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PORT DEVELOPMENT Rotterdam gives rise to new berths Construction of the new container terminals on Maasvlakte II is on schedule The first phase of the Port of Rotterdam’s massive Maasvlakte II (MVII) docks were officially opened during May, after almost five years of construction work. The project got under way in September 2008. Since then the contractors, led by Boskalis and Van Oord have dredged and pumped 240M m 3 of sand, constructed a 3.5 kms long, hard seawall with 7 Mt of stone and 20,000 concrete blocks from the old seawall, built 3.5 kms of quay wall, 24 kms of roads and 14 kms of rail track. Almost 1000-ha of land have been created, including a reserve bank of 300- ha, while the enclosed <strong>port</strong> basins have a 20m deep water area in excess of 560-ha. All of this, says the <strong>port</strong> authority (HBR), was achieved on time and for €150M less than the budget of €1.7B. When the plans for MVII were first unveiled in the early 2000s, the economic outlook was very different from today’s. As such, while MVII is a marvel of engineering and project management, its immediate aim, to relieve pressure on existing facilities, is less pressing. Hence it will lead to even more competition in the container handling sector than envisaged. As is well-known, ECT’s owner Hutchison filed a lawsuit against HBR claiming €900M for damage to its interests caused by the opening of rival container terminals on MVII. The case is ongoing and is sub judice. The construction of the two MVII container terminals - to be operated by Rotterdam World Gateway (consortium of DP World, APL, MOL, HMM and CMA CGM) and APM Terminals - is on schedule and both will be operational towards the end of next year. MVII is also generating interest from companies that want to establish them- Maersk’s 8400 TEU capacity MAERSK TUKANG was part of the flotilla of ships, boats and barges that sailed along the Yangtsekanaal to mark the official opening of Maasvlakte II in May. (Photo: Aeroview) <strong>WorldCargo</strong> news Getting tied up ECT has taken a joint stake in the Rotterdam company that developed a shorebased constant tension mooring system. As previously re<strong>port</strong>ed (<strong>WorldCargo</strong> <strong>News</strong>, June 2010, p6), the design, known as ShoreTension, was developed by KVRE (the Royal Boatmen’s Association), which is responsible for the mooring and unmooring of seagoing vessels in Rotterdam and some other Dutch <strong>port</strong>s. ECT tested ShoreTension at its Delta Terminal and in April this year it acquired a 50% stake in a joint venture with KVRE, ShoreTension Holding (STH). It also acquired four stand-alone systems together with the associated hydraulic primers. The advantage of Shore Tension. says STH, is that the mooring rope tension can be monitored directly from the shore and the stevedore does not have to worry that the vessel’s self-tensioning winches are performing to standard. It is the difference in tension between the different mooring lines that cause a ship to move and potentially cause the mooring lines to snap. Even if the ship’s winches are working correctly, but adjusted for different tensions, problems may arise. ShoreTension dampens the ship’s motion and absorbs its energy. As a result, vessels hardly move even in strong winds, swells, fast currents or in the wake of passing shipping traffic. Even in extreme conditions, the system is capable of preventing mooring lines from snapping. The ShoreTension cylinder exerts the same, constant pressure to the ship’s mooring lines fastened to the bollards on the quay. No on-going power is needed. An external hydraulic system, normally supplied from a specially equipped van, is required, but only at start-up to prime the unit to the correct tension prior to use. After that, the cylinder moves hydraulically in line with the forces to which the mooring line is exposed. The system provides high tension force and pays out the line, coping with peak loads without exceeding the line’s minimum breaking load (MBL). This dampens ship motion and absorbs the energy. When peak loads have passed, the unit heaves in the line with the energy stored and returns to its initial position. For additional security, ShoreTension is used in combination with a high-quality mooring line made of HMPE, a <strong>super</strong>strong synthetic fibre. These mooring lines are issued to the ship from the shore. ❏ ShoreTension on test in Rotterdam FOR FUEL EFFICIENT TOUGH TRUCKS CHOOSE HYSTER® WHY Latest models can deliver up to 20% fuel savings Intelligently designed trucks for the toughest applications Outstanding service back-up across the world DISCOVER QUALITY PRODUCTS AND OUTSTANDING SERVICE 25-27 June, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. WWW.HYSTER-BIGTRUCKS.COM HYSTER, the Hyster logo and STRONG PARTNERS, TOUGH TRUCKS. TM are registered trademarks, service marks or registered marks in the United States and certain other jurisdictions. Hyster_<strong>WorldCargo</strong><strong>News</strong>_May13.indd 1 29/04/2013 16:56 May 2013 39
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