhanced the Med Pacific Service (MPS) by increasing the frequency of calls to Cagliari, which are now weekly. The Indian subcontinent service that visits the port has also undergone a capacity upgrade, increasing its average size to 5,500 TEU. To support these developments, CICT has made improvements to its feeder network.

OTHER FIGURES OF NOTE

Reviewing other overall TEU throughput results for 2011, regional and gateway ports in Italy notched a general growth, particularly in the Adriatic (up 24.4%). However, North Tyrrhenian ports (up 2.3%) maintained the larger market share, handling around 42% of total Italian volumes (4,000,000 TEU). According to figures released by Contship Italia Group, in 2011:

The Port of Livorno recorded a year-on-year increase of 1.5% to reach a total of 638,000 TEU.

The Port of Trieste recorded a rise of 39.6% to reach a total of 393,000 TEU. Over the comparative period of January–May, figures released by the port authority show TEU throughput has increased by 20.1% so far in 2012.

The Port of Naples handled 527,000 TEU, a drop of 1.1% on the previous year.

The Port of Venice notched an increase of 16.5% to 458,000 TEU.

The Port of Savona handled 166,000 TEU, down 15.5% on the previous year.

A year later we can report that container trade is up at three leading container ports and results for 2012 would indicate that further growth is underway.

Melbourne

TEU throughput in 2011 = 2,506,726

Expanding automotive capacity

USD 1.6 billion Port Capacity Project

Container trade through the Port of Melbourne reached a milestone in 2011, passing through the 2.5 million container mark to record a throughput of 2,506,726 twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) in the full calendar year, up 6.6% on the 2010 result. As the largest container and general cargo port in Australasia, the Port of Melbourne is undertaking a USD 1.6 billion expansion of its container and automotive capacity to consolidate its position as the market leader in these trade sectors. Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) joined the Victorian Government in announcing the US$1.2 billion Port Capacity Project which includes the re-development of Webb Dock, together with infrastructure upgrades at Swanson Dock, to meet forecast container trade growth. The project represents the largest landside port project in a generation and will provide for an additional container handling capacity of one million TEU at a newly configured Webb Dock. The project will create 2,600 jobs and ensure Victoria’s short to mid-term container capacity requirements are met. Scheduled for completion towards the end of 2016, the project provides an opportunity for innovation and will be subject to a competitive bidding process focused on productivity, efficiency and effective traffic management systems. As an integral part of the Port Capacity Project, PoMC has commenced work on the development of Australasia’s pre-eminent automotive facility representing a capital investment of around USD400 million. The project will extend the port’s automotive capacity to handle around 600,000 new motor vehicles annually and feature at least 12 hectares of dedicated on-dock pre-delivery inspection facilities. Located towards the northern end of Webb Dock, south of West Gate Bridge, these facilities will streamline delivery to dealerships and provide greater efficiency. Additional shipping berths at Webb Dock West will provide 920 meters of continuous quay-line to accommodate the automotive trade. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2017 and its delivery will be staged alongside the container terminal development.

Brisbane

TEU throughput in 2011 = 978,814

TEU breaks 1 million mark in 2012

Located at the mouth of the Brisbane River, and managed and developed by the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL), under a 99-year lease from the Queensland Government, the Port of Brisbane is Australia’s fastest growing container port, and Queensland’s largest general cargo port. The Port has seven container berths (1,800m of quayline), which are leased and operated by two stevedores. DP World Brisbane leases and operates Berth 4-7, with two conventional Panamax container gantry cranes, two Post-Panamax and two Super Post-Panamax cranes. Patrick leases and operates Berths 8-10, with three conventional Panamax container gantry cranes, two Post-Panamax cranes, and 27 automated straddle carriers. Following the completion of Berth 10 in 2009, Patrick and DP World Brisbane increased their quayline to 900m each. Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd owns the wharves, provides a significant proportion of fixed improvements, and issues priority-use licences and leases for their operation. Despite a difficult start to 2011 following Queensland’s natural disasters, container trade through the Port of Brisbane increased by 6.5% to reach a record 978,814 TEU in 2010/2011. Imports increased 7.4% overall, as the strong Australian dollar drove solid increases in household items, electrical equipment, paper and wood pulp, and iron and steel. Imports of building products decreased, reflecting the softening in residential building activity.

Exports also increased overall, up 6% for the year. Cotton and meat products were the standout exports, due to strong demand from Asian customers for our high-quality products. In 2012 the port celebrated a new record handling container throughput of over 1 million containers for the first time. Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) Chief Executive Officer, Russell Smith, said the result marked a significant milestone in the port’s history.“This caps off a decade of solid growth in container trade for the Port of Brisbane, with a compound annual growth rate of 8%,” Smith said. “What makes this milestone all the more impressive is the fact that it’s happened despite a difficult economic environment both domestically and overseas. It demonstrates the extremely robust nature of the Port of Brisbane due to our diverse trade base, strategic location and significant land base. This is something we continue to successfully leverage in order to drive new and increased trade through the port. We’re predicting continued growth in containers over the next decade, and our focus will be on working with the supply and logistics chain to ensure Brisbane is positioned to accommodate this growth,” Smith said.

Sydney

TEU throughput in 2011 = 2,020,000

Third container terminal at Port Botany, completed on time and under budget

$172.3 million  invested in new capital projects

In 2011 Sydney saw container traffic at Port Botany reach 2.02 mil
lion TEU – exceeding 2 million TEU for the first time ever in a financial year. “On the back of record container movement, Sydney Ports has recorded a strong financial result with net profit after tax increasing by 24.3 per cent to $73.5 million for the 2010/11 financial year. “We have now seen ten years of consecutive annual container trade growth records for Port Botany,” Gilfillan said. Sydney’s commercial ports in Port Jackson and Botany Bay now handle $61 billion of trade every year, contribute $2.5 billion to the NSW economy and generate 17,000 jobs. The volume of container trade coming through the port of Botany has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 7.9 percent since containerisation in 1971. Total trade for 2010/11 was 29.7 million mass tonnes, an increase of 5.6 per cent on the previous financial year. The Annual Report shows that total revenue increased by 16 per cent to $255.6 million. So far 2012 seems on track to be a good year for the port with container trade through Port Botany reaching over 177,340 TEU in May 2012, up by 9.7 percent on May 2011. Full containerised imports for May 2012 reached 87,510 TEU, 8.6 percent higher than May 2011. This is due to increased volumes of machinery and transport equipment, including electrical items such as washing machines, TV’s and general household appliances. According to Gilfillan the comparative improvement is largely helped by increased chemical imports – up 10.6% – with the majority being imported from USA and China. There was also a big increase in miscellaneous manufactured articles which include furniture, toys and other consumer products – these increased by 12.6%. “Combined, these commodities represent over 59 per cent of total full containerised imports. The majority of containerised imports were sourced from East Asia (47.2 percent) and Europe (14.3 percent), which combined accounted for over 61 percent of total container imports through Port Botany.” “Full containerised exports reached 41,302 TEU in May 2012, up by 12.5 per cent on the same period last year. The leading containerised exports for the month of May were machinery and

transport equipment, chemicals and cereals. Combined, these commodities represent

30 percent of total exports. Cotton was also up by 18% compared to last year due largely to an early start to the cotton season and additional demand from Asia. India which is the world’s second largest producer halted cotton exports to maintain domestic consumption which has added to the exports coming from NSW. The majority of containerised exports were sent to East Asia (43.0 percent) and South East Asia (18.8 percent), which combined accounted for over 61 percent of total container exports through Port Botany. In terms of improvements achieved in 2012/2011 Sydney Ports invested $172.3 million in new capital projects, which contributed to an increase in total non-current assets of 16 percent to $1.8 billion. “The most visible representation of our success was the completion of the third container terminal at Port Botany, on time and under budget,” Gilfillan said.  “This $1 billion project will enable a doubling of our container capacity once it is tenanted by Hutchison Port Holdings.” Gilfillan said that in 2010/11, Sydney Ports had also moved to the contracting stage of a second bulk liquids berth at Port Botany and had moved ahead with development of an intermodal logistics centre at Enfield. Planning approval for the new cruise passenger terminal at White Bay was also obtained. The Port Botany Landside Improvement Strategy (PBLIS), implemented on 28 February 2011, had consistently reduced truck average turnarounds at Port Botany from greater than 50 minutes to around 30 minutes per truck. Other Sydney Ports milestones achieved during 2010/11 included the PBLIS Truck Marshalling site identified for future use by truck drivers; completion of construction and fit-out of a new Operations Centre at Port Botany; the Vessel Traffic Services System relocated from Millers Point in Sydney to Port Botany; and growth in the cruise market of 29 per cent. “Sydney remains Australia’s passenger cruise capital, with remarkable growth in the number of visits, 153 in 2010/11 compared to 119 the previous year,” Gilfillan said.