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WorldCargo news TANK CONTAINERS A recent three-compartment, 24,000- litre swap tank from Magyar intermodal journeys across Europe, while a series of new swap body tanks for the carriage of heated products are under construction. Other recent output has included several 20ft ISO tanks with different types of linings. Surprise newcomer The rise and fall in the fortunes of South Africa’s tank container manufacturers have been notable features of the tank container industry over the past decade. In the 1990s there were five builders of tanks in South Africa but by summer 2005 only one remained in operation. The waning of the South African star has come as a result of an appreciating rand and increasing competition from China in the manufacture of standard tanks. However, late in 2005 a new company - GasCon - emerged to take over the gas tank container production line at the mothballed Consani plant in Cape Town.The GasCon operation is mentioned in last month’s tank manufacturers survey. More recently, another South African manufacturing firm has entered the tank container arena. This is GRW, a builder of road tankers for the local South African and international markets, which is cooperating with Flax Field Trading of Rotterdam in the provision of swap tanks specifically built for the European intermodal market. The design of the GRW swap tanks has benefited from the input of Flax Field, the principal officers of which are former Consani employees. Flax Field is also cooperating with Singamas, the Chinese container builder, in the startup of a new production line for the manufacture of standard 20ft tank containers. As regards the GRW swap tank design, capacities in the 30-35000- l range are available. GRW reports High utilisation boosts lessors Sustained high fleet utilisation rates have encouraged tank container leasing companies to return to the newbuilding market. Available from WorldCargo News “Container Terminal Planning - A Theoretical Approach” A major study by Dr Itsuro Watanabe (Container System Technology) This comprehensive 245 page study is an in-depth analysis of capacity constraints, productivity, selectivity and flexibility of different container handling systems in terminals of different types and sizes: common-users or dedicated; hub centre (transshipment and/or relay) or import/export vocation; gateway or feeder port;intermodal rail or truck distribution inland; with or without CFS, etc. Profusely illustrated with charts,figures and explanatory tables. Effects of different call patterns of containerships and dwell day regimes.Predictive power provided through development of queuing theories. Hundreds of detailed equations. Price: £165 or US$245 or 245 including postage and packing. I enclose my cheque or bank draft for £..................US$................. This must be drawn on a UK bank. Please invoice my company - we will mail study on receipt of payment. Please debit my American Express Visa Mastercard (please indicate card and currency used) Expiry date Signature............................................................ Date.................................................. WCN Publishing: Northbank House, 5 Bridge Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8BL, UK. Please make payments to: WCN Publishing WCN PUBLISHING VAT No: 644 2190 53 that the use of its modern manufacturing plant, where barrels are manufactured without the need for an additional circumferential weld seam, will enable the construction of low tare weight swap tanks incorporating features designed to reduce maintenance and ensure that operating costs are kept to a minimum. Flax Field personnel will liaise with customers in Europe to ensure that the swap tank specifications are tailored to suit their needs. Flax Field engineering, sales and marketing and after sales functions are provided from the new ITT tank service centre in Rotterdam Europoort that the company is sharing with four other specialist companies. Purpose-built equipment for swap tank manufacture is now in High tank container prices in 2005 curtailed the newbuilding programmes of tank container lessors, historically the most prolific HANSE-MASCHINEN Handels GmbH ❖ Hamburg-Germany used forklift trucks, reachstacker & tugmaster for sale: cap. make type year features 45 to CVS Ferrari Reachstacker 1996 5-high 45 to Kalmar Reachstacker 1998 5-high 42 to Belotti Reachstacker 1992 4-high 30 to Hyster Forklift truck 1992 5,5m lift 30 to Mafi Tractor 2002 4x2 25 to Sisu RoRo tractor 1988 4x4 16 to Kalmar Forklift truck 2002 5,5m lift 15 to Svetruck Forklift truck 1996 triplex 8,5 to Hyster Containerlifter 2003 5+1high 8 to Svetruck Containerlifter 1990 4-high 8 to Svetruck Containerlifter 1995 4-high 7 to SMV Containerlifter 1996 6-high more details: www.hanse-maschinen.com e-mail: info@hanse-maschinen.com Tel: +49-40-51 51 50 ❖ Fax: +49-40-511 31 04 Fax this form to +44 1372 370111 Name .......................................................................... .................................................................................... Title ............................................................................. Company..................................................................... .................................................................................... Address ....................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... Company business....................................................... .................................................................................... Fax .............................................................................. Tel ............................................................................... New to the European scene - a swap tank from GRW of South Africa buyers of new tanks. However, despite the restrained purchasing programmes and the weakness of the dollar, lessors have been able to maintain high fleet utilisation rates over the past 12 months on the back of robust demand. The strong market has been sustained into 2006, to the extent that several lessors believe that improving tank container lease rates can now support investment in newbuilds.The current activities of a number of major tank lessors are profiled in the following paragraphs. Trifleet expansion Trifleet Leasing, the world’s third largest tank container lessor, has experienced a particularly busy last 12 months. In addition to broadening its customer base and creating a worldwide operations system which allows all its offices and customers to have real-time access to contract and fleet data, the company appointed Philip van Rooijen to take over as managing director in July 2005. In addition, ING Lease (Nederland) BV, the parent company, made funds available for a range of new investments, including a series of gas tanks from Van Hool and GasCon. In addition, Carol Maddox departed Trifleet in October 2005 to start her own company, Maddox Quality BV. “Our fleet now stands at approximately 8,100 units,” states Philip van Rooijen. “Due to the high purchase prices for new tank containers, stemming from high steel prices and an imperfect market structure on the supply side, we only added a net 125 tanks to our fleet in 2005. Nevertheless, In spite of the weak dollar exchange rate compared to the euro and the continuing market pressure on lease rates, we increased revenues last year, as a result of strong demand and high utilisation. “Our fleet expansion plans for this year are much more ambitious. So far, we have ordered approximately 1,000 new tanks from place at the GRW factory in South Africa.The Flax Field/GRW partnership expects to supply 200 swap tanks in Europe each year. ❏ manufacturers in China and South Africa. These units will join our fleet over the 2006-07 period.” Fleet strengths In highlighting its strengths to the market,Trifleet Leasing states that its fleet is comparatively young and that its tanks incorporate features as standard that the industry often considers to be an extra. Such features include spillbox covers, additional and horizontally positioned top flanges and heated bottom discharge arrangements. The availability of a unique, real-time customer log-in area with extensive information on technical tank details, rate indications and contracts is also marketed as a particular selling point. “In addition, unlike other major lessors,Trifleet accommodates a wide range of customer types, from major corporations and transport operators to state-managed enterprises,” continues Philip van Rooijen. “Also, with tanks from our large, new orderbook now flowing into our fleet,Trifleet is able to meet orders for newbuild liquid and gas tanks on short notice.” Too much power? Major leasing companies, with their periodic orders for large batches of new tanks, are sensitive to the availability of tank container production facilities.This is a critical issue at the moment, with the bid by China International Marine Containers Group Ltd (CIMC) to acquire Burg Industries BV currently being reviewed by the European Commission’s antitrust branch. CIMC is the world’s largest manufacturer of tanks and amongst the Burg portfolio of companies is Welfit Oddy of South Africa, the world’s second largest tank builder. At the moment, no other tank manufacturer is able to match their output. “To ensure fair competition and the availability of a good tank container at a competitive price, European network Clean inside. Service outside. Safety all around. A 24,000-litre Exsif tank is readied for an export cargo at a Houston tank depot cleaning facilities maintenance & repair Central European contact: cotac europe GmbH, Holländer Str. 1-7, 68219 Mannheim, Germany Phone: +49 (0)621/8998-101, info@cotac-group.com, www.cotac-group.com 34 April 2006
TANK CONTAINERS WorldCargo news are leased in. One year ago Exsif established the domestic Chinese leasing company HAITE to cater for growth potential in that country. HAITE leases several hundred tanks to local Chinese chemical manufacturers and chemical transport companies for intra-China use. HAITE has a head office in Shanghai, five satellite offices in Tianjin, Dalian, Guangzhou, Xian and Chongxing, and provides the country with a full service tank container leasing operation. Eurasia looks east Although running a more modest operation than that offered by the major global tank lessors, C S Eurasia Leasing GmbH & Co of Germany has also been strengthening its commitment to the Asian market. In recognition of the fact Trifleet is amongst the first purchasers of gas tanks from the new GasCon operation in South Africa that most of the growth in the global tank container industry is now taking place in the Far East, Eurasia has a sister company in Singapore which is active in developing the market potential in the South East Asian region, most notably Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. A mark of the extent to which the potential in Asia is gaining in importance for Eurasia is given by the company’s decision to order 70 new tanks in 2006 compared to 30 last year.The overall C S Eurasia fleet now stands at 781 units.The company also reports improving revenue streams as a result of higher fleet utilisation over the past 12 months. ❏ Lessors are concerned about overconcentration of production in CIMC’s hands i.e. a price which supports lease rates that can be realised in the market, our industry ideally needs at least three experienced, independent manufacturers with good technical knowledge and sufficient scale,” believes Philip van Rooijen.“The country in which the tank containers are produced is only relevant insofar as this impacts on the price and quality of the tank container, and the relocation costs.” For its part Trifleet is accommodating the eastwards shift of the global tank container axis with its sales office in Singapore and agents in China,Taiwan, Indonesia and Korea.The buildup of this network helped the company increase its sales in the region in 2005. GE SeaCo GE SeaCo is another tank lessor going to the newbuild market; the purchase of 700 new tank containers is planned for 2006. The majority of these tanks are 25,000- litre T11 general purpose tanks but there will also be a significant number of 15- 20,000-litre, 10-bar T20 units for the specialised chemical business. “The GE SeaCo tank business continues to improve,” reports Colin Rubery, general manager of the company’s Tank Container Division. “Utilisation of the fleet is at acceptable levels and lease rates are beginning to rise sufficiently to justify investment. “In addition to the fleet purchases for general leasing GE SeaCo is active in the market for finance leases.This part of the business is growing and is supported with the funding resources of GE SeaCo, enabling customers to consider options from a single source and with the benefit of drawing tanks stock.” A significant part of GE SeaCo business activity relates to the provision of technical support to customers.As an example, a programme of regulatory courses in line with the latest International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code requirements has been conducted to qualify the GE SeaCo technical sales team up to Dangerous Goods Advisor level. Last month GE SeaCo was awarded accreditation by the Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI) to that organisation’s new Safety and Quality Assessment System (SQAS) for companies active in the tank container sector (see page 13). This scheme is backed by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). Exsif to the fore Exsif Worldwide, the world’s largest tank container lessor, is also reporting that its fleet utilisation, which by this time last year had climbed to its highest level in a decade, is being maintained. The company is continuing to invest, adding to its already diverse fleet in order to remain a reliable, consistent supplier of tank containers to its key customers on a global and regional basis. The Exsif fleet has climbed to 32,530 tanks, from 30,700 units a year ago.The fleet is comprised of 20,950 20-foot units for liquid chemicals, 1,860 swaps, 1,520 gas tanks, 4,800 foodgrade tanks and 3,400 tanks dedicated to particular products. Some 220 gas tanks have been added to the mix over the past 12 months. From another perspective, the Exsif fleet is made up of 23,091 owned tanks, 9,383 managed tanks and 56 units that Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH P.O. Box 10, A-6710 Nenzing / Austria Tel.: +43 5525 606-725 Fax: +43 5525 606-447 reachstacker@liebherr.com www.liebherr.com Experience the progress. The Group April 2006 35
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