Compared to the main ports further West, Hamburg thus gained additional market share and strengthened its position as the Northern European hub for container traffic; Rotterdam’s throughput was down by 3.9 percent, while Antwerp’s increase was comparatively minimal at 0.7 percent. In the first quarter of 2012 total seaborne cargo throughput in Germany’s largest universal port reached a volume of 32.6 million tons (+ 3.8 percent). The Port of Hamburg performed especially strongly on general cargo throughput and managed a positive result on overall throughput despite some downturns in the bulk goods area. By comparison with the first quarter of 2011, on general cargo throughput the Port of Hamburg achieved a 7.9 percent advance to 23.1 million tons. Growth here was primarily powered by the strong trend in exports of containerized general cargoes. Here the Port of Hamburg handled export volume of 11.4 million tons in the first three months of the year, representing an increase of 11.1 percent. Europe’s second largest container port also performed well on imports of containerized general cargoes, with volume of 11.2 million tons representing 5.5 percent growth. “We are delighted that with a 5.2 percent rise in container throughput in the first quarter, the Port of Hamburg is markedly ahead of the 2.4 percent average growth for the four major ports in the North Range,” comments Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing: “The excellent result in this segment is what triggered the Port of Hamburg’s overall growth in the first quarter of 2012. For the remainder of the year we are reckoning on a further increase in total throughput.””We are headed in the right direction and have gained notable market shares. This is indicative for competitiveness of the Port of Hamburg”, stresses Jens Meier, HPA managing director. “Considering container handling figures and the market shares inthe northern European Ports range the Port of Hamburg even surpasses forecasts of the 2010 ISL potential analysis.”

Beginning May 21, MOL’s PSX service will add a Seattle call at APL’s Terminal 5, providing expanded coverage and capacity for cargo from the Pacific Northwest.  
 
These vessels will be the first MOL ships to call Seattle since 2008, and average over 6,300 TEU in size. In addition to Seattle, the PSX will also add stops in Vancouver, BC, Tokyo, and Yantian. For more details on the PSX service, visit the MOL website here.
 
“We appreciate MOL’s business, as their containers mean more jobs for our region,” said Linda Styrk, Managing Seaport Director at the Port of Seattle. Last year, the Port of Seattle harbor handled over two million TEUs (20-foot equivalent containers), contributing to over 100,000 family wage jobs for the local economy.
 
The Port of Seattle is setting the course for the future with the Century Agenda.  In 25 years, we will generate 100,000 new jobs and increase international trade and tourism, while protecting the environment with innovative sustainability initiatives. Learn more about how the region’s economic engine will keep powering King County’s economy for years to come!

The contract for construction of this impressive vessel was signed between DEME and IHC Dredgers in the spring of 2010 and the keel was laid on 23rd December, 2010. The vessel was launched on 28th October, 2011.

The Ambiorix is able to dredge to a water depth of 35 meters and will be one of the most powerful cutter suction dredgers in the world. This new vessel is suitable for heavy soil and hard rock. The Ambiorix is equipped with two inboard dredge pumps and one submerged dredge pump on the cutter ladder. It also has a barge-loading system, which can load barges moored alongside the dredger. The flexible spud carrier includes a spud force limiting system which enables dredging during challenging weather conditions. The dredging process is entirely touch screen operated. The dredge, furthermore, is equipped with a ‘remote-view’ system, enabling the permanent online view of its dredging process at DEME’s head office in Zwijndrecht.

The vessel was named after Ambiorix, who was leader of the Gallic people called the Eburones. With a cunning plan he defeated a Roman legion and 5 cohorts (7.200 soldiers) of Julius Caesar in 54 BC. This feat made Ambiorix into a Belgian hero – an icon of a brave warrior. The name Ambiorix fits perfectly with DEME’s tradition of naming vessels amongst others after historical or cultural national heroes, like Artevelde, Breughel and Breydel.

The new rock cutter dredge ‘Ambiorix’ is part of an important ongoing investment programme of the DEME Group. Earlier this year, the DP2 jack-up vessel ‘Neptune’ was commissioned to the Group. The new backhoe dredger ‘Peter the Great’ is conducting its trials and the special-purpose jack-up vessel ‘Innovation’ is still under construction. The latter vessel is built on behalf of HGO InfraSea Solutions, a joint venture company consisting of DEME’s marine construction specialist GeoSea and the German construction group Hochtief.

In June, ocean carrier MOL will begin weekly calls at Norfolk International Terminals; the sailing of the MOL Partner on June 2 will inaugurate the service.

“This is, to say the least, both exciting and important for Virginia,” Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority said. “A first-in is of great benefit to our large import customers because they’ll be getting their goods to their shelves quicker. It also shows a growing confidence in Virginia by the ocean carrier community in our ability to reach their customers, and do so expeditiously.”

The port rotation of the SVS (South China/Vietnam – the U.S. South East Coast) service, as it will be called, will be: Hong Kong, Yantian, Singapore, Suez Canal transit, Algeciras, Virginia, Savannah, Jacksonville, Charleston and Cai Mep. The service will be jointly operated by MOL and Evergreen. MOL will provide nine ships and Evergreen one ship, with the capacity range of 4,500-5,600 TEU per ship.

“This service will offer great transit times from Southeast Asia and West Africa, via transshipment,” Bridges said. “With that being the case, I think we are in a very good position to build some business in West Africa; we see a lot of potential there.”

The MOL news joins two other similar announcements made this year by the VPA, both of which were last-out vessel calls from Virginia.

In April, Virginia gained a last-out port call as a result of the CKYH shipping alliance’s decision to upgrade its all-water services that operate between Asia and the US East Coast. That news was preceded by Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s announcement in February that it was going to make Virginia the last port of call on the company’s Golden Gate Service, which links the US East Coast and the Far East.

“These kinds of decisions, or changes, don’t come easily to the ocean carriers,” Bridges said. “So when they choose Virginia, it broadcasts a larger message about our ability to compete, to deliver a high-level of service and to execute our core job which is to move cargo – and do it quickly.”