Tanjung Priok super port - WorldCargo News Online

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 port basins have a
20m deep water area in excess of 560-ha.
All of this, says the port 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)
WorldCargo
news
Getting tied up
ECT has taken a joint stake in the Rotterdam
company that developed a shorebased
constant tension mooring system.
As previously reported (WorldCargo News,
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 ports.
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 superstrong
synthetic fibre. These mooring lines
are issued to the ship from the shore. ❏
ShoreTension on test in Rotterdam
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