New automotive parts box from Schenker - WorldCargo News Online

WorldCargo 

MARCH 2010 

ZPMC adds truck 

spreader range 

ZPMC has expanded its spreader 

range to include a reach stacker 

spreader and a side-loading 

spreader for EC mast trucks. 

ZPMC made a considerable investment 

in upgrading its production 

facility at Changzhou, which 

can now produce around 500 

spreaders/year, more than currently 

required for its STS and 

yard crane production. 

The reach stacker spreader - 

SR40-RHS - has a tare weight 

of 9.5t, 4deg pile slope adjustment 

and -195/+105deg rotation. The 

telescoping system uses an endless 

chain driven by a hydraulic 

motor and reduction gearbox. 

The ECH side lift spreader is 

10-20 TON FORKLIFTS ON STOCK 

HYSTER KALMAR SMV SVETRUCK 

2X KALMAR DCD370-1200 

TRIPLEX FORKPOSITIONER 

2x KALMAR DRD420-65S6 

6-HIGH 1997-1999 

ECH mast truck sidelift attachment 

from ZPMC 

designated KSS40-RHS and uses 

a single beam structure. It is made 

from imported steel and weighs 

3200 kg. SWL is 9000 kg and it 

has ±600mm of sideshift. 

Each twistlock housing has a 

float of 250mm and a mechanical 

and electrical protection system 

that, ZPMC says, protects the 

components from driver misuse. 

ZPMC’s entry into the lift 

truck spreader market could be 

well-timed as the number of domestic 

truck manufacturers is increasing, 

with new entrants such 

as Zoomlion coming on stream. 

KALMAR DCE90-45 E7 7 HIGH 

EMPTY CONTAINER HANDLER 

ALL BRANDS 1-60 TON ON STOCK 

4x TEREX TFC45 

5 HIGH 2005 -2006 

Worldwide delivery 

FORKLIFTS, REACHSTACKERS & TERMINAL EQUIPMENT 

Forkliftcenter BV Haarlemmerstraatweg 149b 

1165MK Halfweg (Amsterdam) The Netherlands 

Tel: +31(0)204 974 101 Email: info@forkliftcenter.com 

WWW.FORKLIFTCENTER.COM 

news 

Ownership 

change for 

Kabelschlepp 

Germany-based power transmission 

and cable carrier systems specialist 

Kabelschlepp is to be sold 

to Tsubakimoto Chain Co, based 

in Kyoto, which has been its Japanese 

licensee for more than 40 

years. The deal includes Kabelschlepp’s 

overseas affiliates and the 

existing licensee network. 

In a statement, Tsubakimoto 

said that the purchase will enable 

it “to enhance its global competitiveness 

in support and guidance 

systems for cables and hoses.” It 

added that the deal secures the 

longstanding technical cooperation 

between the two companies. 

Tsubakimoto plans to enhance 

competitiveness through faster and 

more efficient product development 

and establishing “global production 

bases in the cableveyor 

field.” Synergies in sales and marketing 

will also be exploited for 

maximum effect. Kabelschlepp 

currently has five production facilities 

and 13 sales offices in Europe, 

North America and Asia. 

“The new corporate constellation 

offers both Tsubaki and 

Kabelschlepp and their customers 

a wide variety of immediate advantages 

and synergies,” said 

Kabelschlepp in a statement. 

KALMAR DCD28-1200 

TRIPLEX 1998 NEW PAINT 

CONTAINER HANDLER LINDE 

C400/4 2005 4 HIGH 

3x SMV CS45 2004 - 2005 

5-HIGH STACKING 

New automotive parts 

box from Schenker 

DB Schenker Rail Automotive has 

developed a new type of container/ 

swap body hybrid for the transport 

of automotive parts from 

Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg facility in 

Germany to its new Russian plant 

in Kaluga, 150 km south west of 

Moscow. 

With effect from next month, 

the innovative box - designed by 

Schenker Automotive Railnet 

(SAR) GmbH in cooperation 

with Volkswagen Logistics - will 

be tested on the Wolfsburg-Kaluga 

route for several months, before a 

decision is made in the summer 

whether or not to begin series 

production. 

DB Schenker Rail already supplies 

assembly sets to the Kaluga 

plant in semi-knocked down 

(SKD) and completely-knocked 

down (CKD) form from the 

Czech Republic, Slovakia and 

Germany using standard 40ft high 

cube containers. In a second development 

stage, however, the 

Kaluga plant is to be expanded to 

include a body shop, paint shop 

and final assembly and supplies 

will be changed to all-CKD during 

the course of this year. In future, 

the assembly sets will be supplied 

to the plant as individual 

parts and modules and delivered 

directly to the assembly lines. 

The new container has accord- 

China ports facing 

excess capacity 

China Merchants Holdings (International) 

Ltd (CMHI) Chairman 

and CEO Dr Fu Yuning has 

forecast that Chinese ports are 

looking at a scenario of 9M TEU 

in excess capacity by 2015 

Speaking at the TOC Asia conference 

in Shanghai, Dr Fu said 

China’s total port volume fell from 

129M TEU in 2008 to 121M 

TEU in 2009. Growth has returned 

in the first months of this 

year and Dr Fu said the consensus 

is that volumes will grow 3% to 

around 125M TEU in 2010. 

Based on the “most aggressive 

scenario,” where annual growth 

returns to 10% in 2011, demand 

will be 201M TEU and capacity, 

assuming there are no further 

new projects other than those that 

have already announced, will be 

210M TEU. 

While 9M TEU in overcapacity 

spread across the whole of 

China would not be a significant 

issue, CMHI’s breakdown of supply 

and demand at the 11 main 

container port areas (Dalian, 

Tianjin, Qingdao. Shanghai, 

Ningbo, Xiamen, Fuzhou, 

Quangzhou, Shenzhen, 

Guangzhou and Hong Kong) 

shows some ports have a significant 

problem. 

Average berth utilisation across 

these 11 ports was 70% last year, 

but it was much lower in Tianjin 

(55%), Xiamen (42%) and Fuzhou 

(just 27%). Of the 37 new berths 

in the pipeline, 10 are in Xiamen, 

The automotive box will start trials on the Wolfsburg-Kaluga route next month 

ingly been designed with an internal 

loading height of 3m, compared 

to 2.69m in a standard high cube 

container, and an internal width of 

2.5m, to allow 3-high loading of 

the 1m high racks VW uses for small 

parts. External dimensions are 

12.192m (40ft) long x 2.6m (8ft 

6in) wide x 3.4m (11ft 2in) high. 

Capable of being stacked 2high 

fully loaded and 3-high 

empty, the automotive parts container 

has a payload capacity of 

26.5t and can be top-lifted by 

conventional container handling 

equipment via corner castings at 

standard ISO 8ft centres or bottom-lifted 

via swap-body-type 

grapple lift pockets. 

two in Fuzhou and two in Tianjin. 

Despite these challenges, Dr 

Fu said Chinese ports were 

emerging from the recession in 

good shape. “The crisis has caused 

real damage, but it could have 

been worse,” he said. Revenues 

fell 10% last year (in line with 

throughput), but profits fell 30%, 

highlighting that “when revenue 

goes down, costs must go down 

further.” 

CMHI set up a team in late 

2008 to get costs down and in 

2009 shaved Yuan200M off its 

operating costs. Other port operators 

have taken similar steps - 

SIPG recently opened Phase VI 

at Waigaoqiao, but purchased no 

new quay cranes for the berths, 

choosing instead to relocate 

cranes from its existing Shanghai 

terminals. 

The biggest changes, however, 

are at the corporate level where 

port operators underwent “business 

interest realignment” and restructuring 

on a scale that Dr Fu 

said had never been seen before 

and was not easy to achieve. 

The Tianjin Port Group restructured 

its Shanghai- and 

Hong Kong-listed companies, 

while PDA Corp became the second 

largest shareholder in Jinzhou 

port. In Qingdao, CMHI merged 

its terminals with those of the 

Qingdao Port Company, effectively 

eliminating competition, 

while in Tianjin the Hebei Port 

Group was formed from the 

The new design is available in 

two versions - a curtainsider with 

movable side panels and a lifting 

roof, and a “Wingliner” with hydraulically 

operated side panels. 

Both designs can also be loaded 

via conventional end doors. 

“This innovation is intended 

to simplify and accelerate processes 

for Volkswagen, a key account 

for DB Schenker. These transport 

boxes are highly flexible and enable 

novel solutions, both in terms 

of transported volumes and upstream 

and downstream crossmodal 

loading and unloading 

processes,” said Axel Marschall, 

Head of Automotive at DB 

Schenker Rail GmbH. 

Qinhuangdao, Caofeidian and 

Huanghua ports. 

Dr Fu said Chinese operators 

had realised that “tariff wars 

would be catastrophic” and were 

“converging on a consensus” that 

the industry had moved to a new 

phase where “it is time to put ambitious 

plans on hold and focus 

on quality.” 

IN THIS ISSUE 

NEWS 

CVS Ferrari in trouble 2 

MES RTG improvements 4 

HPH bags Fos 4XL 9 

Rotterdam plot available 11 

Boost for RailRunner 18 

Box makers recovering 19 

PORT DEVELOPMENT 

S American growing pains 21 

Deep thinking on Paraná 23 

Portcentric logistics 25 

INLAND 

Trailers blaze the trail 27 

CARGO HANDLING 

Electric RTGs 29 

Underground storage 30 

Simulator review 31 

Heavy lift still buoyant 34 

REEFER INDUSTRY 

Wind of change at MCIQ 37 

TANK CONTAINERS 

Tank builders fight back 38


news 

Konecranes for Concor 

Konecranes Lifttrucks has reported 

that it will deliver 27 new 

reach stackers to the Indian stateowned 

company Container Corporation 

of India Ltd (Concor). 

The machines are being supplied 

under an all-embracing supply/operate/maintain 

contract 

(with a 5-year O&M clause) 

awarded in December 2009 to Indian 

contractor Roadwings International 

Pvt Ltd. The deal goes 

some way to explain the enigmatic 

remark in Kone-cranes’ 2009 annual 

report (see last month’s 

WorldCargo News, p36) that in 4Q/ 

09 “port equipment sales were 

boosted by a limited number of 

single large orders.” 

The machines, model SMV 

4531 TB5, stacking 45-31-16t in 

the first, second and third rows respectively 

and with a forward-sliding 

cab, will be delivered to 11 different 

multimodal platforms 

throughout India this spring. 

“The delivery to CONCOR 

is a prestigious contract for Konecranes,” 

said Lars Fredin, Konecranes 

Lifttrucks’ managing direc- 

2 

One of the 27 model SMV 4531 TB5 reach stackers destined for Concor 

tor. “It confirms Konecranes’ advantage 

in terms of life cycle cost, 

high quality and environmental 

performance, as well as a comprehensive 

network of service workshops 

that live up to Concor’s high 

uptime standards for their container 

handling machines.” 

The original tender was for 35 

machines. Although the number 

was reduced to 27, Roadwings has 

its own fleet of 30 reach stackers 

and up to eight of those are part 

of the service deal. 

From the toughest name in terminal tractors . . . 

The Trailer Jockey People. . . People who care! 

The value of the contract, including 

O&M, is €7.971M plus 

Rs879M, indicating that the service, 

maintenance and driver components 

of the deal are payable in 

local currency. There were four 

other bidders for the project. 

● In mid-March, Konecranes‘ 

(ex-SMV) lift truck plant in 

Markaryd, Sweden, which opened 

in summer 1995, turned out its 

3000th machine - a reach stacker 

with Eco-Drive for Dutch transport 

company Van der Most. 

LoadPlate 

for DCT 

Gdansk 

Finland-based Actiw Oy reports 

another order for its LoadPlate 

“one shot” container loading system, 

this time from Polish container 

terminal operator DCT 

Gdansk. 

The LoadPlate system is proving 

increasingly popular with 

shippers and consolidation centres 

dealing with long, heavy or 

awkward loads - typically steel 

constructions, machinery, steel 

pipes, steel sheets, bars, steel profiles, 

structural sections, long timber 

loads, etc - as it eliminates the 

restrictions of loading such cargoes 

into standard containers. 

Actiw Oy says the LoadPlate 

also helps to maximise space 

utlilisation for unitised loads, such 

as pallets or big bags, reduces 

damage when loading containers, 

accelerates stuffing and supports 

cross-docking operations. 

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E-mail: info@houcon-group.com 

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A future you can meet with con� dence 

CVS Ferrari, now Italy’s only privately-owned 

producer of heavy 

port cargo handling equipment, 

has registered for insolvency proceedings 

(Scioglimento, Procedue 

Concorsuali, Cancellazione), similar 

to US Chapter XI (as it contains 

concordato preventivo), while it tries 

to sort out its finances. 

The company has not been 

short of business. For example, it 

recently won an order for 10 

reach stackers from Contship 

Italia, although market sources say 

the offer price reflected CVS’s 

difficult situation. 

In common with many SMEs 

in Italy the company has tended to 

be highly geared and the Italian 

banks, which are still reeling from 

the global financial sector crisis, 

have been taking an increasingly 

tough line on credit and CVS 

US-based Container Stuffers LLC 

(CSL) unveiled two new “one 

shot” container loaders at the 

Wood Technology Show in Portland, 

Oregon, earlier this month. 

The C-Loader is aimed primarily 

at palletised and other 

general cargo, while the K- 

Loader is specifically designed to 

load logs. “Our equipment can 

load a 40ft container in four minutes, 

compared to an industry 

average of about 40 minutes, or 

longer, depending on the type of 

cargo being loaded,” said CSL 

CEO Troy Williams. 

The operating principle with 

both loaders is similar. With the 

C-Loader, cargo is preloaded on 

a load transfer platform in the 

machine’s loading pocket, the 

container is backed up to the 

loader and secured using docking 

clamps and the cargo load platform 

is adjusted to match the container 

using level and pitch controls. 

A hydraulic ram is then engaged 

to push the loaded transfer 

platform into the container. 

Once the load has been transferred, 

cargo retaining clamps are 

engaged, the load transfer system 

is withdrawn and the cargo restraint 

clamps disengaged. The 

docking clamps are then disengaged 

and the loaded container 

can be driven away. 

The C-Loader has been designed 

to accommodate more than 

one layer of freight within a con- 

CARGO HANDLING NEWS 

Problems for CVS 

CVS Ferrari equipment recently 

delivered to Port Sudan. It is not a 

shortage of orders, but a shortage of 

credit, which is reportedly behind the 

company’s problems 

Ferrari has suffered accordingly. 

On top of that, the previously 

reported changes in top management 

(see WorldCargo News, December 

2009, p2) have become 

unsettled. However, the disagreements 

could be the effect of the 

situation the company is in, rather 

than the cause. 

Last month an email sent by a 

second generation Ferrari family 

member was published on Silvio 

Berlusconi’s blog. Fiorella Ferrari, 

a niece of one of the founders, 

urges the Italian Prime Minister 

to step in and get the banks to 

turn the taps back on. 

New “one shot” box 

loaders launched 

CSL says the K-Loader can transfer 

a full load of logs into a container in 

10 minutes 

tainer, as it progressively measures 

and controls the total load by use 

of a built-in scale weighing system. 

“The C-Loader increases loading 

output by 60% and can load 

up to 40 containers in one eighthour 

shift with one machine and 

two forklift operators,” said 

Williams. 

With the K-Loader, logs are 

loaded directly into the load 

pocket and pushed into the container 

by the load transfer system. 

The K-Loader’s log load pocket 

has been designed to eliminate 

damage to the sidewalls of the 

container, while damage to the 

front end wall is avoided through 

the installation of a programmable 

load limit switch. Once the 

load has been transferred, the load 

transfer system is withdrawn and 

deck scrapers clear the load pocket 

ready for the next load. 

“One in 10 containers suffers 

damage caused by inexperienced 

operators using equipment never 

designed for this application or the 

sheer brute force of shovelling 

massive logs into the containers,” 

the company said. “The K-Loader 

eliminates collateral damage to the 

container, reduces costs by 50% 

and transfers a truckload of logs, 

weighing 55,000lbs gross, into a 

container in 10 minutes.” 

March 2010


More Gottwald crane orders 

With a further order from Lebanon and 

a follow up order from Qatar, Gottwald 

Port Technology says it is strengthening 

its position in the Middle East. Beirut 

Container Terminal Consortium 

(BCTC) in Lebanon has ordered a model 

4, ‘G5’ mobile harbour crane, a G HMK 

4406, while Qatar Petroleum in Qatar, 

has opted for another Model 6 ‘G5’ crane, 

a G HMK 6407. 

The first ever Gottwald ‘G5’ MHC 

in Lebanon started commercial operation 

last December in the Port of Beirut, 

where two second-hand Gottwald 

MHCs have been operating in the container 

terminal for some time. 

The Model 4, the latest addition to 

the Generation 5 family, is designed to 

be compact and highly versatile with lifting 

capacities of up to 100t and a maximum 

radius of 46m, suitable for vessels 

up to Panamax class. 

At the same time, says Gottwald, the 

Model 4 is attractive for terminals that, 

on account of their size and development 

potential, are already anticipating larger 

cargo handling volumes and increasing 

Cooper adds 

NearGuard 

safety alert 

Cooper Specialised Handling (Cooper 

SH), which represents Konecranes port 

equipment in the UK and Ireland, is now 

offering NearGuard, an RFID safety alert 

system that alerts handling equipment 

drivers to the location and proximity of 

pedestrians and other equipment. 

“Regrettably, there have been fatalities 

in the UK where the operator was 

unaware that individuals were too close 

to the machines,” said David Cooper, 

managing director of Cooper SH. 

“NearGuard brings a new level of safety 

that could prevent fatalities.” 

The machine is fitted with four sensors, 

one in each corner, which continually 

search for RFID tags. The tags can 

be fitted to compulsory clothing (eg hivis 

garments, hard hats), or placed on 

other mobile equipment. 

Once a tag is located, NearGuard activates 

a radar-like screen that gives drivers 

a clear visual indication of the direction 

and proximity of any RFID tag 

within his range. 

A combination of alarm sounds and 

coloured screens are used to alert the 

driver. Any tags within a range of 7-20m 

will warn operators by audible alarm. If 

a tag encroaches within the “red zone” 

(< 7m) a second audible alarm will sound 

and the proximity colour changes from 

yellow to red. 

“Nearguard can also be tailored to 

sensitive height areas to provide an early 

warning system against potential collisions,” 

continued Cooper. 

NearGuard interfaces with the 

Konecranes fleet management system 

that records all near-misses to be logged 

and available in real-time over the 

internet. Where configured, the machine 

can send a text to supervisory management 

to advise a “near miss.” It can be 

fitted to new machines as well as retrofitted 

to any Konecranes machine that is 

supplied with the MDL on-board computer 

and control system. 

Cooper SH has also supplied a second 

45t Konecranes Eco Drive reach 

stacker to ABP Hams Hall, where it has 

a 3-year maintenance contract (begun in 

August last year). It has a full-time engineer 

on site and also works closely with 

ABP’s engineering facility in Southampton. 

This is the first time that Cooper SH 

has had a fixed maintenance contract that 

includes non-Konecranes/SMV equipment. 

The park includes three Kalmar 

and three Konecranes reach stackers, as 

well as a pre-used Sisu RTG that ABP 

Hams Hall originally acquired for its 

(now discontinued) Kühne & Nagel contract 

(see also p16). 

annual operating hours for handling 

equipment. 

“We opted for a Gottwald MHC because 

we needed high performance, economical 

and universally applicable handling 

equipment,” BCTC’s technical 

manager Khalid Mahdy, is quoted. 

The G HMK 6407 for Qatar Petroleum 

started commercial operations in the 

Port of Al Mesaieed also last December. 

The first G HMK 6406 has been in operation 

there since 2007. Both cranes are 

used for handling bulk and general cargo. 

The cranes at Al Mesaieed have lifting 

capacities of up to 120t and hoisting 

speeds of up to 120 m/min. The cranes 

at Al Mesaieed can lift up to 100t and 

maximum outreach is 51m. 

Gottwald has also reported an order 

from Integra Port Services NV (IPS) for 

another HMK 260 E for its operations 

within the public terminal in the river 

port of Paramaribo, Suriname. 

This “G4’ crane will be the third of 

this type to be delivered to IPS in 

Paramaribo. The company’s first HMK 

260 E (and the first Gottwald crane in 

Suriname) was commissioned last May 

and was quickly followed by an order 

for a pre-used and factory-refurbished 

machine. 

“The first two cranes have been a cru- 

Moves cargo every day 

cial component for the development of 

our port,” said Remy Vyzelman, president 

of IPS. “With combined rates of 

more than 50 berth moves per hour, the 

two cranes have created a very good basis 

to increase productivity and make the 

port a more efficient shipping hub.” 

As was the case with the first HMK 

260 E, the third one will be equipped 

with six axles. Usually, the HMK 260 E 

features a five-axle chassis but can be fitted 

with a sixth axle if the quay has a 

restricted load-bearing capacity or if the 

conditions require. The crane propping 

system will also be adapted to the quay 

specifications. 

A Gottwald G HMK 6406 in the Port of Al 

Mesaieed, where a G HMK 6407 is now 

also in operation 

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news 

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March 2010 ProductAds_A4_RS_ex2.indd 1 2010-03-26 13:42:13 

3


news 

New Noell straddle deals 

The Port of Acajutla in El Salvador, 

part of the country’s 

Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria 

Autónoma (CEPA), will be the 

first container terminal in Central 

America to use the Terex Noell 

hydrostatic straddle carrier model 

NSC 634 H. 

The CEPA operating team 

expects a 25-30% reduction in 

operating costs, due to reduced 

fuel consumption and wear on 

parts, compared to previous 

(Peiner) T-Type (diesel-mechanical) 

units used at the terminal. 

Central American terminals 

have a tradition of using straddle 

carriers for high speed container 

handling. Traditionally, the market 

has been dominated by older technology 

machines with diesel-mechanical 

drives. 

Terex Noell has also reported a 

contract to supply six 1 over 3 diesel-electric 

straddle carriers to 

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA). 

The order was won last December 

by Noell Mobile Systems GmbH, 

but has only just been revealed. 

CPA’s current fleet of straddle 

4 


news 

VOLUME 17 NUMBER 3 • ISSN 1355-0551 

carriers is made up of mechanical 

drive machines of various makes. 

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PUBLISHED BY WCN PUBLISHING 

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Entire contents © WCN Publishing 2010 

Left to right: Rolando Magaña (service engineer, Port of Acajutla), Catalina De 

Murcia (manager, Construmarket), Francisco E Portillo (port manager, Port of 

Acajutla) , Gerardo Guerra (service director, Construmarket), David Polanco 

(operations manager, CEPA), Michael Kuebler (project manager, Noell) and Eric 

Colditz (sales manager, Noell) celebrate the arrival of the new machines 

The decision to opt for the latest 

diesel-electric drive technology is 

part of a port modernisation 

project aimed at better handling 

of the region’s still growing container 

traffic. 

This is the first time that CPA 

has ordered Noell straddle carriers, 

although it does have six 

RTGs supplied by the (then) 

Noell Crane Systems GmbH five 

years ago. 

The machines for CPA and 

CEPA must be be among the first 

Noell straddle carriers to be 

branded Terex Noell, in accordance 

with the new branding strategy 

of Terex Port Equipment, the 

division of Terex Cranes set up to 

manage the former Fantuzzi Noell 

business lines. 

MES makes RTG 

improvements 

Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding 

(MES) has launched a 

new design of its standard rubber-tyred 

Paceco Transtainer. For 

one thing, it is now fitting a variable 

speed controlled engine as 

standard, which it says reduces 

fuel consumption by 30%. 

The standard MES rope reeving 

system has been redesigned to 

incorporate 8-rope reeving in four 

congruent triangles. The eight 

ropes are reeved to a single drum 

with two intermediate winches 

for skew adjustment, allowing fine 

positioning without a shifting device 

on the headblock. 

Using eight ropes achieves 

better control over sway with 

France-based Gaussin has 

launched AMTS (automotive 

multi-trailer system), the motorised 

version of its established 

multi-trailer system. The new 

product is aimed at complementing 

and strengthening the existing 

TT (terminal trailer) and recently-launched 

ATT (automotive 

terminal trailer) range. More 

new patents have been registered. 

Gaussin says that with this lineup 

of three horizontal transport 

solutions, it is aiming to reach a 

20% share of the port IMV market 

by 2014. 

The AMTS completes the 

faster and higher RTGs and, says 

MES, the sway range is ± 50mm 

after three sways. Whereas some 

8-rope systems terminate the 

ropes at the headblock, MES has 

opted to reeve them through 

sheaves back to the hoist drum. 

The sheaves are mounted directly 

on the spreader, meaning no 

headblock is required, saving 2- 

3t in weight. 

The rope path has been designed 

to keep the ropes clear of 

the driver’s line of view. For increased 

fuel savings MES offers 

two options: a hybrid system with 

a supercapacitor or an electrically-powered 

crane. For the latter 

option MES can use a con- 

Gaussin launches 

automotive MTS 

ATT concept with the option of 

linking vehicles in trains. It has a 

capacity of 120t in sets of two, 

which significantly reduces the 

operating costs of port operators: 

45-70% reduction in fuel costs 

and 70% reduction in maintenance 

costs. The availability rate 

is claimed to be close to 100%. 

In total, says Gaussin, 25 major 

functions “never before seen 

on the market” are offered to port 

operators. The vehicle conforms 

to EC regulations and has been 

cetificated by TUV, Bureau Veritas 

and Apave. 

Major benefits touted for 

Best price and design since 1993 

TTS Liftec cassettes for RoRo, terminal and container handling 

The TTS cassette concept is designed to minimize the time, space and costs associated 

with loading and unloading cargo at ports and terminals. 


The new 8-fall reeving system for 

Paceco Transtainers from Mitsu 

ductor bar, on-board cable reel or 

its own patent-pending cable reel 

carrier system where the cable 

reel is mounted on a separate carrier 

that travels next to the crane. 

AMTS include exceptional manoeuvrability, 

to free up more 

space for cranes to unload cargo, 

thus reducing stopover times and 

enabling port operators to lay 

claim to a greater market share. 

Studies of the RoI show that 

annual operating savings in the 

order of US$120,000 can be expected 

at a port such as Jebel Ali 

with the acquisition of just one 

AMTS vehicle. 

As reported in last month‘s 

issue of WorldCargo News (p3), 

production of the TT, ATT and 

AMTS range has been licenced 

to Electronic Power Systems Inc 

and the license is now being implemented 

at EPD in Singapore, 

where 15 vehicles are currently 

in production. These vehicles will 

be reserved for demonstrations 

scheduled in Europe, the Middle 

East and Asia. 

Contact TTS Liftec for more information: +358 3 3140 1400 or email sales@tts-liftec.fi www.ttsgroup.com 

We make it look easy 

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Sao Paulo · Phone +55 11 5542 7446INTERMODAL 

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April 6 th to 8 th 

March 2010


news 

NY/NJ port to launch 

clean truck programme 

The Port Authority of New York/New 

Jersey (NY/NJ) has announced a programme 

to replace up to 636 of the oldest, 

most polluting trucks coming through 

its gates with newer models that generate 

less pollution. 

Modelled on the established San Pedro 

Bay ports’ CTPs, the US$28M programme 

provides grants and financial assistance 

to encourage the owners of pre- 

1994 drayage trucks that regularly serve 

the port to purchase new vehicles. 

The ban on pre-1994 trucks takes ef- 

6 

SEW-EURODRIVE—Driving the world 

fect on January 1, 2011. Trucks not 

equipped with engines that meet or exceed 

2007 Federal emissions standards will 

be banned on January 1, 2017. 

Truck drivers will be eligible for a 25% 

grant toward the total purchase price of a 

replacement truck averaging US$20,000- 

60,000, which must be model year 2004- 

2008, equipped with an engine model 

year 2004-2007 and low interest financing 

of 5.25% over five years for up to 75% 

of the total purchase price of a replacement 

truck. 

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) says its 

R5.6B, five-year investment plan, aimed 

at increasing the capacity of the Cape 

Town Container Terminal, is progressing 

according to schedule. 

Under a reconfiguration programme, 

the container stacking yard is being converted 

from a straddle carrier to a rubber 

tyred gantry (RTG) operation. Over the 

past six months, 16 Kalmar RTGs from 

Cargotec have been phased into operation 

and a further 16 are earmarked to 

arrive in the second half of this year. 

“These converted RTG blocks boast 

a stacking capacity of 6,900 TEU, representing 

an increase in stacking capacity 

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To offer the perfect gear unit 

you have to build the plant first. 

of up to 40%. This will assist in increasing 

the annual capacity of the terminal from 

740,000 TEU to 1.4M TEU by our end 

target of 2012,” said Cape Town Terminal 

executive Moshe Motlohi. 

Additional buffer storage of 1200 TEU 

is currently being provided in the old 

South African Container Depots yard, 

located adjacent to the container terminal, 

to enable further reconfiguration 

work to commence this month without 

unnecessary disruptions to operations. 

Towards the end of 2009, the terminal 

received the second and third batches 

of terminal tractors ordered from MAFI, 

bringing the total number received to date 

PORT NEWS 

Cape Town upgrade on schedule... 

Seeing the big picture: 

April 19–25, 2010 · Hall A4, stand 105 

The container stacking yard at Cape Town is 

being converted from a straddle carrier to RTG 

operation, with 16 Kalmar RTGs now in place 

to 47, together with 60 cornerless bathtub 

trailers manufactured by Pretoriabased 

Afrit. 

In parallel with the upgrade programme, 

TPT is running an intensive 

operator training programme at the Cape 

Town terminal. To date 69 crane drivers 

have been trained and signed off as competent 

- 43 on the new Liebherr twin lift 

ship-to-shore cranes and 26 on the 

Kalmar RTGs. 

...more delay 

for Durban 

Congestion has again been reported at 

Durban Container Terminal in South Africa. 

Haulage drivers were forced to wait 

for many hours on several days in mid- 

February, apparently because of storms in 

KwaZulu-Natal Province and as a result 

of what the terminal later attributed to 

problems with the Cosmos TOS. 

Some sources estimated the queues at 

up to 5 km in length and 12 hours in 

time. The South African Association of 

Freight Forwarders has protested to TPT 

about the delays. 

TPT is keen to point out that some 

efficiency improvements have been made 

at the terminal, arguing that the number 

of average moves per crane hour at the 

facility improved by “up to” 26% last year. 

Automated gates have been installed at 

the new Pier 1 container terminal, while 

the PierPASS system has been introduced 

to allow 24 hour access. 

The acting CEO of TPT, Tau Morwe, 

concedes that there have been considerable 

capacity problems at his company’s 

container terminals even during the economic 

downturn of 2009. Now that 

South Africa is out of recession, registering 

annualised economic growth of 3.2% 

in 4Q/09, such constraints may become 

even more apparent. 

The completion of Pier 1, the expansion 

of the harbour entrance and investment 

in new cargo handling equipment 

have all been trumpeted by TPT. However, 

the company seems to be relying on 

the construction of Ngqura container terminal 

and the expansion of Cape Town 

to prevent more serious long term congestion 

at the port over the next few years. 

This strategy will reduce Durban’s overall 

importance to the South African port 

sector, unless any of the expansion options 

under consideration at the KwaZulu-Natal 

port are taken up. Durban currently 

handles about 65% of all containers passing 

through the country’s ports. 

● Jeremy Cronin, South Africa’s Deputy 

Transport Minister, says that growing levels 

of road haulage are eroding the country’s 

road network. He has demanded urgent 

action to transfer more freight onto 

rail and said that the Departments of Transport 

and Public Enterprises would cooperate 

to solve the problem. 

Rather than increasing road tolls, the 

Department of Transport argues that the 

only solution is for Transnet to offer improved 

service levels, although in a recent 

report the Department described the 

current rail freight system as “fraught with 

serious performance challenges,” because 

of underinvestment over many years. 

March 2010

PORT NEWS 

Steinwerder prizes awarded 

The market consultation process for the 

Port of Hamburg’s Central Terminal 

Steinwerder (CTS) project generated interest 

from 35 companies worldwide. In 

the end, 12 concepts on how to develop 

the 125 hectare area were taken forward 

and the winners were selected by an independent 

jury at the start of this month. 

The top prize (€50,000) went to 

Royal Haskoning Group, which suggested 

a CO 2 -neutral terminal embedded in a 

peninsula designed as an event attraction. 

Second prize (€30,000) went to ECT 

Delta Terminals (a fully-automated container 

terminal). Hamburg’s Buss Group 

(multi-purpose terminal) and Transcare 

AG of Wiesbaden (truck-free terminal) 

shared the third prize (€10,000). 

A special prize was awarded jointly 

to ProLogis Germany Management 

GmbH (Hanover) and construction firm 

Strabag for their concept of a truck- 

CDP boosts 

Melbourne... 

The Port of Melbourne’s recently complete 

Channel Deepening project (CDP) 

has paid quick dividends, with the newly 

declared 14m draught helping the port’s 

January throughput figures back to near 

pre-global financial crisis levels. 

Port of Melbourne Corporation 

(PoMC) has seen a steady increase in the 

number of vessels utilising the increased 

depth, which became available last November, 

exceeding early estimates. 

In the three months to February 25, 

at least one vessel every second day utilised 

the increased depth. During this 

period, the port hosted 403 movements 

by vessels with a registered summer 

draught greater than the previous all-tides 

draught of 11.6m. Of these, 51 vessels had 

an operating draught greater than 11.6m 

and hence utilised the additional available 

depth. 

For the same period last year, 13 vessels 

entered the port with a draught 

greater than 11.6m, all of which required 

tidal assistance - a constraint that has been 

remedied with the dredging project’s 

completion. 

Total trade through Melbourne increased 

9.5% in January compared with 

the corresponding month in 2009, continuing 

a progressive improvement in 

trade which has been evident since August 

2009. Almost all cargo types contributed 

to the January 2010 result, with containers 

leading the way. 

Total container trade jumped 12.2% 

to almost 174,000 TEU, meaning an average 

additional 600 containers a day over 

January 2009. Melbourne (and Brisbane) 

box trade saw sharper downturns than 

Sydney, whose figures have retained some 

strength throughout (see below). 

...volumes up 

at Botany 

Buoyed by increased exports and imports, 

Port Botany’s container volumes reached 

over 159,000 TEU in January 2010, an 

increase of 10.7% on January 2009. 

Sydney Ports Corporation (SPC) said 

this was the fourth consecutive monthly 

record and built on the strong figures for 

the first seven months of the 2009/10 financial 

year. Trade performance for the 

year to date amounts to 1.153M TEU, up 

2.1% on the same period last year. 

Full containerised exports grew by 

4.8% in January 2010 compared with January 

2009, demonstrating that the Australian 

economy escaped relatively unscathed 

from the global financial crisis, SPC said. 

Full imports for January 2010 were 

78,831 TEU, up 7.8% on the same period 

last year, and benefitted particularly 

from Australia’s reduction in textile tariffs 

on 1 January. Total full container imports 

for the financial year to date reached 

574,800 TEU, up 2.1% on the corresponding 

period last year. 

accessible, 4-storey logistics complex. 

Royal Haskoning’s plan sets aside 25 

hectares for green and water recreation 

areas, with access for people working at 

CTS and visitors via water taxis. All energy 

would be produced on site by windand 

solar power. A 20m high water wall 

would serve as a sound barrier between 

the new parkland and the on-dock IY at 

the back of the CTS peninsula. 

The facility would be dedicated to 

containers (3.5M TEU/year capacity), 

with an automated CY and a shuttle carrier 

interface. The peninsula is surrounded 

by water on three sides with freight rail 

access on the fourth and a service road 

E20001-F280-P620-X-7600 

for private cars and service vehicles only. 

Onward distribution is thus confined to 

feeder ships/inland barges and rail. 

A decision as to how CTS will finally 

be built should be made this autumn, but 

the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and 

the City are struggling with the apparent 

illogicality of developing CTS when 

HHLA is closing down TCT Tollerort. 

On top of that, HPA has tried to move 

away from the idea of devoting CTS to 

containers, but that is what the top prize 

is all about. 

Artist’s impression of the winning entry 

submitted by Royal Haskoning 

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you still have the flexibility to customize the solution to meet your requirements. www.siemens.com/cranes 

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March 2010 7


news 

Yilport opts for APS 

Turkish container terminal operator 

Yilport has opted to add 

crane and yard automation solutions 

from US-based APS Technology, 

following the success of 

the Automated Gate System 

(AGS) package, which was installed 

at the terminal last year (see 

WorldCargo News May 2009, p25). 

AGS has increased productivity 

and turnaround time at the 

Gebze (near Istanbul) facility. 

Yilport has limited yard access, 

which creates challenges in 

achieving optimum volume lev- 

8 

els. With automation, it plans to 

achieve a 20 minute truck turnaround 

time and an average of 30 

moves per crane per hour. 

“Our goal is to provide a valuable 

service in the growing international 

shipping market, and 

to increase our efficiency and 

productivity by applying state-ofthe-art 

technology,” said Robert 

Yuksel Yildirim, President and 

CEO of Yilport. 

“Our space is limited, so we 

need automation to increase productivity 

and accuracy. We are the 

Experience 

the 

first terminal in Turkey with automated 

gate and crane OCR, 

which will benefit our customers 

with faster turnaround times, 

increased capacity and more accurate 

service.” 

APS is installing the solutions 

on each of Yilport’s four Mistsui- 

Paceco Portainers and 18 

Transtainers, to automate the 

process of identifying containers 

and their dynamic weights, as well 

as connecting the data with IMVs 

during loading and discharge operations. 

Integration of all system data 

is linked to Zebra Enterprises 

SPARCS N4 TOS. Yilport is un- 

www.ceia.net 

CEIA Difference 

CEIA RDM 

Anticollision Telemeter 

Distance measurement unaffected 

by environmental factors 

Fail-safe operation 

Digital setting of the distance 

in metres 

Easy to install 

No preventive maintenance 

QUALITY 

MEANS 

SAFETY 

Tel. +39 0575 4181 Fax +39 0575 418296 

E-mail qa-detectors@ceia-spa.com 

CEIA-RDM_Ad_003-uk.indd 1 05/09/2007 11.34.52 

APS systems will be installed on four Portaimers and 18 Transtainers at Yilport 

derstood to be the first container 

terminal in the world to integrate 

APS Gate, Crane OCR and 

MatchMaker RTG to the Zebra 

SPARCS solution. 

● Zebra Enterprise Solutions 

After 100 years, China has secured 

direct access to the Sea of Japan 

by leasing a berth at North Korea’s 

Rajin port for 10 years 

through a private company. 

Li Longxi, head of Yanbian 

Korean Autonomous Prefecture in 

China’s north eastern Jilin Province, 

said Dalian-based Chuangli 

Group has leased Berth 1 at Rajin 

and is building a 40,000 m 2 warehouse. 

Rajin port, which does not 

freeze over in winter, has an annual 

handling capacity of 4 mt 

across three terminals spread over 

380,000 m2. 

China lost access to the Sea of 

Japan in the 19th century during 

the Qing Dynasty, when it was 

forced to sign a series of treaties 

following skirmishes with Russia 

and Japan, which landlocked its 

Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. 

Jilin’s border is only 15 km 

from the mouth of the Tumen 

River, but access to the Sea of Japan 

is blocked by Russian and 

North Korean landmass. 

“Under an agreement with 

Russia, Chinese ships have the 

right to enter the Sea of Japan 

through the Tumen River, but a 

railway bridge between Russia and 

North Korea blocked that route,” 

said Lü Chao, a researcher at China’s 

Liaoning Academy of Social 

Sciences. 

(ZES) has now officially launched 

its new TOS designed for smaller 

terminals handling up to 120,000 

TEU/year (see WorldCargo News 

December 2009, p2). The new 

TOS is called Navis Argo. 

China to access Sea 

of Japan via N Korea 

Yang Bojiang, an expert on 

north east Asia at the China Institute 

of Contemporary International 

Relations, said lack of access 

to the sea has restricted the 

development of China’s resourcerich 

Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang 

provinces. 

Currently, freight from 

Hunchun city in Yanbian is transported 

to Dandong or Dalian 

ports for shipment to Japan, which 

takes three/four days. 

But if it goes via Rajin, which 

is 48 km from Hunchun, it will 

take less than a day to reach Japan’s 

Niigata port, according to 

Xia Kejun, a trader in Hunchun. 

In related news, construction 

of a new bridge linking Dandong 

and Sinuiju in North Korea across 

the Yalu River is expected to begin 

in October. 

About 70% of cargo moved 

between China and North Korea 

passes through Dandong, but the 

bridge, built in 1937, is dilapidated. 

USED 

GOTTWALD 

HMK 260E 

Mobile Harbour Crane 

FOR SALE 

PORT NEWS 

Autostore 

for DB Port 

Szczecin 

Deutsche Bahn (DB) Port 

Szczecin has selected Autostore, 

the intermodal software solution 

from Central Systems & Automation 

Ltd (CSA), as its new Terminal 

Operating System (TOS). The 

implementation will see CSA deploy 

the Autostore Container Terminal 

Management System 

(CTMS), Autostore Warehouse 

Management System (WMS) and 

Autostore Resource Management 

System (RMS). 

Autostore has already proved 

popular with other port operators 

in the Baltic, as well as elsewhere 

in continental Europe and in the 

UK and, says CSA, is internationally 

proven to raise cargo throughput, 

decrease costs and increase 

profitability. 

Mark Nauwelaers, CEO and 

managing director of DB Port 

Szczecin, said, “Autostore is a strategic 

business investment for us. 

It will give us the real-time operational 

control and flexible 

cargo management capability we 

need to help expand Szczecin’s 

position as the commercial gateway 

to the Baltic. 

“The right software infrastructure 

is critically important for simplifying, 

optimising, integrating 

and tuning port operations for 

today’s tough market demands. 

With real-time oversight and digital 

control of every aspect of our 

container, storage and resourcing 

operations, we’re using technology 

to help drive productivity and 

profitability while enabling us to 

capitalise on the emerging opportunities 

within post-recession Europe,” 

he said. 

“Enterprise intermodal and 

supply chain systems must work 

from day one, delivering against 

the specification and being able to 

handle the unexpected too. 

Autostore has a significant European 

community of users who 

have exactly that level of confidence,” 

said Andrew McKaig, 

commercial director of CSA. 

The software is web-enabled 

for fast, secure customer communication...and 

will create operational 

efficiencies right across the 

port estate and play a key role in 

DB Port Szczecin’s business development 

plans,” he said. 

YEAR: 1995 

LIFTING CAPACITY: 80 ton 

RUNNING HOURS: Approx 18.600 

EQUIPMENT: Rotator hook and aut. cont. spreader 

CONDITION: In good working condition 

Contact: Ove Blomqvist Steen Lauge Jensen 

+46 70 625 76 94 +45 20 33 17 77 

E-mail: ob@akerbergs.dk E-mail: slj@akerbergs.dk 

March 2010

PORT NEWS 

TIGER roars for mobile cranes 

The recently-announced Transport Investment 

Generating Economic Recovery 

(TIGER) grants from the US Department 

of Transportation will provide 

funds for four ports to purchase five mobile 

harbour cranes. 

The Port of Portland (Or) will use 

funds from the US$14M it received to 

purchase one crane, while three others 

will be funded under one US$30M grant 

to establish a container barge service between 

the ports of Oakland, Stockton and 

West Sacramento. 

Stockton will get US$18.6M towards 

purchasing two cranes, expanding its container 

yard and adding 3200ft of rail line. 

Deputy port director Mark Tollini said 

the port intends to purchase cranes with 

lifting capacities between 100 and 140t. 

“We will also be doing some paving to 

create a rail-served container yard and do 

some demolition to create space for the 

project,” he said. The port hopes to acquire 

the cranes within a year. 

Depending on how quickly funding 

comes through. West Sacramento will get 

US$9.5M towards one crane, a barge and 

a covered facility for container loading. 

Also successful in the TIGER process 

was Quonset Development Corporation 

HPH awarded 

Fos 4XL deal 

The Port Authority of Marseilles-Fos 

(GPM de Marseille-Fos) has approved the 

grant of a right to Hutchison Port Holdings 

(HPH) to develop the future Fos 4XL 

container terminal. 

This decision confirms the conclusion 

of the process launched in February 2008, 

when [the then] port autonome issued a 

tender call for the development of the 

new Fos 4XL container terminal. 

The Hong Kong-based company 

showed an interest in Fos 4XL. The “twin 

hub” concept introduced by HPH convinced 

the French port executive management. 

As such, Fos 4XL will be linked 

to its “sister terminal” in Rotterdam by a 

comprehensive multimodal network. 

“This green and state-of-the-art terminal 

will support an ambitious strategy 

of Euro-Mediterranean consolidation,” 

said GPM de MaFos officials. 

Featuring a 1200m quay length and 75 

hectares of yard, the €600M investment will 

bring a mimimum additional capacity of 

1M TEU/year to Marseille-Fos. 

Details of the operating concession 

will be discussed in the coming months. 

Construction and operation of the terminal 

will be aligned with market demand 

and it is not expected that it will start 

commercial operations before 2017-2018. 

IDFC invests 

in Karaikal 

IDFC Project Equity-managed India Infrastructure 

Fund is investing Rs1.5B 

(US$33M) in Karaikal Port on India’s east 

coast, which is being developed as a bulk 

handling facility connected to the sea by 

an access channel protected by short 

breakwaters. 

Handling capacity at the recently 

completed Phase I, which is rail and roadconnected, 

is 6 mtpa. Plans are to increase 

this to 20 mt over the next two years as 

traffic builds up. 

“Port investments in India are fundamentally 

attractive because the trade volumes 

will pick up. Karaikal will see a lot 

of throughput,” said M K Sinha, president 

of IDFC Project Equity. 

India’s Planning Commission has estimated 

that the port sector, which has 

been steadily attracting investor interest, 

will require around US$20B in investment 

over the next five years. 

3i Group,has invested around 

US$161M in Krishnapatnam Port and 

US$50M in Mundra Port and Special 

Economic Zone. 

(QDC), Rhode Island, which received 

US$22M to improve and develop facilities 

for handling wind turbines and containers 

at the Port of Davisville. 

Funding will go towards strengthening 

the pier and purchasing one mobile 

harbour crane, likely to be a larger unit as 

the QDC’s application indicated it needed 

up to 200t lifting capacity. In the late 

1990s the State of Rhode Island unsuccessfully 

campaigned to develop a 3.4M 

TEU container terminal at Davisville, 

which would have required huge investment 

to dredge channels from 29ft to 51ft. 

That project never got Federal support 

but the flipside of the coin is that 

Davisville maintained its unique exemption 

from the Harbor Maintenance Tax 

(HMT). This has helped it grow to one 

of the top 10 auto handling points in the 

US, with vehicle handler NORAD 

putting through over 200,000 units last 

year and saving around US$40 per unit 

through the HMT exemption. 

The port is now targeting coastal shipping 

and US flag barge operator Colombia 

Coastal has indicated it will support 

Davisville with a regular weekly call from 

its New York-Boston service. 

One interesting point is that Terex 

Corp, which now owns Reggiane, qualifies 

as a US bidder on defence contracts. 

It could also be strongly-placed, therefore, 

on stimulus funding projects for 

mobile harbour cranes. 

Aside from the TIGER grants process, 

Port Manatee in Florida has approved 

the purchase of a second mobile harbour 

crane, to be funded 50:50 by the Florida 

Department of Transportation and Montreal-based 

stevedore Logistec. 

The port has yet to go to tender but a 

spokeswoman said its intention is to purchase 

a crane that has equal or greater 

lifting capacity than the port’s first crane, 

which is a Gottwald HMK 6407. The second 

crane will handle a variety of cargoes 

including containers, heavy lift, 

project and breakbulk. 

Gottwald HMK 6407 at Port Manatee, which 

will shortly buy a second mobile harbour crane 


news 

TRAILER DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS 

ROLLTRAILERS 

GOOSENECKS 

DRAWBAR TRAILERS 

CHASSIS 

LIFT TRAILERS 

SEACOM AG 

Berbiceweg 5 

CH - 8212 Neuhausen 

Switzerland 

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Fax: +41 (0) 52 632 04 09 

www.seacom-marine.ch 

March 2010 9

• 

• 

• 

PORT NEWS 

Rotterdam deepwater site available 

A minimum 45-hectare terminal 

site of the highest calibre has 

come on the market in the Port 

of Rotterdam. The area, at the 

western-most tip of the 

Europoort area, is closer to the 

sea than any other existing or future 

Rotterdam terminal and has 

the deepest water. 

It has become available because 

the planned LNG terminal 

has fallen through. 4Gas has returned 

the 50-year concession, 

for 25 hectares of land plus a 20hectare 

safe port basin, after failing 

to secure sufficient customer 

backing for its planned Liongas 

terminal. No works have yet been 

started yet, so the “square” estate 

is intact. 

Rotterdam port authority has 

initiated a new study, which it 

plans to complete before this 

summer into the site’s future development. 

The port says the site 

has already attracted “widespread 

interest” once it was known that 

the LNG project had fallen 

DP World expects to open the first 

phase of its US$650M International 

Container Transhipment 

Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam 

Island, near Kochi on India’s west 

coast, by June and to complete the 

second phase of the project by the 

end of this year. 

“When the ICTT is up and 

running, containerised trade from 

southern India will no longer 

need to use transhipment ports 

like Colombo and Singapore. This 

will bring down costs and time for 

shipping lines as well as Indian 

exporters and importers,” a senior 

DPW official said. 

Aerial photo of the site looking west. The lighter rectangular patch is deposited 

sand. (Photo: Aeroview) 

through. No preferences have 

been stated by the port, but containers 

are unlikely to get much 

support. 

The site is somewhat isolated 

from the massive container complexes 

on the Maasvlakte, while 

container terminals are already 

planned at the second Maasvlakte 

(M2), currently being reclaimed 

The terminal is a public-private 

partnership (PPP) project being 

developed by DP World in 

association with the Kochi Port 

Trust (KPT), which has invested 

over U$330M to dredge the 

channel and build road and rail 

links to the island. 

Phase I, with two berths totalling 

600m, will have a handling 

capacity of 1M TEU/year, while 

Phase II will add a 300m berth, 

raising capacity to 1.5M TEU. On 

full build-out, the terminal will be 

able to handle 3M TEU/year 

across six berths. 

According to a report by con- 

from the sea. Furthermore, berth 

space and acreage are sub-optimal 

for containers. 

Bulk transhipment or industry 

would be more likely, taking 

into account the fact that the port 

authority had already re-earmarked 

future M2 space back 

from containers to petrochemical 

or tank storage use, in response 

sultants Frost & Sullivan, container 

traffic at India’s ports totalled more 

than 9M TEU last year and is expected 

to reach 21M TEU by 

2014. One of the main advantages 

of the Vallarpadam ICTT is a 

growing hinterland, as south India’s 

container market is close to 

2M TEU/year. 

The absence of a hub port in 

southern India has resulted in a 

significant number of containers 

being moved from Indian ports by 

feeder vessels to regional hub 

ports. “This results in a 40-50 hour 

delay, as containers are transhipped 

through ports such as Colombo, 

to increased demand from these 

sectors. 

The shortage of large deep 

water lots has been such that the 

port has already reclaimed a 48ha 

estate from the Mississippi 

dock - the Hartelhaven opposite 

the EMO dry bulk terminal. The 

Europoort site advances the opportunity 

to accommodate a 

chemical plant or tank farm at 

least four years ahead of what is 

possible at M2. 

Rotterdam is known to covet 

Antwerp’s leading position as a 

chemicals port, but if someone 

comes up with another LNG terminal 

or a biomass plant, the port 

will listen. 

The site, which can be extended 

to 50 hectares, is immediately 

west of Thyssen-Krupp’s 

EECV ore and coal terminal, 

where the world’s biggest bulkers 

are regular callers. The water on 

either side has a tide-independent 

depth of 24m (Beer Canal, 

Caland Canal). 

DPW set to open Vallarpadam terminal 

quality on time 

NOVATECH 

Singapore, Dubai and Salalah,” the 

Frost & Sullivan report said. 

“The commissioning of the 

ICTT will allow shippers in south 

India to take advantage of direct 

calls by main lines and reduce their 

logistics costs and time,” the report 

said. 

“It will also generate opportunities 

for coastal feeder movement 

of containers as Vallarpadam 

will be an alternative transhipment 

hub for Indian cargo. Some 

of the eastbound feeder services 

from eastern India to Singapore 

could also be diverted to 

Vallarpadam.” 

India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port 

Trust (JNPT) has received eight 

requests for qualification (RFQs) 

for the development and operation 

of a standalone container 

berth at Jawaharlal Nehru port. 

According to a JNP spokesman, 

the groups that lodged 

RFQs before the deadline ended 

on 26 February were: DP World 

Pvt Ltd; L&T Transco Pvt Ltd; 

Grup Maritim TCB with 

Eredene Capital Plc; Mundra 

Port & SEZ Ltd; Sterlite Industries 

Ltd with Leighton Contractors 

(India) Pvt. Ltd; ABG 

Infralogistics Ltd with IL&FS 

Maritime Infrastructure Co. Ltd; 

Vadinar Oil Terminal Ltd with 

Essar Ports and Terminals Ltd; 

and SEW Infrastructure Ltd. 

On offer is an 18 year concession 

to build and operate a 

330m container berth with an 

annual capacity of 800,000 TEU. 

This is the second time that 


news 

Eight bidding for 

JNP box berth 

API Tuxpan, the administrator of 

the port of Tuxpan in Mexico’s 

Veracruz state, has suspended tenders 

for a 20-year concession to run 

a Peso2.5B (US$195M) container 

terminal with an annual capacity 

of 90,000 TEU. 

The bidding closure date was 

originally extended from 22 January 

to 19 February. José Timoteo 

García, the port authority’s commercial 

manager, did not disclose 

why the tender was suspended, 

saying only that the delay was 

“temporary.” 

However, it is understood that 

JNPT has invited expressions of 

interest in developing the new 

berth. In June 2008, two bidders 

- DP World, which operates the 

Nhava Sheva International Container 

Terminal (NSICT) at JNP, 

and Vadinar Oil Terminal/Essar 

Ports - were shortlisted for the 

project, but the process was delayed 

when Mundra Port & SEZ 

and ABG Infralogistics, who had 

been excluded from the bidding, 

took court action to challenge 

the decision. The initial tender 

was eventually scrapped in November 

last year (see WorldCargo 

News December 2009, p9). 

The new berth is needed to 

boost capacity and ease congestion 

at JNP, which handles almost 

50% of India’s annual container 

traffic of 7.85M TEU. In 

2008-9, the port’s three existing 

container terminals handled 

3.952M TEU against a theoretical 

capacity of 3.6M TEU. 

Tuxpan tender delay 

Novatech is more than standard – We are your Flexible Partner! 

of one of the eight bidders for the 

project, Transportacíon Carretera, 

has alleged unfair competition by 

another bidder, Riberas de 

Pantepec. The latter company, 

which belongs to SSA México and 

Grupo Braniff, operates storage facilities 

in the port, which are adjacent 

to the proposed 5.2 hectare 

container terminal and were not included 

in the tender package. 

A previous tender for the terminal 

was launched and cancelled 

in March 2008 after several bidders 

complained about unfair 

competition. 

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March 2010 11


news 

Ghent goes post-Panamax 

The Port of Ghent now officially offers 

access to post-Panamax bulk carriers up 

to an overall width of 37m. The breakthrough 

follows the heralded arrival of 

the 92,567 dwt bulk carrier EPTALOFOS, 

which successfully negotiated the locks 

at Terneuzen on Friday, March 5. Maximum 

intake of a Panamax bulker is 

around 73,000t. 

The Greek-owned ship, carrying iron 

ore from Itaquí, Brazil, was the third post- 

Panamax lock passage and the conclusive 

one, following two trial passages in November 

2008 and March 2009. It was 

closely scrutinised by Dutch and Belgian 

maritime authorities, which immediately 

12 

We drive industry. 

awarded Gent 37m width clearance. 

Tantalisingly, there is still a 1m clearance 

(0.5m port and starboard) between 

the hull and the lock fenders, and they 

can be lifted out of the 260m x 40m lock. 

However, Ghent is not prepared to reflect, 

at least not yet, on the possible use 

of this margin. 

The 229.5m long EPTALOFOS is the biggest 

ship ever to pass the locks and to enter 

Ghent (three hours later). It had first been 

lightered in the Terneuzen roads to reduce 

its draught to 12.5m. This is the restriction 

for the tide-free canal between 

the Dutch seaport of Terneuzen and 

Ghent, Belgium’s third biggest port that 

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handled 21 mt of marine cargo in 2009. 

Ghent’s longstanding demand to “extend 

the envelope” is fuelled by the local 

ArcelorMittal steel works, which is wary 

of an increasing ocean freight rate handicap 

as Panamax ore carriers are gradually 

being replaced by bigger ships. The port 

will continue to lobby for a second and 

bigger lock at Terneuzen to accommodate 

Capesize bulk carriers of about 

140,000 dwt. Even after lightering by 

floating grab cranes in the Terneuzen 

roads, such ships would still carry about 

110,000t of ore to Ghent observing the 

12.5m draught. 

Ideally, Ghent wants the canal to be 

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PORT NEWS 

The 37m wide EPTALFOS successfully negotiated 

the Terneuzen locks early this month 

deepened to accommodate these ships 

with a maximum 14.5m draught, but this 

has massive cost and safety implications 

(road tunnels, etc). 

PNG tackles 

blockages 

Efforts by Papua New Guinea Ports Corporation 

(PNGPC) to deal with increasing 

container congestion at the country’s 

ports have caused shipping lines to introduce 

new equipment handling charges. 

Carriers are no longer permitted to 

receive and store empties on wharves and 

containers can now only be delivered to 

the port to meet a ship during a defined 

window. All containers being returned to 

shipping companies must now be delivered 

to a third party off-wharf depot. 

In a customer notice, Swire Shipping 

observes that this is common practice in 

other countries “and will benefit the management 

of cargo through ports,” especially 

the main centres of Port Moresby 

and Lae. However, the change has forced 

carriers to secure off-dock container facilities 

to receive, store and handle containers 

prior to repatriation from PNG. 

“Previously, shipping companies were 

not charged by PNGPC and therefore 

there was no recovery by the shipping 

companies in pricing models,” Swire said. 

“The cost of off-dock facilities in PNG 

at this time is expensive as suitable rental 

properties are scarce and prices are at an 

all time high. This means the shipping 

companies needed to commit a significant 

investment to provide these facilities 

and do so at short notice.” 

Swire advises that costs will be recovered 

by surcharges on all import containers, 

of PGK350/TEU and PGK560/FEU, 

which became effective in early March. 

“Green” loco 

for Montreal 

Montreal Port Authority has signed an 

agreement with R J Corman Railpower 

to purchase a multiple-generator genset 

locomotive for intermodal switch operations. 

The C$1.6M deal, helped by a federal 

grant under Transport Canada’s 

ecoFREIGHT programme, includes an 

option for four more Railpower locomotives, 

each rated at 2000 hp. 

The Railpower technology reduces 

diesel consumption by means of a powerregulating 

device that can start up one, two 

or all three generators, depending on the 

size of the task at hand. Furthermore, when 

the locomotive remains stationary for more 

than 5 minutes, the onboard computer puts 

it into standby mode, shutting off all the 

generators so that no emissions are produced. 

The system is claimed to reduce fuel 

consumption by 30% and cut greenhouse 

gas emissions by more than 50%. 

As previously reported (see WorldCargo 

News May 2009, p3), Quebec-based 

Railpower, its US subsidiary, Railpower 

Hybrid Technologies and all references 

and intellectual property rights, including 

the EcoCrane hybrid RTG drives, 

were acquired last year by Kentucky, USbased 

R J Corman Railroad Group. 

March 2010

PORT NEWS 

Losses grow 

at Gwadar 

The failure of Pakistan’s Navy to hand 

over land to Gwadar port operator PSA 

International to build warehousing facilities 

is turning the port into a white elephant, 

with both the government and 

PSA incurring heavy losses. 

Under the concession agreement 

signed in 2007, PSA set up two companies 

to undertake port operations and marine 

activities and a third to build warehouses 

and develop a duty-free industrial zone. 

Despite the best efforts of the Ministry 

of Ports and Shipping, however, the Navy 

has failed to hand over the land to Gwadar 

Port Authority (GPA) and as no warehousing 

facility has been built by the Free Zone 

Co, the port’s usage is restricted to bulk 

cargo, such as fertiliser and wheat. Currently 

no containers are being handled. 

With no rail connection and an incomplete 

Gwadar-Ratodero road, 

Karachi is the only port that connects 

Gwadar with the rest of the country. Only 

400 km of the 950 km of that road has 

been surfaced. 

PSA has invested US$31.5M in 

Gwadar to date, but has earned only 

Rs260M (US$3M), of which 9% was 

passed on to GPA. PSA’s Gwadar operational 

account shows an expenditure of 

Rs590M, more than double the revenue 

earned. 

Steel giant 

wants to buy 

Sevastopol 

ArcelorMittal, which has run Ukraine’s 

largest full-cycle iron and steel works in 

the city of Kryviy Righ since 2005, is reportedly 

interested in acquiring one of 

the country’s deepwater ports. 

The steel giant is prepared to pay 

US$4B for one of the Crimean harbours 

“if permitted by the Ukrainian government, 

ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih 

(AMKR)’s board member and chief of 

public affairs Frank Pannier is quoted. 

Last year AMKR shipped into the 

domestic market less than 20% of its total 

production. As there are no clear signs of 

the Ukrainian economy recovering, while 

world steel prices are gradually recovering, 

the company plans to export most of 

this year’s planned output of 5.5 mt. 

AMKR is said to be interested in the 

ports of Kerch, Yalta and Feodosia, but 

most of all in Sevastopol, the country’s 

only harbour capable of accommodating 

≥100,000 dwt ships. 

However, Sevastopol has historically 

been and will remain, at least until 2017, 

a home port of the Russian Navy. Commercial 

development was absolutely impossible 

during the Soviet era and remains 

heavily restricted by the presence of the 

naval base. 

The Ukraine receives US$98M/year 

in rents from Russia, but, it is widely believed, 

could earn much more from commercial 

tenants, given the harbour’s natural 

advantages. 

For example, Metinvest, a coal and 

steel arm of the business empire of 

Ukraine’s richest man Rinat Akhmetov, 

already operates metal and grain export 

terminals at Sevastopol’s Avlita Bay, would 

like to build a 2-4 mtpa coking coal import 

terminal by 2011. 

To enable the coal terminal to be able 

to receive colliers up to 140,000 dwt, it 

plans to extend the berth No.20 by 150m 

and deepen the approach canal. This 

project is estimated at around US$175M, 

of which US$30M are earmarked for 

environmental protection, although this 

proposed mitigation is unlikely to assuage 

environmental interests. 

The port is also seen by Russian metal 

traders and forwarders as the best location 

for handling Russian and Kazakh 

transit cargoes. In addition, the Sevastopol 

city authorities want to turn the port into 

a free port, to stimulate the city’s and harbour’s 

economic development. 

TRI opts for Liebherr 

Leading Italian coal handler TRI, part of 

Euroports, has opted for a rail portalmounted 

slewing grab crane from 

Liebherr to boost handling at its Ponte 

San Giorgio deep water berth in Genoa. 

The crane will be built at and shipped 

by sea from Liebherr’s plant in Rostock, 

Germany, together with a trailing hopper 

with the latest dust suppression and 

dust control systems. The all-in price is 

understood to be around €5M. 

This will be the first such crane at TRI 

Genova, which to date has been equipped 

with gantry grab unloaders feeding the 

stockyard under the backreach or loading 

direct to rail wagons between the legs. 

Bromma GreenLine spreaders offer terminals shipto-shore 

and yard solutions that are lighter, more 

energy-efficient, simpler to operate, and more reliable. 

GreenLine all-electric spreaders reduce power consumption 

in two ways. Reduced spreader weight lowers 

STS crane power consumption by an estimated 

$4,000 USD/year per crane. 

The 4-rope grabbing crane will have 

an overall height of 80m and a maximum 

hook load of 100t and be supplied with a 

35 m 3 coal grab. The hopper, measuring 

13m x 13m and 17m tall, has an intake of 

1100 tph. Commissioning is expected in 

March 2011. 

In an unrelated development, TRI has 

appealed to the TAR del Veneto (Veneto 

regional court) against the decision of 

Venice port authority (APV) to allow 

Multiservice to take a sub-concession over 

part of the concession occupied by TIV. 

TRI, which also covets more space at 

Porto Marghera, argues that APV did not 

follow correct procedures. 

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Eliminating hydraulics reduces spreader power consumption 

by an estimated 85%. For every 5 kWh 

consumed by an STS45, less than 1 kWh is consumed 

by an STS45E. This represents annual savings of more 

than $1,100/year per spreader. What are combined 

crane and spreader fleet savings? For a 10-spreader 

fleet, more than $50,000 USD per year. 


news 

TRI Genova, which currently uses gantry grab unloaders, has ordered a slewing crane from Liebherr 

With no fluids to change, and no filters to replace, 

GreenLine means reduced maintenance, a savings 

Bromma estimates at more than $2,000 USD 

per year. Quiet, ideal for automated terminals, and 

energy efficient, GreenLine spreaders are the right 

products for the right time, and they are only available 

from Bromma. 

March 2010 13


news 

WIN books Santé for Haiti project 

Responding to the desperate need 

for new and expanded port infrastructure 

to serve earthquake recovery 

efforts, as well as to address 

the long-term shipping needs of 

the country, Haiti-based WIN 

Group has reached an agreement 

with South Florida firm Santé 

Holding to redevelop Terminal 

Varreux at the Port of Port-Au- 

Prince, the largest privatelyowned 

shipping terminal and port 

facility in Haiti. 

Privately-owned WIN Group 

is one of the Caribbean’s largest 

conglomerates, with stakes in 

multiple industries. Santé is 

headed by Charles Towsley, former 

director of the Port of Miami. 

Santé’s team is partnering with the 

Rovirosa family, who currently 

operate terminals in Miami and 

Port Everglades. 

Terminal Varreux currently 

consists of multiple berths connected 

to liquid and dry bulk 

14 

Youri Mevs, managing partner of WIN Group, and Charles A Townsley, president 

of Santé Holding Corp, are aiming to redevelop Terminal Varreux 

pumping pipelines. The facility 

was damaged during the recent 

earthquake, but quickly repaired 

in order to allow crucial tanker 

shipments of fuel to Haiti, as Terminal 

Varreux receives and stores 

more than 70% of Haiti’s fuel. 

The redevelopment plans include 

a new port, additional jetties 

and a modern 150 acre common 

user shipping terminal, with 

facilities for containers and 

breakbulk general cargo. The 

agreement also includes the 

Biting the dust in Port Manatee 

Bulk terminal operator Kinder 

Morgan has agreed to pay US$1M 

in fines and other payments after 

pleading guilty to four separate 

violations of the Clean Air Act at 

its Kinder Morgan Port Manatee 

Terminal, LLC (KMPMT) facility 

at Port Manatee, Florida. 

The terminal handles granular 

fertiliser and cement clinker 

and was required by the Florida 

Department of Environmental 

Protection (FDEP) to operate 

“baghouse” pollutant control systems 

to trap, filter and separate air 

pollutants. 

In a statement, United States 

Attorney A Brian Albritton said 

that going back to 2001 the 

baghouse facilities “were in poor 

condition, and several were not 

fully operational during the times 

specified in various permits.” 

In August 2006 and August 

2007, KMPMT’s local managers 

and supervisors stated in FDEP 

permit applications that KMPMT 

would operate and maintain its air 

pollution emissions and control 

equipment in accordance with 

regulations, even though the 

baghouses were not being operated 

and maintained properly. 

Moreover, from October 2006 

through March 2008, KMPMT’s 

local managers and supervisors 

failed to notify and report to the 

FDEP that its baghouse air pollu- 

tion control systems were not in 

compliance and would continue 

to be out of compliance. 

The US Environmental Protection 

Agency is stepping up its 

efforts to control industrial pollution 

and Maureen O’Mara, special 

agent in charge of EPA’s Office 

of Criminal Enforcement in 

Atlanta, Georgia said. “There is 

simply no excuse for this company 

to break our nation’s environmental 

laws and hurt the integrity of 

our regulatory process. Hopefully 

Kinder Morgan will take the steps 

necessary to be a responsible corporate 

citizen and ensure that this 

prosecution is the last.” 

The FDEP brought its own 

remediation and expansion of existing 

piers. 

Under the terms of the agreement, 

WIN will retain control of 

the dry bulk, liquid bulk and petroleum 

operations, while the new 

facilities will be operated by the 

new joint venture. Feasibility plans 

are currently being completed 

with specific project time-frames 

due to be announced shortly. 

“Once completed, this project 

will not only support Haiti’s ongoing 

relief efforts, but lay the 

foundation for the overall modernisation 

of the country’s shipping 

industry,” said Youri Mevs, 

managing partner of WIN Group. 

WIN Group is planning to 

develop a US$45M industrial 

park along with the Soros Economic 

Development Fund near 

Port-au-Prince’s impoverished 

Cité Soleil neighborhood, a 

project temporarily halted because 

of the earthquake. 

parallel case against KMPMT alleging, 

among other violations 

dating back to 2005, that the terminal 

failed to perform visible 

emission tests on a hopper-totruck 

transfer point and operated 

hoppers without required dust 

shields and tarpaulins in place. 

This proceeding was settled 

without KMPMT admitting fault, 

but agreeing to a US$331,000 civil 

penalty and a wide range of “corrective 

actions” including compliance 

stack testing on the repaired 

baghouses by a qualified consultant, 

repairing transfer towers and 

conveyor systems, creating an 

employee training programme, 

and implementing a management 

tracking system to ensure future 

compliance through testing, 

record keeping and maintenance. 

PORT NEWS 

China Merchants set 

for Colombo project... 

A consortium-led by China Merchant 

Holdings International 

(CMHI) is poised to build the first 

of three container terminals 

planned for Sri Lanka’s Colombo 

South Harbour development, for 

which negotiations are in the final 

stages. 

Sri Lanka Ports Authority 

(SLPA) officials held three days of 

talks with representatives of 

CMHI and its local partner Aitken 

Spence this month to finalise the 

US$400M build-operate-transfer 

(BOT) contract. 

The initial terminal will have 

an annual handling capacity of 

2.4m TEU and be able to handle 

the largest containerships in service, 

a spokesman said. 

The first phase of Sri Lanka’s 

US$550M Hambantota port will 

become operational in November 

2010, five months ahead of schedule, 

said Sri Lanka Ports Authority 

(SLPA) chairman Priyath 

Wickrama. 

The US$437M first phase, for 

which China’s Export-Import 

Bank has provided a US$307M 

loan, will have a 300m container 

berth and an oil terminal. 

The port is being built by a joint 

venture of China Harbour Engineering 

and Sinohydro Corp and 

will be completed in four phases 

by 2022. The International Monetary 

Fund has agreed to grant a 

credit facility to the SLPA to meet 

the balance of funding. 

Colombo port’s cargo flows 

are increasing as world trade recovers 

from recession. “Our target 

for 2010 is 4M TEU and we 

are quite confident we can achieve 

this target without any difficulty,” 

said SLPA chairman Priyath 

Wickrama. 

“With the economic recovery 

in the first two months of this year 

we experienced an increase in 

volumes of nearly 20% compared 

to last year,” he said. 

Colombo’s harbour is being 

expanded by 286 hectares reclaimed 

from the sea. The first 

2,100m breakwater for the South 

Harbour has been completed and 

other infrastructure work will be 

finished by April 2012. 

...early start for new 

Sri Lanka box port 

“On completion of the final 

phase of Hambantota port, it will 

have a 13km long quay with minimum 

depth of 18m and an overall 

capacity of 20M TEU,” Wickrama 

said, adding that current demand 

for handling containers at Colombo 

meant no space was available 

for port related industries and 

services there. 

To attract shipping companies 

and investors, the port will offer a 

number of tax incentives. Wickrama 

said users will be free to use the 

port for loading, value addition and 

distribution without any taxes. 

Port users will be able to operate 

without additional charges 

other than port handling and rent 

or lease charges, he said. 

March 2010

PORT NEWS 

Box volumes surge in China 

Throughput at China’s container ports 

saw a strong rebound in the first two 

months of this year, as exports jumped 

45.7% year-on-year in February and imports 

spurted 44.7%. 

Cumulative export growth was 31.4% 

year-on-year in the first two months of 

2010, and imports rose 63.6%. The February 

export jump marked a record high 

over two years, from a 21% year-on-year 

increase in January. 

China’s ports handled 20.96M TEU 

in January-February 2010, up 28.4% yearon-year, 

with coastal ports handling 

18.86M TEU (+26.5%) and river ports 

shifting 2.1M TEU (+49.4%). 

All of the top 10 container ports saw 

positive growth, with Shanghai, China’s 

largest container port, handling 4.12M 

TEU in the period, up 20.2%. Its February 

volumes were up 23% to 1.88M TEU. 

Shenzhen, China’s second largest box 

port, saw volumes rise 30.3% to 3.31M 

TEU in the first two months. February 

throughput was up 48.4% to 1.5M TEU. 

Ningbo-Zhoushan port just overtook 

Guangzhou to claim the third spot with 

a throughput of 1.84M TEU, up 30%. 

According to a report by UK-based 

consultancy MDS Transmodal, containerised 

exports from China’s ports will 

increase 19% this year to 31.8M TEU, 

India aims to 

boost boxes 

After giving the nod to Chennai Port 

Trust (CPT) to build a US$796M mega 

container terminal, India’s Shipping Ministry 

has announced plans to give a big 

push to containerisation and to increase 

handling capacity at the nation’s ports. 

“India’s rate of containerising cargo is 

just 45% compared to the global average 

of more than 70%, Out of the 12 major 

ports in the country, only three - 

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP), Chennai 

and Kolkata - are leading container handlers 

and of the three, only JNP, which 

handles over 4M TEU a year, figures 

among the world’s top 25 containerports,” 

Shipping Minister G K Vasan said. 

A study conducted by the Indian Ports 

Association (IPA) found that the country’s 

seaborne trade has been increasing 

at a compound annual growth rate of 25% 

over the past five years, with a larger share 

of trade going toward finished goods, 

which calls for more containerisation. 

Though there was a blip on the container 

handling front in 2009 due to the 

global recession, the recovery appears to 

have started in earnest, and box services 

that had been cut back over the past two 

years are being resumed and expanded, 

the IPA said. 

The Ministry is betting high on the 

DP World-operated Vallarpadam International 

Container Transhipment Terminal 

at Kochi, which is due to open in June, 

and Mumbai Port’s ambitious Offshore 

Container Terminal, but it also has its eye 

on the container facility development at 

intermediate and private ports like 

Mundra and Pipavav. 

● Chennai Port Trust is considering 

whether to allow non-container cargo to 

be handled at its second container terminal, 

operated by PSA-Sical “The terminal 

is underutilised, and we are talking to PSA- 

Sical about letting out the spare space for 

handling other kinds of cargo,” CPT chairman 

Subhash Kumar said. 

Since the second terminal - the first 

was Chennai Container Terminal, operated 

by DP World - began operations in 

August 2009, it has built up volumes to 

around 20,000 TEU per month, but its 

annual handling capacity is 1.5M TEU. 

At the current rate, it will struggle to reach 

300,000 TEU this year. “The terminal 

occupies 28 hectares, and will eventually 

get 34 hectares, but this quantum of land 

will not be required immediately for containers,” 

Kumar said. “On the other hand, 

there is huge demand for space for handling 

cars and other clean cargo. Until 

PSA-Sical builds up more volumes, we 

could give this space to someone else.” 

while its boxed imports will rise 25% to 

12.4M TEU. 

MDS analysts also predict that China’s 

containerised exports will increase 3% 

in 2011 to 32.6M TEU, while imports 

will rise 8% to 13.4M TEU. 

“In the near term we anticipate that 

export growth will resume, but at a slower 

rate than in the early 1990s when double-digit 

growth was common,” the report 

said. 

An interesting point highlighted by 

MDS report is that there is a clear increase 

in the volume of containerised food 

imports to cater for China’s growing middle-class 

consumers. 

Two G HMK 4306 B Mobile Harbour Cranes 

handling pig iron in Dangjin Port, Korea 

Container throughput at top 10 Chinese 

containerports (million TEU) 

Port Jan-Feb Y-o-Y 

2010 change (%) 

Shanghai 4.12 20.2 

Shenzhen 3.31 30.3 

Ningbo/Z'shan 1.84 30.0 

Guangzhou 1.84 41.2 

Qingdao 1.78 8.8 

Tianjin 1.38 15.7 

Xiamen 0.84 24.7 

Dalian 0.76 18.3 

Lianyungang 0.59 67.6 

Yingkou 0.54 72.4 

Top Performers 

Gottwald Port Technology GmbH • Postfach 18 03 43 • 40570 Düsseldorf, Germany 

Phone: +49 211 7102-0 • Fax: +49 211 7102-3651 • info@gottwald.com • www.gottwald.com 

APM Terminals (APMT) has been named 

as the preferred bidder for a 25 year concession 

to develop and operate the Port 

of Monrovia following a public tender issued 

by the Government of Liberia in December 

2009. 

The Liberian government is inviting 

private participation to bolster the national 

economy and create jobs in the 

capital city of Monrovia. The port is in 

urgent need of rehabilitation and upgrading 

to modern levels. 

Bidders were asked to rehabilitate the 

existing marginal wharf, develop container 

and general cargo operations and 

take on responsibility for marine services 

throughout the port. 


news 

APMT bags Monrovia deal 

Construction work on the quay wall 

will begin immediately. A new berth, more 

efficient yard handling procedures and the 

installation of new equipment will transform 

Monrovia into a more competitive 

port capable of handling modern, deepdraft 

vessels, said APMT CEO, Kim Fejfer. 

Dr Richard Tolbert, chairman of the 

Liberian National Investment Commission, 

said he was “confident that APM Terminals 

will implement this project in an 

outstanding manner once the concession 

agreement is concluded,as the Government 

had done a thorough financial, technical, 

social, environmental, and 

reputational due diligence on the company 

and its proposal.” 

www.gottwald.com 

There is technology available 

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March 2010 15 

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news 

ABP Hams it up 

Associated British Ports (ABP) 

says that its Hams Hall, Birmingham 

intermodal terminal, which 

it acquired in 2002, had its most 

successful year to date last year, 

despite the downturn in the global 

economy, with 15 new weekly 

train services added. 

Thanks to ongoing expansion 

it has undertaken, adds ABP, at 

peak times Hams Hall can now 

handle up to 1000 containers/day. 

Martin Philpott, ABP’s manager, 

inland operations, said: “At a time 

16 

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when much of the country is still 

feeling the effects of the recession 

it is encouraging for the rail 

industry that we are able to successfully 

grow our business, improve 

service levels to our customers 

and contribute to carbon 

reduction. 

MSC introduced a second 

daily service from Felixstowe 

from March. In June Norfolk 

Line started a bi-weekly service 

from Hams Hall to Novara via the 

Channel Tunnel. In September, 

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ABP Hams Hall has reported a sharp 

increase in throughput, despite 

cancellation of the K&N contract 

that signalled the first temperature-controlled 

railfreight cargo 

for some years. 

In August DB Schenker Rail 

(UK) began a daily service to 

Mossend in Scotland, as well as a 

three times/week Channel Tunnel 

service to Novara, providing 

for Scotland-Italy steel wheel 

exchange at the facility. 

ABP is keen to show the upside 

of Hams Hall, as Kühne & 

Nagel, the world’s biggest 

NVOCC, revealed this month 

that its had pulled out of its 

intermodal contract signed with 

[the then] ABP Connect in 2007 

(see WorldCargo News March 

2007, p15). At the time K&N said 

the Hams Hall deal was part of 

its goal of achieving 50% inland 

moves by rail within two years. 

However, Diederick de Vroet, 

K&N’s director, seafreight, North 

West Europe, told the annual results 

press conference in London 

that “all the dynamics had 

changed” as the volume decline 

over UK seaports had taken care 

of the congestion problem. 

● DB Schenker Rail (UK) has 

opened an intermodal terminal at 

Rugby, on the site of a disused 

coal loading facility. It is expected 

to reach an annualised throughput 

of 50,000 intermodal units by 

the end of this year. 

The terminal is currently catering 

for the daily Stobart train 

for Tesco to Scotland, which 

switched from nearby DIRFT 

Daventry when Stobart transferred 

its business from DRS to 

DB Schenker. 

The rail route to Scotland 

from Rugby is electrified, but 

Stobart now has a longer truck 

dray from the Tesco DC at 

DIRFT. 

PORT/INLAND/INTERMODAL NEWS 

Asciano comes back 

from the dead 

Asciano Group has turned around 

its A$93M loss to 30 June 2009 to 

report a A$79M profit for the six 

months ended 31 December. 

A successful recapitalisation 

that substantially cut debt levels 

and a stellar performance from 

Pacific National’s coal haulage division, 

which saw a 22% increase 

in business for a 47% jump in 

EBITDA to A$98M, drove the 

improvement. 

However, PN Intermodal volumes 

and profits struggled, while 

Patrick Container Ports’ contribution 

fell from A$118M to 

A$109M. Sydney/Port Botany remained 

the division’s strongest 

port, with lifts up 5% for the half, 

while Brisbane rose 1%, Melbourne 

was down 13% and Fremantle 

down 14%. 

Volumes were affected by the 

loss of the Oceania VSA’s twostring 

stevedoring contract in October, 

but Patrick’s market share 

across the four ports is still approximately 

51%, the company says. . 

Asciano expects market share 

The Indian government plans to 

corporatise all its major ports to give 

them freedom to set tariffs and 

compete with each other and other 

ports. 

The ports, including Mumbai, 

JNP, Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi, 

are governed by Trusts set up under 

the Major Port Trusts (MPT) 

Act of 1963. Ennore, the 12th major 

port, was set up in 2001 and is 

already registered under the Companies 

Act. 

Tariffs at the other 11 major 

ports are fixed by the Tariff Authority 

for Major Ports (TAMP) for 

specified periods and they share 

revenues with the government as 

the landowner. 

An official said the MPT Act 

has many outdated provisions that 

inflate port charges, which has resulted 

in medium-sized ports taking 

traffic away from major ports, 

which then find it difficult to compete 

with more efficient private 

ports. 

A corporate tag would give 

them the autonomy to improve 

Port of Brisbane Corporation 

(PBC) has officially commissioned 

its A$57M general purpose wharf 

and terminal in what it describes 

as a significant boost to project 

cargo and bulk trading capacity. 

Chairman David Harrison said 

the 210m facility at Fishermans Island 

would help satisfy demand for 

cement handling and alleviate possible 

future congestion at the port’s 

coal facility, as well as supplementing 

the northside common-user 

berth at Pinkenba. 

“The facility will be available 

for use by a range of customers and 

cargo types, including, scrap metal, 

project cargo, appropriate dry bulk 

cargoes and livestock, as well as providing 

Sunstate Cement with an 

alternative berth when the coal 

berth is unavailable.” he said. 

Construction of the multi-purpose 

berth took just over two 

years and was completed on 

budget, with Sunstate Cement 

making a significant capital invest- 

volatility to continue “due to increased 

realignment of shipping 

consortia” and acknowledges it 

will face greatly increased competition 

when Hutchison Port 

Holdings enters the Brisbane and 

Port Botany markets in 2012-13. 

The Auto, Bulk and General 

stevedoring division suffered in 

most areas, although motor vehicle 

transport and processing volumes 

began to recover in the December 

quarter after a 20% fall in 

the September quarter. 

Asciano managing director 

Mark Rowsthorn said the emergence 

of positive trends in 

volumes handled across the business 

during the December quarter 

indicated that the worst of the 

global economic crunch was over. 

Last year’s capital restructuring had 

been rewarded with the restoration 

of Asciano’s investment-grade 

credit ratings by Standard & Poor’s 

and Moody’s. “The medium-term 

outlook for our business is more 

positive today than it has been for 

the past 18 months,” he said. 

India to corporatise 

all major ports 

operational efficiency and compete 

with private operators, he said. 

Meanwhile, the government 

has decided to make Andaman and 

Nicobar India’s 13th major port. 

Andaman and Nicobar include 572 

islands spread over 900 km, of 

which only 36 are inhabited. 

When India gained independence 

in 1947, vessels berthed at the 

only wooden jetty at Chatham. In 

1952, the port limits were extended 

to five Andaman and Nicobar ports 

- Maya Bunder, Port Blair, 

Elphinstone Harbour, Car Nicobar 

and Nancowrie. 

In 1981 the government set up 

a Port Management Board which 

manages 23 ports across the islands, 

of which nine are cargo handling 

ports, which can handle vessels with 

drafts of 5-9m. 

Strategically located on the international 

east-west shipping route, 

the islands are seen as having the 

potential to develop into a major 

maritime region close to ports in 

the 10-member Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

Brisbane, Newcastle 

open new berths 

ment in supporting infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, Newcastle Port 

Corporation (NPC) has inaugurated 

its new A$25M Mayfield No 

4 Berth, the first infrastructure 

project completed as part of the 

much-delayed renewal of the 

former BHP Steelworks site. 

The 265m long berth is located 

on 90 hectares of riverfront 

land managed by NPC. The facility 

consists of 3,630 m 2 of 

wharf apron and 8,745 m 2 of 

hardstanding for cargo handling, 

storage or an assembly area. 

One of the first uses of the facility 

was the handling of two 

250t transformers for Bayswater 

Power Station, discharged from 

the heavy lift multi-purpose ship, 

VICTORIA SCAN. 

NPC says Mayfield No 4 

greatly expands the capability of 

the port to handle a variety of 

cargo as it is strategically located 

and accessible by road and future 

rail connection. 

March 2010

INLAND/INTERMODAL NEWS 

New Rotterdam-Basel shuttle 

Intercontainer-Interfrigo SA is increasing 

its service frequency on the Basel- 

Rotterdam intermodal corridor with the 

introduction of a new shuttle train to and 

from Basel Bad UBF. The “Erasmus Shuttle” 

will initially operate on a once 

weekly basis. 

In all, there will now be six shuttle 

trains per week in operation between 

Basel and Rotterdam Waalhaven (five 

from Basel SBB CT plus the new train 

from Basel Bad UBF). 

After four weeks of successful trials, 

ICF gave the go-ahead for the launch of 

the Erasmus Shuttle, starting last month. 

The Basel Bad UBF terminal was selected 

for this new service as it is 

Yangtze port 

survey results 

The Yangtze River Administration 

(YRA), under the auspices of the Chinese 

Ministry of Transport, has completed 

a survey which identifies all the port expansion 

and renovation projects across the 

2,838 km navigable length of the river. 

These projects, under construction, 

planned and likely to be approved, involve 

investments of Yuan27B (US$4B). 

Of the 73 ports that responded to the 

survey, 46 submitted details of their 

projects, including the size, current status 

and purchasing list of required handling 

equipment and technology. The shopping 

list includes handling equipment for bulk, 

breakbulk, containers, ro-ro and oversize 

cargo, as well as operations management 

software and other technology. 

The YRA is currently working with 

Yangtze Business Services to organise a 

summit in May in Wuhan that will bring 

together Western suppliers and the Yangtze 

ports. Several ports have expressed 

interest in joining an overseas fact-finding 

and procurement trip later in the year. 

Yangtze ports have been encouraged 

to upgrade their handling equipment and 

technology as part of a central government-driven 

programme to modernise 

the Yangtze by 2020. Tax rebates are being 

made available to Yangtze ports, 

among other incentives, and they are also 

beneficiaries of the government’s 

Yuan4000B stimulus package announced 

in November 2008. 

● After more than 50 years of planning 

and 12 years of work, the Yangtze River 

estuary dredging project, China’s costliest 

and most complicated water transportation 

project, was completed in mid- 

March.The project, undertaken in three 

phases since 1998 at a cost of Yuan15B 

(US$2.2B), has increased the depth of a 

92.2 km, 300m wide shipping channel at 

the mouth of the river from 7m to 12.5m. 

The channel, which starts at 

Waigaoqiao in Shanghai and finishes 

where the Yangtze enters the East China 

Sea, will now be able to accommodate 

container vessels of up to 4,000 TEU at 

any state of the tide. 

Nanchang box 

train launched 

After launching an empty container train 

service from Nanchang in China’s central 

Jiangxi province to Beilun port in February, 

the Port of Ningbo has started a loaded 

box train service on the same route. 

The inaugural train carried 96 TEU 

on 48 wagons with a transit time of 27 

hours. Cargo can be transhipped to other 

ports for shipment worldwide. 

Ningbo Port Southeast Logistics, 

which operates the service, said it will 

expand the hinterland market in Jiangxi 

and Hunan Provinces by coordinating 

with ports, railway operators, shipping 

lines and trucking companies. 

More “five fixed” services - fixed loading 

and unloading place, route, sequence, 

arrival time and freight rate - are planned 

when the hinterland market matures. 

equipped with both EU and Swiss customs 

clearance facilities. 

“Logistics clients can now enjoy the 

benefits of more efficient intermodal 

services between industrial centres in the 

major economic region formed by the 

Germany-France-Switzerland triangle in 

the southern part of the Upper Rhine 

and Europe’s biggest seaport,” said ICF 

in a statement. 

“With the Erasmus Shuttle, 

Intercontainer hopes to win over new 

markets in southern Germany and Alsace 

to unaccompanied rail-road combined 

transport.” 

In the northbound direction, the 

Erasmus Shuttle will leave Basel Bad 

UBF currently on Wednesdays (last loading 

time 16.00) to reach Rotterdam RSC 

on Thursdays at 11.00 and Rotterdam 

Maasvlakte at 14.00. 

Southbound, the last loading time will 

be 9.00 on Monday in Maasvlakte and 

14.00 in RSC for consignments to be 

available for collection from 8.00 on 

Wednesday morning at Basel Bad UBF. 

ICF is planning to introduce a second 

weekly round trip from the mid-April 

timetable changeover. 

The first Erasmus Shuttle train was loaded in 

Basel Bad UBF on 17 February 

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news 

March 2010 17 

�


news 

Conference agrees strategies 

to revitalise EAC rail system 

Dr Shukuru Kawambwa, Minister 

for Infrastructure Development 

of the United Republic of 

Tanzania, has reaffirmed the critical 

importance of the East African 

Railways Master Plan. 

Speaking at the East African 

Railways Conference in Dar es 

Salaam this month, Dr Kawambwa 

said the Master Plan was vital in 

ensuring that there was a sustainable 

transport system to move 

18 

goods efficiently and at competitive 

rates, thereby supporting the 

development of industries in East 

Africa. 

“Tanzania has the potential to 

be a logistics hub for non-coastal 

countries and regions of Central 

Africa and, therefore, our desire 

is to create one of the best transportation 

networks in the region,” 

Dr Kawambwa said 

In order to address inefficient 

railway transport services, the 

Minister told conference delegates 

that the Government of Tanzania 

was implementing a Transport 

Sector Investment Programme 

(TSIP), which puts emphasis on 

projects that facilitate regional integration. 

One of the multinational 

projects being undertaken in cooperation 

with the Governments 

of Rwanda and Burundi was the 

Freightlink sale firing up 

Efforts to sell Adelaide-Darwin rail 

owner/operator Freightlink have 

resumed with receiver 

KordaMentha believing the economic 

climate is now more conducive 

to a possible sale. 

Freightlink has been operating 

in receivership since November 

2008 after the company’s board 

failed to find a trade buyer, but the 

global financial crisis effectively 

torpedoed the receiver’s efforts to 

find a new owner. 

KordaMentha has now re-advertised 

nationally for expressions 

of interest and has appointed UBS 

as adviser on the sale. 

KordaMentha partner Martin 

Madden said there had been talks 

with several potential buyers and 

the formal sales process was being 

activated. “Market conditions 

last year were not suitable to attract 

an appropriate bidder, but 

the economy has now improved,” 

Madden told The Northern Territory 

News. 

upgrading and construction of 

the Dar es Salaam-Isaka-Kigali/ 

Keza-Gitega-Musongati railway 

line, he said. 

A draft 12-point set of recommendations 

was agreed at the 

conference aimed at revitalising 

the railway systems for enhanced 

regional integration and economic 

growth. Key amongst these 

was the establishment of an East 

African Community (EAC) Railways 

Regulatory Authority to coordinate 

policy, investment, development 

and competition issues in 

the sub-sector by June 2011 and 

a Project Implementation Unit 

dedicated to railway project development 

and implementation. 

The business was performing 

well, having converted 90% of the 

general freight carried between 

Adelaide and Darwin to rail and 

won three minerals projects in its 

first five years. There were further 

“significant opportunities in its 

pipeline.” he said. 

Madden said the prospects for 

the business under a “more appropriate” 

capital structure were good 

and he was confident a buyer 

would be found. 

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INLAND/INTERMODAL/CONTAINER INDUSTRY NEWS 

RailRunner gets 

capital injection 

US-based bimodal systems specialist 

RailRunner Inc has received 

an investment of 

US$13.4M through a private 

placement, in which US Boston 

Capital Corporation (UBCC) 

acted as the agent. 

“Our strengthening relationships 

with rail partners, ocean 

carriers and shippers seeking innovative 

solutions that shift as 

much freight transport as possible 

from highways to rail has 

created significant interest 

worldwide in the RailRunner 

system,” said Charles Foskett, 

RailRunner’s CEO. 

“This additional capital will 

enable RailRunner to capitalise 

on this significant market opportunity 

and meet the significant 

demand for our products and 

services,” he said. 

Last October, RailRunner 

signed an agreement with 

Contargo/Smith Holland 

expand cooperation 

Contargo GmbH & Co KG, 

which operates more than 18 bimodal 

and trimodal container terminals 

at inland ports in Germany, 

the Netherlands, France and Switzerland, 

is expanding its network 

of reefer service stations in cooperation 

with Dutch reefer service 

specialist Smith Holland BV. 

Building on successful reefer 

stations established at the Basel 

MultiTerminal (BMT) in 2007 

and the Ludwigshafen terminal in 

2008, Contargo is adding similar 

services at its terminals in Frankfurt 

and Duisburg. As with the 

earlier ventures, Smith Holland 

will act as Contargo’s subcontractor, 

taking on reefer service tasks 

using its own personnel at facilities 

provided by Contargo. 

“By setting up reefer service 

stations in the hinterland, an important 

and aggravating barrier for 

temperature-controlled transport 

has been removed. Now, after delivering 

imports to the European 

hinterland, reefers can stay inland 

whilst being prepared for their 

next export run,” Contargo said. 

Services available range from 

standard pre-trip inspections 

The capital injection could provide 

RailRunner with a solid platform 

for further growth 

Kolkata-based Stone India to 

manufacture, operate, distribute 

and sell RailRunner products 

throughout India. 

RailRunner also recently 

introduced the ReeferPro 100 

bimodal container chassis for 


(see WorldCargo News December 

2009, p14).Equipped 

with a side-mounted genset and 

fuel tank, the new chassis is capable 

of providing up to six days 

of uninterrupted power to a 40ft 

reefer container. 

● Dean Wise recently stepped 

down from the Board of directors 

of RailRunner, to take up a 

position as vice president, network 

strategy, with BNSF Railway. 

Reefer service stations are being added 

at Contargo’s Frankfurt and Duisburg 

intermodal terminals 

(PTIs) to repairs to the cooling 

system and the clarification of 

warranty cases on behalf of the 

reefer owner. 

“The cooperation with 

Contargo has enabled us to make 


in the hinterland even more reliable. 

Many of our sea carrier customers 

at the seaports have been 

waiting for the reefer service to 

be extended into the hinterland,” 

said Dick Gilhuis, managing director 

of Smith Holland. 

“With the on-site support of 

Smith Holland, we can react very 

fast in an emergency whenever the 

need arises, thus providing a 24/7 

multimodal reefer transport service 

that is seamlessly professional,” 

added BMT managing director 

Holger Bochow. 

A service station for 20 reefers 

is being installed at the Duisburg 

Intermodal Terminal (DIT), but 

this can be extended to accommodate 

more boxes if necessary, 

Contargo said. 

March 2010

CONTAINER INDUSTRY NEWS 

2009 box production down 90% 

but recovery under way 

As the container industry begins to recover 

from the effects of the global financial 

crisis, the full extent of the precipitous 

drop in demand for containers 

last year is revealed in the 2009 annual 

reports just released by the world’s two 

biggest manufacturers, China International 

Marine Containers (CIMC) and 

Singamas Container Holdings. 

According to CIMC, demand for containers 

last year dropped to one tenth of 

that of a normal year, with global output 

falling to around 300,000 TEU. Virtually 

all standard dry freight container production 

was suspended between October 

2008 and the same month of 2009, with 

single shift operations only resuming in 

the latter part of 2009 when demand rose 

to around 20% of pre-financial crisis levels. 

As a result, just 200,000 TEU of dry 

freight boxes were built in 2009 as a 

whole, down 92% on the 2008 figure. 

CIMC puts industry-wide production 

of reefers in 2009 at 95,000 TEU, down 

by 57% year-on-year, and says that output 

of dry freight specials (including regional 

domestic units) dipped by 60% 

over the previous year. 

For its part, CIMC built 60,400 TEU 

of standard dry freight containers last year, 

down by 95.10% on the 2008 figure, 30,400 

reefers (down 56.03%) and 43,200 special 

purpose containers (down 66.53%). 

Sales income from the container business 

in 2009 was RMB5.574B 

(US$816.4M), down 80.85% year-onyear, 

with income from dry freight containers, 

reefers and special purpose containers 

falling 93.87%, 66.05% and 51.15% 

respectively. 

The huge decline in demand for dry 

freight containers also saw CIMC’s output 

of container flooring drop 91.33% 

year on year, with operating income falling 

85.58%. 

In the tank container sector, Nantong 

CIMC Tank Equipment Co, which is now 

controlled by CIMC Enric Holdings, saw 

its operating income drop 76.9% last year 

to RMB584M (US$85.5M). 

Looking ahead, CIMC says that with 

economic recovery under way in the US 

and Europe, China’s exports will take a 

dramatic turn for the better in 2010. Container 

replacement programmes, which 

were postponed last year, are being resumed 

and with major container operators 

opting to introduce slow steaming 

and increase their vessel numbers, demand 

for containers in on the rise. 

CIMC anticipates that global demand 

for dry freight containers will exceed 

1.5M TEU this year, while demand for 

reefers and dry freight specials is also expected 

to pick up. 

Meanwhile, Singamas’s 2009 annual 

report shows that the company manufactured 

86,600 TEU last year, down 84.7% 

on the 2008 figure. Of the total, around 

36,299 TEU were higher margin specialised 

containers and the remainder standard 

dry freight units. 

Revenue from container manufacturing 

operations was US$237.4M, an 82.4% 

drop compared to 2008, leading to a loss 

before taxation and minority interests of 

US$66.7M compared to a pre-tax profit 

of US$7.3M a year earlier. 

The average selling price of a 20ft dry 

freight container last year was around 

US$1,986, while standard tank containers 

were sold for around US$27,512, in 

both cases slightly lower than 2008 due 

to a drop in raw materials prices. With 

the price of Corten steel predicted to rise 

gradually in the coming year, Singamas 

anticipates that average selling prices will 

rise correspondingly. 

Like CIMC, Singamas is anticipating 

a recovery in demand this year, noting 

that after eighteen months of global economic 

downturn, cargo throughput in 

China is rising and is expected to continue 

to rise as the improving global 

economy drives PRC exports and strong 

domestic consumption stimulates imports. 

The rise in global trade will directly 

benefit the container shipping industry, 

which in turn will see an increase in demand 

for new containers, the company says. 

Singamas expects the replacement rate 

for old containers, which has fallen over 

the past two years, to at least return to 

the normal rate of 5- 7% in 2010 and 

believes that business in the first half of 

2010 will grow and improve steadily, establishing 

a momentum that should lead 

to a positive second half year. 

The company started rehiring workers 

after the Chinese New Year holiday 

in preparation for a ramping up of production 

capacity as demand increases. 

“[Singamas is] now emerging from 

an exceptionally stormy period, which 

it has successfully weathered partly by 

making some major cutbacks and partly 

by looking to specialise and diversify its 

container products. 

“With a strong cash position and 

plenty of capacity at its production plants, 

the Group is ready to ride the recovery 

as it takes off. We are cautiously optimistic 

that in 2010, we will be able to regain 

ground lost because of the economic 

downturn in the past 18 months,” said 

Singamas chairman Chang Yun Chung. 

True Quality. 

Svetruck AB Box 321, Långgatan 29, SE-341 26 Ljungby, Sweden 

Telephone +46 372 866 00 Telefax +46 372 824 50 www.svetruck.com 

A new set of electrified refrigerated container 

racks has been put into operation 

at Container Berth Five (CB-5) at 

the Garden City Terminal in the Port 

of Savannah. The 10 new racks bring 

the terminal’s total to 44 racks, which 

can accommodate 1,056 containers. 

Before electrified refrigerated container 

racks were brought online in 

2008, diesel generators were used to 

power refrigerated containers in tandem 

with wheeled parking spots with electrical 

hookups. The new racks are a fur- 


news 

Savannah boosts reefer 

container capacity 

When talking about forklifts and efficient material 

handling, which includes heavy lifts, one speaks much 

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ther reflection of the Georgia Ports Authority 

(GPA)’s commitment to the environment,” 

said GPA Chairman of the 

Board Stephen S Green. 

The GPA has seen a 120% increase 

in its refrigerated cargo volume in the 

last six years. Over the past two years, 

volume has increased 19.8%. 

“Bringing these new racks online allows 

ocean carriers and shippers additional 

access and efficiencies for the export 

of their products,” said GPA executive 

director Curtis J Foltz. 

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news 

Melbourne seeks solution to 

empty container park mess 

Warring parties will come together 

in a series of working 

groups in an effort to resolve the 

increasingly-fraught issues surrounding 

Melbourne’s empty 

container parks. 

Truck operators, represented 

by the Victorian Transport Association 

(VTA), and container lines, 

under the Shipping Australia Ltd 

(SAL) banner, have been at public 

odds over endemic congestion at 

the parks and the impact this is 

having on the container logistics 

chain (see WorldCargo News February 

2010 p11). 

Early this month, VTA and 

SAL were joined by representatives 

from the Port of Melbourne 

Corporation (PoMC), the Victorian 

Department of Transport, 

VicRoads and the Office of the 

Minister for Roads & Ports in 

search of a solution to the costly 

and unsafe truck queues arising 

from systemic problems at the 

over-stretched empty parks. 

The VTA had called for decisive 

action, starting with the ship- 

20 

ping lines taking responsibility for 

the lack of empty park capacity 

and accepting that the issues must 

be addressed by all parties in the 

container transport chain. SAL 

had earlier refused to attend the 

talks after the VTA threatened to 

back legal action against lines in 

an effort to recover costs and pinpoint 

responsibility for the problems. 

Melbourne’s supply of empty 

container parks has fallen from 

26-28 in 1992 to just 10 now, 

despite container throughput rising 

from 600,000 TEU to 2M 

TEU over the same period. 

Around 75,000 empties are now 

held in the empty container parks 

in an average month, although 

this figure has been at least 5,000 

higher recently. 

SAL CEO LlewRussell 

claimed that the commonly-held 

view that lines broadly control 

parks was a “misconception” but 

did not change the fact that there 

had been problems with empty 

park capacity in Melbourne and 

that the global financial crisis has 

meant a lower level of repatriation 

of empty containers overseas, 

leading to storage capacity constraints. 

VTA chief Philip Lovel said 

there had also been acceptance 

that some parks had experienced 

equipment failures, that more 

could be done to improve information 

visibility in the container 

transport chain, and that work 

should be undertaken to explore 

longer opening hours. 

PoMC CEO Stephen Bradford 

told the meeting that the 

port’s 74 hectare capacity could 

rise by almost 18 hectares in 2011, 

with a port-owned 5.85 hectare 

site available for empties now and 

an approved clean-up plan for the 

12 hectare Pivot site, which has 

been blighted by contamination 

issues. 

Additional capacity will also 

become available through the redevelopment 

of Webb Dock as a 

container terminal (see WorldCargo 

News January 2010 p6). 

Rebranding for SCF Group 

Australia’s leading domestic container 

sales and leasing company, 

SCF, is undergoing a major 

rebrand and streamlining of the 

company structure. 

For almost 20 years, the company 

has been known as SCF 

Containers International, with 

offshoot businesses Simply Containers 

and Tank Containers. 

Now, everything has been 

brought under one brand - SCF 

Group - with four business divi- 

sions: Rail Containers; Simply 

Containers (retail storage division); 

Tank Containers; and the latest 

addition Container Rooms. 

“Our name may have 

changed, but we still have the 

same core values of impeccable 

customer service, high quality 

products and innovation to suit 

our customers’ needs,” said SCF 

group director Richards Sykes. 

“This [rebranding] will make it 

easier for customers to under- 

stand the extended range of products 

and services we now offer.” 

The evolution of the SCF 

Group has seen the company 

progress from a start-up operation 

to a national enterprise, which employs 

a team of 50 and leases 8,500 

containers to Australia’s most significant 

transport industry players. 

Sykes said the move would 

unify the company and its team 

members, while engaging clients 

with new-look container products. 

Handling is our business. 

Ge-eX Logistics adds 

reefer services 

The majority shareholders in 

Ge-eX Logistics, the European, 

door-to-door multimodal container 

transport operator 

formed in 2007 by a number 

of former Geest North Sea Line 

(GNSL) executives, have decided 

to expand into the temperature-controlled 

transport 

sector with the launch of Ge- 

Fresh Logistics. 

The new company has already 

taken delivery, through 

Netherlands-based Unit45, of 

10 x 45ft reefers, with an option 

for a further 15 units. Built 

in China by CIMC subsidiary 

Yangzhou Tonglee Reefer 

Equipment Co, they are 

equipped with Thermo King 

Magnum Plus machinery. Plans 

call for the addition of a further 

40-50 units next year. 

“Entering the 45ft reefer market 

is a natural step. Initially our 

main focus will be on the Ben- 

CONTAINER INDUSTRY/SHIPPING NEWS 

elux, UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, 

but we plan to expand into 

Italy in 2011,” said Gerard de 

Groot, managing director of GeeX 

Logistics and the main shareholder 

in Ge-Fresh Logistics. 

“The temperature-controlled 

market is a very demanding 

but growing market. Customers 

want a closed loop in the 

total supply chain and we will 

contribute to this with our 45ft 

reefers,” added Ge-Fresh Logistics 

director Simeon 

Roodenburg. “These are brand 

new and equipped with the latest 

technology to ensure the 

best reliability in monitoring 

temperatures during the transport.” 

Ge-Fresh Logistics BV is 

based in Rotterdam in the same 

offices as Ge-eX Logistics and 

will use Ge-eX’s existing 

multimodal network and infrastructure. 

GE Fresh Logistics director Simeon Roodenburg with one of the new 45ft 

reefers supplied through Unit45 

Goods have to be handled reliable and on time. In many container terminals worldwide 

high-quality cranes from Künz in all automation grades get things moving. 

Reliable and on time. 

Chinese 

shippers 

seek fees 

probe 

Shippers and forwarders in 10 

Chinese cities have asked the 

Ministry of Transportation to investigate 

why container lines are 

imposing “unreasonable” charges, 

including equipment management, 

container seal and document 

printing fees. 

The groups, including shippers 

from Shanghai, Shenzhen, 

Guangzhou, Xiamen, Dalian, 

Tianjin and Qingdao, claim that 

lines collect fees, which amount 

to nearly Yuan30B (US$4.4B) a 

year, during container transport 

operations 

In Shenzhen alone, the document 

printing fee totalled 

Yuan300M in 2008, based on the 

port’s throughput of 21M TEU, 

said a report carried by National 

Business Daily and the official 

Xinhua news agency. 

Shenzhen Container Trailer 

Association secretary general Xu 

Xiaoming said truckers are the 

same as ocean carriers and it is 

unreasonable to charge them fees 

for moving boxes to the terminal. 

A lawyer, who has examined 

related cases, said lines are trying 

to transfer the risk of offering low 

rates in order to remain competitive 

by charging such fees to cover 

losses. 

A spokesman for Maersk 

China said the charges do not 

break the law and will continue 

to be applied. The carrier said 

freight rates in 2009 were too low 

to cover costs and needed to be 

adjusted. 

Hans Künz GmbH 

6971 Hard - Austria 

T +43 5574 6883 0 

F +43 5574 6883 19 

www.kuenz.com 

sales@kuenz.com 

service@kuenz.com 

March 2010


Dealing with growing pains 

Brazil’s Ports Minister Pedro Brito has 

thrown down the challenge for Santos, 

South America’s leading port, declaring 

that it will need to increase its container 

capacity by 300% by 2024. And that challenge 

is already being taken up by several 

of the port’s existing terminal operators, 

and also by several other companies keen 

to invest in future facilities there. 

However, the Embraport project, in 

which DP World has an involvement and 

which was leading the race to develop in 

Santos, seems to have been derailed (at 

least temporarily) while a new financing 

structure is put in place (see below). 

Rallying cry 

All the same, when in February leaders 

of Brazilian maritime and political communities 

turned out in force at Santos 

Brasil to mark the inauguration of its “Terminal 

4” (T4) extension, they heard Brito 

make a rallying cry for more container 

capacity. Brito said: “Several new investments 

are now coming on stream in 

Santos, which will soon become the hub 

port for the region, but we do need to 

still add more capacity.” 

The award in 2008 of the T4 area, 

comprising of 120,000 m 2 of backland 

and 220m of quay wall, was controversial. 

Santos port authority (Codesp) argued 

that the area was not big enough for a 

new, separate terminal on the left bank, 

but was big enough to be added to the 

contiguous facility at Santos Brasil, to give 

it a new combined area of 596,000 m 2 . 

Grupo Libra, which operates the rival 

T37 and T35 concessions across the Santos 

harbour on the right bank, unsuccessfully 

appealed to Codesp on this issue, as did 

Localfrio, a reefer and general container 

warehousing company. 

On top of the extra area Tecon Santos 

ordered six new superpost-Panamax 

cranes from ZPMC. These are double 

hoist cranes with a maximum capacity of 

100t. Outreach is 55m (22-wide) plus the 

extra spreader and overall height with 

boom raised is 116m. Self-weight is said 

to be 1824t. Rail span is 31m and top 

trolley speed is 240 m/min. These are the 

first ZPMC cranes at Tecon Santos; the 

other 10 were supplied by Impsa, Villares, 

Bardella and Noell Inpar. 

Richard Klien, the chairman of Santos 

Brasil, said that it was clear that volumes 

fell last year, by 16.7% at Santos Brasil (to 

1.084M TEU), but it was important to 

continue with its expansion plans to prepare 

for the future bounce-back. Overall 

Santos throughput was 2.191M TEU in 

2009 (down 18.1% on 2008), according 

to Datamar). 

Enough for now 

“I think we have a first class terminal now 

and are due some respect, but that will be 

it for us in terms of investment for some 

years to come,” said Klien. 

“I think that with Libra, Tecondi, and 

Brasil Terminal Portuaria and all their 

extra capacity coming on stream, Santos 

has enough capacity for many years to 

come. Barnabé Bagres will be very important 

one day, but the port will not need 

it for more container facilities until the 

end of this decade.” 

He suggests that any new terminal 

developments should go towards servicing 

the rapidly growing offshore industry 

in Brazil, where the Pre-Salt region’s 

reserves are understood to total 80B barrels 

of oil/gas equivalent. 

As well as expanding its area, Tecon 

Santos (formerly known as Santos Brasil 

before the company started up container 

interests in Imbituba and Vila do Conde) 

has increased its capacity by a third, to 

2M TEU. It had become fairly congested 

in 2008, so the new cranes and capacity 

were needed. 

Opposite problem 

But now, the problem could be the opposite 

one to 2008. “There is now the 

danger of idle capacity,” suggested Klien. 

“Capacity is up and volumes are down 

around 20% and as we forecast growth at 

only 5-7%, it might be another three years 

before they return to 2008 levels.” 

Be that as it may, expansion plans are 

also moving forward apace at the right 

Santos needs to “treble up” by 2024, says 

the Brazilian government, but existing 

operators fear lest expansion is too quick 

bank terminals of Tecondi and Libra’s 

seminal T37 facility. And a new installation, 

Brasil Terminal Portuaria (BTP), 

which has the backing of MSC Line, has 

also made significant strides. 

Henry Robinson, the director general 

for BTP, said that the first phase - decontamination 

of a partially toxic waste 

ground - has been completed and the 

structural works are commencing. BTP 

should open sometime in 2012 and will 

have a container capacity for 1.3M TEU/ 

year. It will also handle ethanol, which 

Brazil should be exporting in greater volumes 

in the next two years. The BTP 

project is costed at around Reais1.6B 

(€662M), has four berths and covers a 

342,000 m 2 area. 

Tecondi has just begun operating its 

fifth mobile harbour crane (a new 

Liebherr LHM 600) and is currently 

rounding off a US$100M expansion programme 

that will increase annual capacity 

from around 330,000 TEU up to 

700,000 TEU. 

Luiz Araújo, Tecondi’s commercial director, 

said that although container 

throughput at Santos fell by around 16% 

last year, Tecondi dropped just 14% and 

the overall forecast for Santos in 2010 is a 

8-10% increase. 

“It has to be said that 2009 was a bad 

year for everybody, but we carried on with 

our investment plan as we are confident 

that the lost volumes will soon return,” 

Richard Klien, the chairman of Santos Brasil, 

is not convinced that Barnabé Bagres should 

be a short-term priority, in view of other projects 

already under way in Santos 


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Santos: looking over Tecondi, with 

Barnabé-Bagres on the other side 

said Arauujo. “I should add though 

that major capacity increases will 

need investment on the road and 

rail links into Santos; otherwise 

serious bottlenecks will appear.” 

So confident is Araújo that he 

is forecasting an above average rise 

this year of between 10-12%, as 

talks are “nearly finalised” with a 

group of carriers operating a new 

ECSA-Asia service, and this could 

bring in an extra 100,000 TEU/ 

year to Tecondi. 

Grupo Libra, the first private 

container terminal operator in 

Brazil, is planning to invest 

Reais200M (€83M) on merging 

T37 with the nearby T35 area. 

This means taking over the 

area in between, which is currently 

used by the federal police. Libra 

also bought T33, a sugar export 

terminal, last year and this will 

form part of the new complex. 

Another adjacent area is Pier 36, 

which is currently used as a 

bonded warehouse. 

Once the expansion is completed 

Libra will have increased its 

capacity from 700,000 TEU to 

1M TEU. Its quay will be extended 

from 1300m, split into two 

parts, to 1700m of continuous 

quay. “We will increase our productivity 

many times over,” said a 

Libra spokesman. “We need to join 

up the various bits of our operation 

if we are to compete with the 

other terminals in Santos.” 

Ongoing dispute 

As reported several times over the 

past 2-3 years, a “civil war” has 

been waged between rival Brazilian 

port operators in recent years, 

with Abratec and terminal operators 

who came through the state 

tendering process on one side and 

Portonave/Triunfo/MSC and 

CMA CGM, plus other proponents 

of private terminals on 

“green field” sites on the other. 

Now that MSC is making 

progress with its BTP project and 

Triunfo has put in a plan for planning 

and environmental permission 

to construct a Reais1.5B terminal 

on the left bank of the 

Santos estuary, they could be seen 

as “stepping stones” towards the 

huge Reais9B Barnabé-Bagres 

project, which would indeed triple 

the size of Santos. 

Bright for Brites? 

Brasil Intermodal Terminal Santos 

(or Brites, as the Triunfo project 

is called) has bought 623,000 m 2 

of land in an area known as Largo 

Santa Rita located between the 

islands of Barnabé and Bagres. It 

aims to build a terminal with an 

annual capacity of 0.8M-1M TEU 

per annum, based on 900m of 

contiguous berthing. 

Triunfo is one the main shareholders 

behind the Portonave box 

terminal in Navegantes, part of the 

Itajaí port complex, which has the 

full backing of MSC Line, but 

because of the carrier’s involvement 

in BTP, it will not be included 

in the Brites project. 

At the end of April members 

of the Triunfo board, Codesp and 

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Antaq the Brazilian National 

Agency for Waterborne Transport, 

has fined container terminal operator 

Portonave Reais364,500 

(US$203,490) for handling only 

a small percentage (just 1%) of 

“proprietary cargo” since it 

opened for business in 2008. 

If Antaq keeps up the pressure 

on Portonave, this development 

could have serious consequences 

for any future private terminal 

initiatives in Brazil, and possibly 

for the Hamburg Süd Itapoá terminal, 

in the state of Santa 

Catarina, which is scheduled to 

open early next year. 

Triunfo, one of the leading 

shareholders in Portonve, has issued 

a statement that it will appeal 

against the fine. Another 

shareholder is Backmoon Investment 

company, which has close 

links with MSC, one of the main 

users of the terminal. 

Portonave was set up as a private 

port on a “greenfield” site, on 

the understanding that a fairly 

large percentage would be its own 

proprietary cargo, and with the 

construction of its own reefer 

consolidation facility, Iceport, 

which opened for business in 

March 2009 and exports mainly 

chicken and pork. Its directors 

maintain that they always thought 

it was within the guidelines laid 

down by Antaq. 

However, a fire at Iceport last 

December forced the facility to 

Tecon Suape SA (TSSA), the 

ICTSI affiiliate, recently received 

eight new RTGs for Suape Container 

Terminal (SCT). The purchase 

is part of the three-year 

US$45 million capital investment 

programme of TSSA. 

Manufactured by Noell 

Cranes (now branded Terex Noell) 

in China, the 41t SWL RTGs 

stack 6 + 1/1 over 5 and are 

equipped with GPS-based 

autosteering and container posi- 


The Terminal 4 extension to Santos Brasil’s Tecon Santos facility 

body) will sit down for a public 

discussion about the project at 

UniSantos university in Santos. 

Hit the buffers 

As mentioned above, Embraport, 

the longest running of the new 

“green field” projects, has recently 

hit the buffers. The plan was origi- 

nally conceived in 1998 when 

trading company Coimex bought 

the land on the left bank (Guarujá 

side) of the port of Santos. 

As previously reported, last 

September DP World announced 

that it was joining forces with Brazilian 

construction giant 

Odebrecht to buy a 51.5% share 

Portonave fine a warning? 

close down and then a detailed 

study by Antaq discovered that 

only 1% of the cargo it handled 

could be termed “proprietary.” 

Iceport was built, at a cost of 

US$29M, to assuage criticisms that 

Portonave had exploited the “grey 

areas” in Brazilian port legislation. 

No-one can say for sure how 

much cargo is “sufficient” for 

Antaq’s rules, but “at least close to 

50%” seems to be a general view 

in Brazilian port terminal circles. 

Portonave had argued that Iceport 

was a trading company and that 

its US$3M annual turnover was 

enough to convince Antaq that 

sufficient “proprietary cargo” was 

being handled at the facility. 

In January this year Portonave 

handled nearly 38,000 TEU (up 

50% over flood-affected 2009), 

and its managers were forecasting 

2010 throughput to reach around 

600,000 TEU, about 50% higher 

than the 410,000 TEU in 2009. 

Much of the criticism had 

come from Sérgio Salomão, the 

president of Abratec, which has 

always argued that “greenfield” 

operators were given unfair advantages, 

in reduced costs, cheaper 

labour (they do not have to use 

the OGMO organised labour 

pool), and lower port fees. 

Most of the leading container 

terminals in Brazil, including 

Grupo Libra, Santos Brasil, Wilson, 

Sons and TCP Paranaguá, are 

members of Abratec. ❏ 

New RTGs arrive at Suape 

tion determination. They should 

be operational by the end of this 

month and will bring the fleet of 

RTGs at SCT to 12 machines. 

ICTSI has reported that its 

South American concessions, 

TSSA and CGSA Guayquil in 

Ecuador, handled 876,200 TEU in 

2009, compared to 885,000 TEU 

in 2008. TSSA volume fell, while 

CGSA’s throughput rose by 6% 

due to the growth related to containerisation 

of banana exports ❏ 

March 2010


in the US$1B project from Coimex. Everyone 

expected the global operator to become 

a new “heavy hitter” in Brazil. 

However, local sources say that excavation 

works, which picked up after the hiatus 

last year before the DPW/Odebrecht 

deal, have halted once again. 

One São Paulo-based analyst commented: 

“Embraport’s directors are trying 

to work out the financial engineering 

aspects of the project. DP World has 

bought its stake, but all the same this is 

still a huge project and the financing must 

be settled in order for it to proceed.” 

Work first started at the site in early 

2008 and Coimex spent US$20M clearing 

it and building an access road before 

it ran out of money. One source said that 

Embraport faces more delays because the 

authorities are concerned that the change 

of ownership from Coimex, which is a 

trading company with “proprietary cargo,” 

to two companies without it, means that 

Antaq will have to re-examine the whole 

project. 

One Abratec member remarked: “I 

think that the DP World purchase means 

a new start. The project must be 

resubmitted to Antaq because, by definition, 

the cargo that was Coimex cargo is 

not the cargo of Odebrecht or DP World. 

They will simply have to submit a new 

request for authorisation for the project.” 

Odebrecht may turn out to have “sufficient 

proprietary cargo.” It is a big construction 

company and huge infrastructure 

works lined up in Brazil (via PACs 1 

and 2); Petrobras is ramping up capacity; 

and preparations for the 2014 World Cup 

and 2016 Olympics are under way. 

Warning shots 

However, the Portonave fine (see previous 

page) suggests that Abratec continues to 

enjoy Antaq’s ear. Another Abratec member 

commented: “The rules are foggy, and 

this is allowing for different interpretations 

on both sides of the battlefield. 

Overall, I think the current model of tendering 

for sites within existing port areas 

remains fit for purpose. There is no need 

for any green field site developments, certainly 

not in the container sphere.” 

Others, including shipping lines wanting 

more capacity, and companies like DP 

World, APM Terminals, MSC, CMA 

CGM (Terminal Link) and ICTSI, might 

suggest that Abratec members are just trying 

to protect their quasi-monopoly and 

prevent the growth that is necessary to 

meet Brito’s targets for the year 2024. The 

argument will run and run. ❏ 

Box traffic down 

in Uruguay 

In 2009, the container terminals in 

Uruguay (TCP and Montecon) reported 

throughput of 351,000 TEU, 

compared with 401,600 TEU in 2008 

(-12%). Traffic last year was broadly 

similar to that registered in 2007, when 

352,700 TEU were handled. 

The vice president of the National 

Ports Administration (ANP), Santiago 

Sotuyo, said the figures “yielded no 

major surprises.” Looking at the last 

five years as a whole, he said, the overall 

trend in container traffic remains in 

the ascendancy. He cited forecasts that 

suggest that 2010 will see an 8% increase 

in container traffic, due mostly 

to the recovery of the economies in 

neighbouring countries. 

ANP has to justify its plan for the 

private sector to develop another container 

terminal in Montivideo, in the 

teeth of opposition from Katoen Natie 

(KN) affiliate TCP, whose own new 

post-Panamax berth was offically inaugurated 

by Uruguayan president 

Tabaré Vázquez last October. 

As previously reported, last July 

KN formally asked the government 

not to proceed with another container 

terminal and said it would take the 

dispute to arbitration. 

As it happens, ANP went ahead 

with the tender, but failed to attract 

any bids. Officially, at least, the government 

is still “convinced” that a second 

new terminal is needed. For its 

part, Montecon, the public terminal 

operator, said that ANP’s business 

model needs to be reappraised. ❏ 

Deep thinking on the River Paraná 

Under a unique contract, Belgian 

dredging group Jan De Nul is deepening 

and maintaining a 1300km 

stretch of the Paraná River and River 

Plate in Argentina at no cost to the 

state. Instead it is taking a toll from 

traffic using the river system. 

In 1994, after years of difficult navigation 

due to deficient maintenance 

dredging and general neglect, the Argentine 

government invited bids for the 

dredging, deepening and maintenance of 

the fairway at a depth of 32ft of the Paraná 

and River Plate system between Santa Fé 

and the Atlantic Ocean, a distance of over 

800 km. The tender also covered installation 

and maintenance of navaids, such as 

buoys, navigation lights, kilometre posts 

etc, and developing an international traffic 

management and signalling system. 

Hidrovía 

Jan De Nul and its Argentine partner 

Emepa SA were awarded the concession 

under a joint venture vehicle, Hidrovía 

SA, which they established specifically to 

undertake the project. 

The concession is still unique in the 

sense that a private company maintains the 

navigational depth and collects tolls from 

the vessels that navigate the fairway, although 

the Argentine government monitors 

the charges imposed and has the power 

to veto any increases that it considers un- 


news 

justified. Hidrovía’s costs must be covered 

by the vessels using the river network. 

Deepening the river and making navigation 

safe for ocean-going vessels has 

allowed a sharp increase in (mainly agribulk) 

exports. This encouraged the Argentine 

authorities to exercise its option 

to extend the concession to 2013 and to 

specify that the fairway be deepened to 

34ft.This requires the deployment of three 

to four dredgers, depending upon the season, 

various survey vessels and special 

purpose vessels for the maintenance of 

the navigation system. 

Opening up 

Following long negotiations, Jan De Nul 

obtained the final approval from the Ministry 

of Economy and the Planning, Public 

Investments and Services for the ex- 

People and vessels. In a nutshell, that 

is the driving force behind Jan De nul 

Group. Thanks to the approximately 

5,000 employees and its ultramodern 

fleet, today the group ranks at the top 

of the international dredging and marine 

related industry. Also with regard to civil 

engineering and environmental works, the 

group is one of the largest contractors. 

Thanks to the supporting services of the 

dredging, civil and environmental division, Jan 

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projects to our clients’ satisfaction, whether this 

concerns a Palm Island in Dubai, a new port facility 

in Australia or the construction of the new Panama Locks. 

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www.jandenul.com 

March 2010 23 

magazine World Cargo News 03_2010.indd 1 12/03/2010 13:36:21


news 

tension of the contract until 2021. 

It is stipulated that Jan De Nul will 

deepen the stretch between 

Rosario and the ocean to a depth 

of 36ft and the stretch between 

Santa Fé and Rosario to 28ft. This 

deepening will take around two 

years and will involve deployment 

of two more dredgers. 

The construction of the 

new lock complexes at 

both ends of the Panama 

Canal has the potential to change 

the pattern of world shipping 

The decision to go ahead with 

this ambitious project was finally 

taken in 2006 and was based on 

the previous year’s performance, 

which showed that container ship 

traffic was the main driving force 

of Canal traffic growth. 

During 2005 this segment represented 

98M PCUMS tons (the 

unit of measure used in the Canal 

to establish tolls), some 35% of the 

total PCUMS volume passing 

through the Canal and 40% of its 

revenues. 

That same year, the dry bulk 

segment represented 55M 

PCUMS tons volume and 19% of 

the revenues, while the vehicle 

24 

Additionally, a new 600km 

stretch to the north between Santa 

Fé and Corrientes has been added 

to the concession to allow agricultural 

products from the Northern 

provinces to be transported 

more efficiently by barges to the 

downstream ports along the 

Paraná River for transhipment. 

carriers segment generated 35M 

PCUMS tons or 11% of income. 

While these figures may no 

longer be relevant in terms of today’s 

trading conditions, container 

traffic will continue to be the main 

revenue generator for the Canal. 

The canal competes with the US 

intermodal system as well as the 

Suez Canal and potentially the 

Arctic route, but its planners argue 

that the rapid expansion of 

post-Panamax container ships indicates 

that the economics of this 

size of ship are such that they outweigh 

the disadvantage of being 

restricted to specific routings. 

With larger locks and increased 

capacity, as the existing lock sys- 

This section will be dredged and 

maintained to 12ft and the navaids 

upgraded to the international 

IALA standard to allow barge traffic 

throughout the year. 

Digging deep 

Jan de Nul has a strong presence 

in South America, where currently 

tem will still be employed, this 

class of vessel will have greater 

flexibility and be able to operate 

trans-Pacific to the USEC and also 

to Europe in full “Round-the- 

World” services. 

US$5B hole 

The US$5.25B project to construct 

a new set of locks and access 

channels to expand the Canal’s 

capacity comprises of three 

integrated components: the construction 

of two lock facilities, one 

on the Atlantic side and another 

on the Pacific side, each with three 

chambers, each of which incorporates 

three water “header” basins; 

the excavation of new access 

working on some nine major 

projects. A US$16M contract for 

the capital dredging of the Port 

of Buenos Aires was awarded by 

AGP (Administración General de 

Puertos) and requires the removal 

of over 1M m 3 of spoil using its 

3,400 m 3 trailing suction hopper 

dredge NIÑA, plus a cutter suction 

channels to the new locks and the 

widening of existing navigational 

channels; and, the deepening of 

the navigation channels and raising 

the water level of Lake Gatún. 

The new locks will use a significant 

portion of the excavations 

from the original “third set of 

locks” project started by the US 

in 1939 but suspended in 1942 just 

after the US entered WWII. 

The new lock chambers will 

be 427m (1400ft) long, by 55m 

(180ft) wide, and 18.3m (60ft) 

deep and incorporate rolling gates 

instead of the mitre gates used by 

the existing locks. 

Tugs will be employed to position 

the vessels instead of loco- 

dredger, scheduled to be completed 

later this year. 

A larger project in Brazil, 

which has been “on and off” 

since 2008 and, because of various 

delays, will not now be 

completed until 2011 at the earliest, 

calls for the removal of 5M 

m 3 of spoil plus reclamation of 

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A future you can meet with con� dence 

motives. However, as previously 

reported, the canal authorities 

have been lobbied to use locos so 

that even wider ships can use the 

enlarged system. 

The design of the new locks is 

modelled closely on the 

Berendrecht and Zandvliet locks 

in Antwerp, although as these are 

tidal, allowing the sea to replenish 

lost water behind the gates, they 

do not require the additional integrated 

water reservoirs that the 

new Panama locks will have. The 

project is scheduled for completion 

late 2014, coinciding with the 

centenary of the opening of the 

Panama Canal. 

Open tender 

The contract to construct the 

three lock complexes and associated 

access channels on both the 

Atlantic and Pacific entrances was 

awarded by Panama Canal Authority 

(ACP) to the Grupo 

Unidos por el Canal (GUPC) 

consortium formed by Sacyr 

Vallehermoso (Spain) and 

Somague (Portugal), Impregilo 

(Italy), Jan De Nul (Belgium) and 

Panama’s Constructora Urbana. 

GUPC’s bid of US$3.22B was 

inside ACP’s US$3.48B budget for 

this part of the overall project. The 

contract was awarded on a technical 

merit evaluation basis, 

whereby of a total of 5500 points, 

the GUPC consortium obtained 

4,088.5 points, compared with 

3,973.5 for the CANAL consortium, 

comprising ACS, Acciona, 

Fomento, Hochtief and ICA de 

México, and 3,789.5 for the 

grouping formed by Bechtel, 

Taisei and Mitsubishi. 

Two weeks after receiving the 

bids for the dredging works of the 

Atlantic entrance, ACP notified 

Jan De Nul that it had been selected 

to carry out the US$90M 

Atlantic deepening and widening 

works, separately from the GUPC 

contract. 

The company is familiar with 

the area to be dredged as it was 


580,000 m 3 to develop Embraport 

in Santos (see also pp21-2). 

A similar amount of spoil is 

being dredged at Buenaventura for 

the Tcbuen container terminal. 

Here a 2.4km access channel is 

being dredged to -12.5m and a 

turning basin and berth pocket are 

also being dredged. ❏ 

the contractor for the dredging 

works in the same area in 2005, 

albeit with a smaller scope. 

It is also experienced in the 

construction of large locks, having 

been involved in the building 

of the Berendrecht and Zandvliet 

locks in Antwerp, while Port of 

Antwerp engineers have also been 

involved during the consultation 

and design process. 

The latest Atlantic entrance 

dredging project includes lowering 

the canal bed to -15.5m below 

Mean Low Water (MLW), 

dredging around 14.8M m 3 and 

conducting the dry excavation of 

a further 800,000 m 3 . 

The area to be dredged on the 

Atlantic entrance extends 13.8 km 

and the scope of work also includes 

widening the existing Atlantic 

entrance channel from 

198m to a minimum of 225m and 

the north approach channel to a 

minimum of 218m. 

Dry dig 

Work on the second largest contract 

of the expansion programme, 

the PAC-4 project, has commenced 

following ACP’s award to 

a consortium made up of Spanish 

construction firm FCC, Mexico’s 

ICA and Costa Rica’s Meco, 

which beat Jan de Nul, Brazil’s 

Oderbrecht and the ISC Panama 

consortium following its submission 

of a US$267,798,795.99 bid. 

The second lowest bid was submitted 

by the ICS Panama consortium 

which came in at 

US$294,913,000. 

PAC-4 is the most complex 

expansion project after the design 

and build of the new set of locks 

and requires dry excavation to create 

an access channel linking the 

new Pacific locks with the Canal’s 

existing Gaillard Cut. 

The scope of work includes 

26M m 3 of excavation, building a 

6.1 km access channel, installation 

of a backfilled cellular cofferdam 

water barrier and the construction 

of an earth-rock filled dam that 

will create part of the access channel’s 

eastern bank. The work is 

scheduled to conclude during the 

third quarter of 2013. ❏ 

Components of the Third Set of Locks project. 1. Deepening and widening the 

Atlantic entrance channel. 2. New approach channel for the Atlantic New 

Panamax (NPX) locks. 3. The NPX locks with three water-saving basins per 

lock chamber. 4. Raising the maximum Gatún Lake water level. 5. Widening 

and deepening the navigation channel of Gatún Lake and Culebra Cut (Gaillard 

Cut). 6. New approach channel for the Pacific NPX locks. 7. Pacific NPX 

locks with three water-saving basins per lock chamber. 8. Deepening and widening 

the Pacific entrance channel 

March 2010

PORT DEVELOPMENT/INLAND 

Add value through portcentric logistics 

The expression “portcentric logistics” 

(PCL, or PSL for “portside logistics”) has 

become a buzz expression in the ports 

industry. Some port operators talk as 

though they invented PCL, but it’s as old 

as containerisation - ie the CFS. 

Traditionally CFS operations grew up 

to handle LCL cargo and/or because the 

road network was inadequate for containers, 

or local shippers and receivers lacked 

the facilities to handle them, and/or highway 

permits for “overweight” containers 

could be avoided. 

The question whether the CFS should 

be on-dock or near-dock has always been 

considered from the terminal operator’s 

viewpoint: the on-dock CFS takes up 

space that may be needed to store containers 

and it creates extra traffic at the 

portgate and in the port perimeter. However, 

in the modern context of supply 

chain logistics, a broader view is needed. 

Other factors 

Over the years new “drivers” for PCL 

have emerged. The CFS at the Port of 

Tacoma (Wa), US is typical. This 100,000 

ft 2 on-dock facility at the port’s T7 container 

facility, close by two intermodal rail 

yards, has been open for more than 30 

years, but in recent years it has been used 

more and more to strip shipping containers 

and transload import cargo into 49/ 

53ft domestic containers because: 

● The 20/40ft shipping container stays in 

the port; there is no need to reposition it 

empty (trade imbalances) and demurrage 

charges are avoided. 

● Better load factors can be obtained by 

using wider (palletwide) and longer 

“domcons.” 

● Time and money can be saved by cutting 

out an intermediate leg, as goods can 

be shipped direct to destination instead 

of via an inland DC. 

And this is just one CFS in one port! 

At the other end of the spectrum, ports 

such as Kotka and Hamina in Finland, or 

Duisburg in Germany, can even be considered 

as “pure PCL” ports. 

RDC in the port 

In some cases the RDC itself can move 

into the port estate. This is the case at PD 

Teesport, where both ASDA-Walmart and 

(opening soon) Tesco have located their 

non-food DCs for the whole of the north 

of Great Britain. Last month PD Ports 

put out a statement that it has helped 

ASDA and its “George” clothing range 

save more than 1.26M road miles through 

its Logical Link coastal feeder service, 

launched in January 2009, that connects 

Teesport with Felixstowe. 

That is the extent of PD Ports’ “logistics” 

involvement with these two tenants, 

although of course it provides all their 

container transport and management 

services in the docks. However, PD Ports 

is currently developing a business support 

service to assist SMEs with their PCL requirements 

in the Teesport hinterland. 

One new customer is Taylors of Harrogate 

(Yorkshire Tea and Bettys Tea Rooms 

brands), which has cut road miles by shipping 

import cargoes via Teesport and storing 

them on-site prior to their final short 

leg journey to Harrogate. 

PD Ports has also stepped up PCL 

activities at Felixstowe, where its PD Logistics 

division is now handling all 

Halewood International’s imports of 

Tsingtao Beer from China. The containers 

will be received into Felixstowe and 

unloaded into PD Logistics’ 500,000 ft 2 

on-dock bonded warehouse for storage 

prior to onward despatch. 

PD Logistics has expanded its wet 

bond area in the port from 80,000 ft 2 to 

165,000 ft 2 to accommodate the imported 

Tsingtao beer and allow for further expansion 

in this market. 

Although generally associated with 

container through transport, Felixstowe 

has for many years been used for PCL 

of non-food products by 3PLs such as 

Howard Tenens. And last year marked 

something of a coup for the port. After 

an absence of 10 years, cold storage 

and handling returned to the port in 

the shape of “Seafast Celsius,” from 

Seafast Logistics. 

Some recent developments, issues and 

There is growing interest in being more 

than just a through gate for unitised cargo 

further possibilities for PCL were aired 

at a PCL conference organised by Navigate 

Events in Manchester, England in 

early March. Two case studies involving 

successful collaboration between a shipper 

and a 3PL were presented: JML Group 

and Port of Tyne Logistics over the Port 

of Tyne; and Samsung Electronics UK 

(SEUK) and NYK Logistics (NYKL) over 

Thamesport London. 

JML established its home shopping 

DC in the Port of Tyne in 2008; this year 

it will also move its retail distribution to 

the port. Ken Daly, MD of JML, described 

the operation as a “one stop shop from 

quay to consumer.” 

Quay to consumer 

This year JML will move 1600 containers 

over the Port of Tyne, from where 

60,000 individual store deliveries, 500 DC 

deliveries and 300,000 direct-to-consumer 

deliveries will be made. All handling, 

in-terminal transport, devanning, 

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warehousing, pallet tracking, repacking, 

distribution is provided by Port of Tyne 

Logistics, which has satellite tracking 

throughout its vehicle fleet. 

SEUK contracted white goods to 

NYKL in December 2005 and relocated 

its white goods NDC from Marston Gate 

(Chelmsford) to London Thamesport in 

June 2008. That contract was extended 

in December 2008. An airport centric 

(ACL) contract over Heathrow for mobile 

’phones went to NYKL in April 2007. 

In both cases the facilities are bonded, 

so taxes are not paid on the goods until 

they are on the road, which is positive for 

cash flow. 


news 

SEUK has gone from strength to 

strength in the UK market and the company’s 

GM, Ian Ulmvoen, acknowledged 

the time and money savings achieved by 

PCL and ACL as a key factor in its success, 

even though retail prices have been 

falling (see also WorldCargo News, January 

2009, p20). On the ACL side, SEUK is 

looking to achieve Day 1 deliveries from 

China to UK retailers! 

London calling... 

London Thamesport now offers 155,000 

ft 2 of warehousing within the port perimeter 

and cross-docking is provided in 

the latest extension. Murray Gibson, head 

of sales and marketing, Hutchison Ports 

(UK), defined PCL as “a unique set of 

services leveraging port assets to the benefit 

of the cargo owner or shipper.” 

environmentally conscious performance level, Konecranes is committed 

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March 2010 25 

RMG_Full_Page.indd 1 29.1.2010 16:31:13


news 

The on-dock facilities at Thamesport have been profitably exploited for PCL by 

NYK Logistics on behalf of Samsung Electronics (UK) 

Last September, he reported, a 

planning application for an integrated 

logistics park (ILP) with 

potential for up to 5M ft 2 of warehousing 

located on National Grid 

land adjacent to Thamesport was 

submitted. The internal road network 

would have a direct link 

with the port. 

Gibson added a sharp point. 

Can ILP tenants be expected to 

queue at the general port gate for 

C & D of containers in the same 

manner as everybody else, or 

should they have the privilege of, 

say, a “reserved” gate and stack? 

26 

Obviously this is controversial, but 

it provides a supply chain perspective 

on the traditional on-dock/ 

off-dock CFS question. 

...twice 

The biggest ILP - indeed the biggest 

infrastructure project in the 

UK - is earmarked by DP World 

at London Gateway. The project’s 

MD, Simon Moore, asked rhetorically: 

is London Gateway a port 

with an ILP or an ILP with a port. 

At the end of last year DP 

World bought out Shell’s interest 

in the ILP site, so it now has com- 

plete ownership of the former 

Shellhaven site, as it was already 

the harbour authority and the future 

container terminal operator. 

The ILP, which has outline 

planning for 9.25M ft 2 (0.86M m 2 ) 

of warehouses/DCs, including 

rail-served buildings occupying to 

1.29M ft 2 and no less than 41m 

tall, is expected to count eventually 

for 10-15% of the container 

traffic over the quay. 

Out of kilter 

What do such huge ILPs mean? 

Mike Garratt, MD of MDS 

Transmodal, reported that English 

south east ports account for 

around 63% of the UK’s deepsea 

and shortsea unitised imports, 

but the counties in which they 

are located account for only 

10% of the UK’s large warehousing 

capacity. Almost 40% of 

that capacity is in the English 

Midlands. It is evident, said 

Garratt, that current warehousing 

distribution does not address 

PCL opportunities. 

According to Garratt, based on 

population distribution, the overall 

average trucking distance for 

getting imported unitised goods 

to RDCs could be reduced by 90 

kms (a saving of £67/load at current 

fuel prices) by shipping direct 

from a southeast PCL location 

instead of the traditional way, 

via the NDC in the Midlands. 

In similar vein, Philip Damas, 

director, Drewry Supply Chain 

Advisors, gave an example of a 

combined trip cost of £1050 

for three loads (£1.75M for 

10,000 TEU) from PCL 

Felixstowe direct to RDCs 

compared with £1600 for three 

loads (£2.65M for 10,000 TEU) 

from Felixstowe to RDCs via 

NDCs. These savings exclude 

container restitution. 

To continue Garratt’s example, 

the single “direct” distance 

from a south east port to a RDC 

averages 280 kms. This can be 

compared with 180 kms + 190 

kms (370 kms) for the traditional 

primary and secondary 

leg - port to NDC, followed by 

NDC to RDC. Furthermore, 

that “longer” single distance, 

said Garratt, lends itself to rail 

distribution by virtue of distance 

as well as aggregation. 

London Gateway reportedly 

plans to double the existing rail 

track connection into the site and 

build a rail depot capable of han- 

dling 60 trains/day, to achieve 30% 

inland distribution by rail. 

Wagons roll? 

Most of this would be container 

block trains, but for PCL rail distribution 

to work there have to 

be covered wagon services, and 

these are practically non-existent 

in the UK today other than for 

dedicated “neo-bulk” traffic (cars, 

steel, forest products). Besides, how 

many RDCs are rail-served? 

Swap body services could have 

a role to play, but much of the rail 

network is gauge-restricted. For 

example, it is difficult to see how 

Stobart, or any other intermodal 

contractor, can deliver goods for 

Tesco by rail out of Teesport. Distances 

to the main northern markets 

are below the “threshold,” 

even with aggregation, and in any 

case speed and gauge restrictions 

and other bottlenecks hamper rail 

distribution over the port. 

Again, SEUK/NYKL serve 

the Scottish market by truck from 

London Thamesport: which 

comes first, the availability of covered 

wagon or swap body services 

or a willingness to use them? 

From an environmental standpoint, 

it would be better to feeder 

Scottish destination containers to, 

say, Grangemouth, but London 

Thamesport is hardly ideally located 

for transhipment. 

Coastwise feedering opportunities 

could arise at London Gateway 

especially if, as Moore surmised, 

the ILP has “big tenants” 

that can provide aggregation. 

No French lessons! 

London Gateway’s location suggests 

that the London market 

could be supplied in part by containerised 

barge services on the 

Thames, but there seems to be little 

market interest in this concept 

and the protected wharves on the 

Thames are probably not big 

enough and in the wrong place 

anyway. What has been achieved 

in the Le Havre-Rouen-Paris 

market looks “impossible” here, 

which is a national disgrace. 

For the time being, it looks as 

though PCL, at least in a UK context, 

will be heavily road-oriented 

and that is not ideal from an overall 

social perspective. But there are 

other points to bear in mind. 

Nigel Jenney, CEO of the 

Fresh Produce Consortium (FPL), 

gave his audience at the Navigate 

conference “food for thought.” 

The UK imports 60%, or 5.2 Mt, 

of its annual fruit and vegetable 

consumption. To maintain viable 

margins in a highly-competitive 

and price-sensitive market, importers 

have continually to review 

their costs to find efficiencies. 

Black holes 

To date the participation of the 

UK port environment has all been 

excluded. Ports are seen variously 

as a means to an end, with no 

added value, a “black hole” from 

which goods need to be removed 

as quickly as possible in order to 

minimise cost. Each day in transit 

is equivalent to a 0.9% reduction 

in prices for fruit and vegetables. 

Steps are being taken by FPL 

and some leading British ports to 

improve “transparency,” but the 

PORT DEVELOPMENT/INLAND 

Schematic of the massive London Gateway port and integrated logistics complex, 

the whole of which is now owned by DP World 

produce industry’s “unique” requirements 

must be recognised 

and the incremental benefits of 

PCL must at least offset the “volume 

activity loss” associated with 

the current model. 

There is an opportunity since, 

on health grounds, fruit and vegetable 

consumption as a share of 

the UK diet needs to increase. 

Many products are imported seasonally, 

so the PCL model may 

need to be able to draw on complementary 

products to succeed. 

Broader issues 

Some broader issues also have to 

be considered in the context of 

PCL. For one thing, least cost advantage 

for a number of consumer 

products has shifted from China 

towards Central/Eastern Europe. 

PCL can be equally applied to 

shortsea as well as deepsea shipping, 

but the 45ft palletwide containers 

widely used in European 

shortsea trades are much bettersuited 

to door-to-door distribution 

than deepsea ISO 20/40fts. 

More fundamentally, PCL for 

the UK does not have to be based 

in UK ports. The Port of Zeebrugge 

is an established “bridgehead 

for UK distribution,” to quote 

its sales and logistics director Miel 

Vermorgen. The port’s growing 

deepsea hub role is underpinned by 

a wide array of shortsea ro-ro and 

lo-lo operators serving many British 

and Irish ports. 

According to Vermorgen, “order 

picking” in Zeebrugge as late 

as 14.00h on Day A will result in 

Day B deliveries in London by 

06.00h, in Birmingham by 10.00h, 

Manchester by 12.00h and Glasgow 

by 15.00h. Zeebrugge is also 

a great example of produce PCL, 

with, for example, a throughput of 

875,000 tpa of conventional 

chilled/frozen cargo shipments 

(BNFW, Zespri, Tropicana, Flanders 

Cold Center, European Fish Centre, 

Zeebrugge Food Logistics). 

“Remote” bases 

Perhaps even more fundamentally, 

3PLs and LLPs have looked beyond 

PCL in the port in the import 

(or transhipment) country to 

PCL in the port in the export 

country, where costs are generally 

lower. To give an example, an FCL 

consignment for an RDC in the 

UK can be a mixed load of different 

goods from different suppliers 

packed by the 3PL in or near the 

export port. When the container 

is landed in the import port, PCL 

is already part of its identity. 

Finally, with PCL, as with classic 

container terminal thinking, 

there seems to be an assumption 

that the current globalisation 

model is here to stay. However, this 

is intensely ideological - “eternalising” 

the status quo. 

The global crisis has exposed 

the lack of sustainability of both 

the level and the shape of world 

trade. No country in the developed 

world, has bought into the 

stark dichotomy of globalisation 

to the same extent as the UK - 

“you produce and we consume.” 

There is now a consensus that a 

more balanced economy is essential. 

PCL concepts stuck in the 

pre-crisis paradigm might find 

themselves struggling in future. ❏ 

March 2010

INLAND/INTERMODAL 

Trailers blaze the trail 

Love them or loathe them, you just 

can’t ignore “ecocombis.” In December 

the Dutch transport ministry 

reported that utilisation of the “experimental” 

25.25m/60t road trains, 

which have been tested on Dutch roads 

since 2001, increased sharply during 2009. 

In spite, or maybe because, of the economic 

crisis and the fall in demand for 

road transport, the number of rigs actively 

employed rose to 398, compared to 194 

in 2008, while the number of operators 

rose from 109 to 190. 

The test phase has become more and 

more liberal as the authorities’ confidence 

in road safety implications has increased. 

Dutch hauliers no longer need a special 

licence to operate ecocombis and are not 

subject to the same level of checking and 

surveillance as with the original licences. 

Of course interest has spilled over into 

neighbouring Belgium, particularly Flanders, 

where the regional government first 

authorised a pilot project in 2007. So far 

36 routes have been designated. 

Who needs enemies? 

Counter-intuitively Flemish/Dutch 

hauliers argue that ecocombis can support 

modal shift to rail or inland waterway, 

as they are much more efficient for 

local collection and delivery of containers 

(ie they have 3 TEU capacity) from 

rail or barge terminals. 

Meanwhile, European legislation is 

being challenged by a cross-border 

ecocombi operation between Hamburg 

and Denmark. Whatever individual member 

states of the EU authorise, rigs outwith 

the 96/53 norms are not allowed in 

international operations. 

However, so far at least the European 

Commission has refused to intervene, 

which does not say much for its confidence 

in the long-term future of 96/53. 

Longer trailers 

Of course 96/53 covers arctics as well as 

road trains. Apart from pushing road trains 

from 18.75m to 22.5m loa, there is interest 

in extending the 16.5m loa of arctics 

to 18m using 14.9m long trailers. 

In fact, Dutch operators have called 

for large-scale licenses to allow them to 

test Kögel Big-MAXX trailers and restore 

equilibrium with road train operators. In 

Germany, 50 licensed operators with 300 

Big-MAXX trailers are four years into a 

six year trial. Last year the Polish government 

authorised licenses for 300 Big- 

MAXXs, with 150 to come from Kögel 

and 150 from Polish builder Wielton. 

The Italian and French governments 

have also authorised tests, albeit more limited 

in scale and scope than in Germany 

or Poland. In the UK, the Department of 

Transport initiated a study of 18.55m long 

vehicles using 14.9m trailers, but so far 

no road tests have been authorised. 

Big-MAXX can carry four more 

europallets or eight more roll cages than 

a 13.6m trailer. It permits wider use of 

45ft containers, and can be used to carry 

48ft containers. Tests indicate that they can 

be operated within EU turning circle limits 

without the need for a rear steering 

axle, at least with certain tractor designs. 

Importantly, before it went into administration 

(it has since come out of it) 

Kögel obtained homologation for Big- 

MAXX for intermodal transport. This is 

important at a political level, although the 

opposition of intermodal circles to all 

longer, heavier vehicles remains fierce, as 

further decreases in the price per tonne 

or pallet of goods transported by road will 

reduce demand for combi-transport. 

A 14.9m semi-trailer with up to 4t 

extra load could have serious implications 

for the existing park of reach stackers and 

cranes in intermodal yards, as well as older 

but still unamortised pocket wagons. 

Not so keen 

As it happens, many hauliers prefer ecocombis 

to longer semi-trailers. With ecocombis 

the haulier can run an existing 

13.6m trailer and a 6m-8m drawbar, or a 

6m-8m rigid followed by a trailer 

mounted on a dolly, etc, but the danger 

of the 18m long arctic is that it makes 

existing 13.6m trailer fleets redundant. 

As previously reported, last year a 

German forwarders’ group proposed an 

ecocombi with an loa of 26,5m, sufficient 

for a Big-MAXX and a 6m-8m rigid, but 

this is a step too far at this juncture. 

On top of that, the assumption behind 

the 14.9m trailer is that what you 

really need is the extra cube and the extra 

weight that goes with it is merely a 

consequence of the former. In fact, the 

argument runs, many existing trailers 

weigh out before they cube out, so what 

would be much more relevant is a general 

increase in EU road weight to 44t. 

This, too, is anathema to rail and 

intermodal interests. There has never been 

an increase in allowable road weights that 

did not result in a loss of rail traffic to road. 

The debate about truck sizes is dominated 

by diametrically-opposed viewpoints 

and there is unlikely to be much 

shift from positions déjà prises. Meanwhile, 

however, other ways have been found to 

reduce fuel consumption and emissions 

per tonne/cube of goods transported 

within existing dimensions. 

Shed no tears 

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first continental European operator of the 

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news 

Kögel Big-MAXX (intermodal version). The design has enthusiastic support in some quarters, 

but is not “everybody’s cup of tea” as it could make existing 13.6m trailers redundant 

München 

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March 2010 27


news 

The first Teardrop Euro from Don-Bur is deployed by DHL Supply Chain 

pioneering “Teardrop” trailer, designed 

and buit by Don-Bur Bodies 

& Trailers Ltd in the UK, as 

part of its regular truck line between 

the Netherlands and Germany. 

The new trailer is expected 

to save up to 10% fuel due to its 

innovative aerodynamic design, 

equivalent to 25t of CO 2 during 

the first year of operation, but this 

may be an underestimate. 

Don-Bur has already established 

the Teardrop with leading 

UK operators, but the continental 

European design has to have 

an overall height of no more than 

4m to comply with EU legislation. 

Existing Teardrops in domestic 

British haulage vary between 

4.2m and 4.6m at the top of the 

Teardrop curve, which increases 

28 

load space by up to 10%. In the 

case of the Euro version, the challenge 

for Don-Bur was to keep 

overall height within 4m and provide 

a generous rear opening, 

without encroaching into load 

space or flattening the roof. 

By using small wheel (215/75 

R17.5) twin tyres, rear deck 

height is reduced to 790mm, allowing 

for a 2.24m high rear shutter 

door yet maintaining the aerodynamically 

low overall height at 

the rear. “Super” high lift suspension 

was fitted to provide an extra 

245mm for the floor height and 

match existing dock heights. 

Don-Bur also fitted a pneumatically-operated 

shutter, which 

retreats completely into the roof 

space, so access is totally unhin- 

dered. The increase in floor angle 

is minimal, with a variance from 

0.25 deg for a standard trailer to 2 

deg on the Teardrop “Euro.” Internal 

capacity is virtually identical 

to a standard European specified 

trailer at just over 96 m 3 . 

More than 10% 

A standard 4.5m high Teardrop, 

says Don-Bur, has a significant CD 

(coefficient of drag) value, but this 

is partially offset by the 300mm 

extra height compared to a conventional 

4.2m high trailer. The 

resultant net fuel saving is now 

accepted to be 10% on average - 

somewhat less than early estimates 

when the Teardrop was first introduced, 

but still very significant. 

However, the Teardrop Euro 

does not have the same “offset.” 

Its aerodynamic efficiency will 

translate directly into fuel savings, 

so the UK average saving of 10% 

will likely be exceeded. 

The order followed an 18month 

trial by DHL of a standard 

Teardrop in the UK. Features of the 

Teardrop Euro include: 76mm 

Mega Neck; fifth wheel height of 

1150mm; lightweight 7.5mm thick 

Blade panels, to provide 2484mm 

internal width between panels; side 

Loading by one push in and unloading by one pull out 

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and profi les are easily handled by Actiw LoadPlate. It smoothly loads project deliveries of varying sizes, 

lengths, and weights. 

LoadStrip is a clever accessory for the unloading of cargo loaded 

by Actiw LoadPlate. It enables quick and effi cient unloading from 

standard cargo space at standard trailer dock doors and platforms. 

Unloading with LoadStrip is possible by normal fork lifts, terminal 

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n 

skirts designed for wedge chassis; 

and minimum internal height of 

2279mm under shutter. 

The first customer for the 

Teardrop, with its “trademark” 

forward-swept front bulkhead, 

was Marks & Spencer, which 

now has a fleet of 140. The design 

can carry 16% more load 

than a standard trailer. 

Following successful trials, 

M&S specified Don-Bur’s 

Technolite aluminium panelling, 

resulting in an unladen trailer 

weight of 6860kg, a saving of 

640kg compared to its existing 

fleet. Other UK Teardrop customers 

include Lafarge, Business Post, 

Mr Kipling and TK Maxx. 

In the air 

Aerodynamics account for up to 

50% of fuel consumption at cruising 

speed and Don-Bur and trailer 

buiders are constantly examining 

form and profile to reduce drag. 

Another tapered front end design 

from Don-Bur is “EcoStream,” 

and express haulier APC Overnight 

is trialling one. 

This particular double-decker, 

curtain-sided EcoStream is fitted 

with a lifting deck to facilitate 

(un)loading and the rear doors can 

Sales reps wanted. 

Contact MD Reijo Viinonen at 

+358 207 424 830 or info@actiw.com. 

Use DCs instead of OTs 

for remarkable savings! 

Since 2004 the French authorities 

have allowed a 44t all-up 

weight (4t more than the general 

limit) for trucks transporting maritime 

cargo to/from a French seaport, 

provided the o/d point of the 

cargo is within 100 kms of that 

seaport. In agricultural regions a 

44t dispensation is also applied to 

trucks carrying grain or sugar beet 

during the harvest. 

Like earlier studies in the 

UK, French studies have reportedly 

shown that the extra mgw 

has led to important gains in 

productivity. Operating costs 

have gone up by 2-3% (extra 

brake and suspension wear), but 

average loads have gone up by 

13% and this has reduced the 

number of truck trips. 

This positive experience led 

the authorities to extend the 44t 

dispensation to “rail motorways” 

As previously reported, last December, 

Freightliner, the main rail 

haulier of maritime containers in 

Great Britain, started using its new 

and more powerful Powerhaul locos 

to haul longer trains in and 

out of the Port of Felixstowe. 

On the route to Birmingham 

the train has been extended to 30 

wagons (90 TEU), compared to 

the traditional limits out of 

Felixstowe of 22-24 wagons (66- 

72 TEU), depending on route. 

Increasing trailing length by 

130-150% and capacity by up to 

30% is analogous to the road haulage 

industry’s support for longer 

and heavier vehicles (LHVs). 

Operating longer and heavier 

trains may be the only way for- 

INLAND/INTERMODAL 

A 10m Eco-Urban trailer from W Trailer and, below, an EcoStream doubledecker 

from Don-Bur, both with APC Overnight 

also be used where side access is 

an issue. The tridem axle, small 

wheel trailer is matched to APC’s 

latest Euro 5 DAF CF85 tractor 

units, for maximum fuel efficiency. 

“These trailers overcome the 

problem of inertia and rolling resistance, 

allowing the tractor to 

perform more efficiently,” said 

APC. “Less drag caused by the 

trailer means better fuel consumption 

and lower emissions...even 

with our older tractors there will 

be improvements.” 

APC Overnight has also purchased 

an “Eco Urban” tapered 

front end design from W Trailer 

Co in Yorkshire, the supplier of its 

existing Eco Deck trailers. 

This particular Eco Urban 

trailer is 10m long and is fitted 

with a doubledeck front section 

and is used by APC Celtic Couriers 

for local deliveries in South 

Wales as well as trunking between 

the Burry Port depot and APC 

Overnight’s national hub in Wolverhampton. 

❏ 

More 44t permits in France 

and traditional combi-services. 

In the latest initiative, the dispensation 

has been extended to 

river ports and terminals, albeit not 

in a blanket fashion as the sites 

have to be approved on a case-bycase 

basis at regional government 

level. The Ardennes became the 

first region to act, and all its public 

river facilities are included, 

along with some key private facilities 

- MaltEurop, Lafarge and 

ArcelorMittal. 

The problem is that every time 

you allow another exception to 

the rule, you undermine the rule 

itself. The French government is 

still sticking to the general 40t 

limit, but has come under increased 

pressure from the road 

transport lobbies to abandon it. 

If 44t is OK for certain types 

of transport, why isn’t it OK for 

all the others as well? ❏ 

Longer and heavier trains 

ward for rail freight, but it may 

require heavy investment in infrastructure, 

such as improved signalling 

and longer passing loops and 

the safety case is very hard to establish, 

as continental European 

examples show. 

Freightliner itself has pointed 

out how vulnerable rail carriage 

of 20fts is to eco-combis. The loa 

increase of 36%, from 18.75m to 

25.5m, increases their capacity by 

50%, from 2 TEU to 3 TEU. 

For transport of trailers and 

HGVs (RoLA/rail motorways), 

the challenge of longer articulated 

vehicles could be even stiffer, as 

many wagons and pieces of handling 

equipment could be rendered 

obsolete. ❏ 

Longer Freightliner train en route from Felixstowe to Birmingham 

March 2010


Electrifying times for RTGs 

More RTG operators in the Asia Pacific 

region are converting to mains 

power, in order to cut diesel fuel costs 

and reduce local emissions. 

Conductix-Wampfler AG has been 

awarded an RTG electrification project 

by crane maker Mitsui Engineering & 

Shipbuilding Co Ltd covering 13 existing 

and four new Mitsui-Paceco 

Transtainers in the Port of Hakata. The 

order will receive state support in the 

framework of a Japanese government programme 

for CO 2 reduction. 

According to Conductix- 

Wampfler,conventional RTGs can account 

for more than 50% of the total 

energy cost of a container terminal. “Each 

of the 17 RTGs for Hakata will receive 

two drive-in units,” explains Claus Burger 

of Conductix-Wampfler Deutschland. 

This will permit the replacement of a 

crane in a parallel corridor without the 

need for a 180 deg turn. “This will also 

save steel, since one steel framework between 

two container corridors can be 

supplied with conductor rail systems on 

the right and left sides of both corridors.” 

A total of 15 blocks will be equipped. 

The total length of power transmission 

segments is 3.8 kms. The Conductix- 

Wampfler 0813 conductor rail system 

with 1000A and four parallel phases will 

be used, added Jiro Ogawa of Conductix- 

Wampfler Singapore and Japan. 

Last year in Shenzhen, Conductix- 

Wampfler successfully completed a project 

covering 32 container corridors. “This 

order from Japan confirms that we are on 

the right track with our environmentally 

and resource-friendly approach, and that 

our innovative technology will be received 

positively around the world,” remarked 

Daniel Dörflinger, CEO of 

Conductix-Wampfler AG. 

As previously reported, Conductix- 

Wampfler’s “drive-in unit” obviates the 

need for manual “plugging in” of the 

RTG into the connection trolley when 

it changes lanes. Instead, the connection 

trolley is automatically steered to the guide 

rails of the steel frame when the RTG enters 

the corridor, and the connectors safely 

guided into the contact lines. 

The company has just reported new 

orders worth €2.5M covering projects at 

Express Yard, South Korea (17 drive-in units 

- 8 kms total length), New Century Container 

Terminal in China (28 drive-in 

units - 3.2 kms), and Nagoya NUCT (32 

RTGs with “conventional” plug-in units 

- 10 blocks totalling 2.9 kms). The Chinese 

units will be manufactured by 

Conductix-Wampfler in China and the 

Korean and Japanese units at its plant in 

Weil-am-Rhein in Germany. 

Vahle contract 

Germany-based Paul Vahle GmbH has 

provided more information on the RTG 

electrification package it installed recently 

at MTL, Hong Kong (WorldCargo News, 

January 2010, p23). Around 40 port specialists 

and potential customers travelled 

from all over the world to Hong Kong to 

witness a demonstration organised over 

several days in January by Vahle in cooperation 

with MTL. 

The installation comprises a fully-automated 

telescopic device that supplies the 

RTGs with electrical current as they travel 

along a stack. In addition, Vahle has engineered 

a fully automated aisle entry/exit 

device. No manual plug-in procedure is 

required to facilitate contact with the 

conductor system. A touch screen in the 

crane cabin is used to control the RTG. 

Entry and exit to and from the aisle requires 

very little time - less than a minute. 

This represents an additional advantage 

for the system as well as the minimal space 

requirement for the telescopic device. 

The conductor system (2+2 powerrail 

assembly at MTL) is also said to be 

very compact. Vahle utilised a steel pipe 

construction, which supports the conductor 

installation and guides the collector 

assembly, substantially reduces the steel 

structure, resulting in significant savings. 

Dispensing with the diesel generator 

has reduced operating cost by up to 80%, 

but the saving will depend on the local 

cost of mains power and diesel fuel. Maintenance 

requirements are reduced and 

availability is increased. Of course, emissions 

are cut and operating noise is substantially 

reduced. Conventional diesel 

generator RTGs can be retro-fitted for 

the new system. 

Cavotec link 

Vahle and Cavotec MSL have provided 

more information about their agreement 

to develop and supply together new systems 

to the ports and maritime industries. 

This was revealed two months ago, 

but without any embellishment. 

In a new, joint official announcement, 

Ottonel Popesco, CEO of Cavotec MSL, 

said: “We see this combined effort as a 

classic example of a mutually beneficial 

agreement. By marketing the full Vahle 

festoon range, and in particular its new, 

fully automated electrified RTG system, 

we are able to offer our customers an even 

more complete package than ever before.” 

Cavotec and Vahle will market systems 

in geographical regions where no prior 

exclusive representation agreements existed. 

“This new agreement with Cavotec 

MSL will allow us to expand further our 

presence in the ports and maritime industry,” 

said Michael Pavlidis and Dirk 

Korn, joint MDs of Vahle. “The synergies 

between Vahle and Cavotec in this important 

market are obvious.” ❏ 


news 

Vahle installation at MTL, Hong Kong. The “demo” reportedly attracted widespread interest 

We add the “E” to your RTG 

E-RTG TM | Drive-In Solution 

The new Drive-In System from 

Conductix-Wampfler offers a 

completely automated „drive-in“ 

solution for your E-RTG TM Conductor 

Rail installation. No more plugs means 

that additional authorized personnel are 

no longer required - and with the drivein 

procedure taking under 2 minutes, 

down-time is a thing of the past. 

Conductix-Wampfl er... let us help you 

Conduct Your Business 

E-RTG@conductix.com 

www.conductix.com 

March 2010 29


news 

The underground container storage system* 

Before the economic crisis 

most container terminals 

worldwide had experienced 

tremendous increase in traffic 

and storage capacity demand. 

Nowadays, when we are witnessing 

gradual economic recovery, 

one should expect that traffic 

demands will grow once again. 

Since storage capacity is an integral 

part of overall terminal capacity, 

demand for container storage 

will be increasing as well. 

Historically the response to 

this challenge was to build new 

container terminal facilities. For 

instance, if an old container terminal, 

located inside a city, had insufficient 

storage capacity and 

could not be extended, a new container 

terminal would be built in 

the suburban area to match the 

demand. This trend led to systematic 

increase in pressure on the 

coastal environment. As a result, 

people experience more and more 

vistas of container terminals instead 

of natural shore lines. 

30 

*This article has been contributed by 

Alex Goussiatiner, P Eng, senior 

container terminal operations and 

planning specialist, Modern Port 

Technologies Inc, Vancouver, BC. 

email: alexg@modernport.com 

(www.modernport.com) 

Some “deep thinking” about 

increasing stacking density is 

presented for consideration 

However, use of high density 

stacking is limited, due to the following 

reasons. 

If the operation requires high 

container selectivity, high density 

stacking leads to extensive unproductive 

reshuffling moves. In addition, 

high density stacking of 

loaded containers increases the 

static load on the surface and often 

requires additional investment 

into the surface structure. Furthermore, 

loaded and empty stacks 

may be in danger in high wind 

conditions. 

with increased column height) 

Unproductive moves 

As such, a high selectivity import 

stack operation with containers 

represents an alternative to the sta- stacked 4-high and random arrival 

tus quo. Containers (loaded and of road trucks requires an average 

empty) are stowed below vessel of two unproductive reshuffling 

Stacking higher 

deck up to 10-high and theoretically 

they can be stacked in the 

moves for each delivery. The percentage 

of unproductive moves 

High EU-744-STS density stacking Cranes (stacking 178x254N yard 02.03.2010 with the same height. 16:11 Uhr Seite increases 1 

with the stack height. 

Most operators, therefore, do not 

see high density as a practical solution 

for import stacks. 

Export and transhipment 

stacks require much less selectivity 

and theoretically can be designed 

for high density. The same 

refers to the empty stack operation, 

which requires even less selectivity 

especially if the empty 

stack is segregated according to the 

container operators. 

Taller cranes 

However, in addition to the investment 

for the surface structure, 

higher laden container export and 

transhipment stacks require taller 

cranes. Most of the RTGs available 

on the market today stack 1 

over 5 x 9ft 6in high. Even advanced 

automated yard crane systems 

tend to stack loaded containers 

no more than 6-high. 

There are empty handlers on 

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MPT’s UCS: a 7 + 1 span RTG, stacking an unprecedented 1 over 10 without 

adding to its height above ground. The concept, says MPT, may be suitable for 

export, transhipment and EC stacks 

the market that can stack up to 

11-high. Nevertheless, implementation 

of high density for 

the empty stack is limited due 

to the fact that high stacked 

empties are extremely vulnerable 

in high winds. Thus, most 

empty stacks are a maximum of 

6- or 7-high. 

To a certain extent the underground 

container storage system 

(UCS) alleviates most of the 

weaknesses of high density stacking. 

The concept of UCS is very 

simple: to create a high density 

stack by creating additional storage 

below the surface in the 

blocks, whether they are serviced 

by ASCs, RTGs or RMGs. 

SWOTting up 

Here is an analysis of the high level 

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, 

and threats (SWOT) of the 

system. 

Strengths: 

Higher storage capacity 

Both empty and load stacks in the 

UCS will be higher than in regular 

or high density systems. As a 

result it will have higher storage 

capacity. 

For example, if we take into 

account the additional spots, required 

for the crane operation 

with container selectivity, a block 

section with seven rows, 5-high 

above ground level and 5-high 

below ground level, has a storage 

capacity of 61 TEU and an effective 

height of 8.71. There is no system 

existing with such capacity. 

Availability of the cranes 

Existing ASC, RTG or RMG 

cranes can be modified to work 

with underground container storage 

system (ie 1 over 10) and lower 

set points by extending their load 

wires and increasing the size of the 

hoist drums and housing. 

Cost-effectiveness 

Capital expenditures for construction 

of the UCS or reconstruction 

of the existing stack will include 

cost for the following main 

civil engineering components: retaining 

walls; stack surface (with 

additional durability if stack is used 

for loaded containers); storm water 

drainage engineering system to 

protect the stack from flooding; 

upgrading stability of the adjacent 

crane foundations; where required; 

and construction of protection 

barriers for RTGs and mobile 

equipment. 

The initial CAPEX also includes 

the cost of modification of 

the RTG components. The initial 

cost also very much depends on 

the number of below surface levels, 

site geotechnical conditions, 

ground water levels, temperature 

conditions, rainfall, etc. 

However, taking into account 

the cost of the land and the fact 

that the surface will support many 

more containers, we estimate that 

in most cases the capital cost will 

be comparable with the cost of the 

construction of a new surface 

stack. 

Minimum operational disruption 

Converting existing blocks into 

UCS system can be performed in 

such a sequence that will guarantee 

minimum disruption of the 

terminal operation. 

Opportunities 

To increase storage capacity of 

existing terminals, with no additional 

land available for an extension, 

by converting some strategically 

selected blocks into UCS 

blocks and concentrating empty, 

full export and transhipment containers 

in them. 

Planning new container terminal 

facilities with UCS blocks as 

part of the design. 

Weaknesses 

A UCS system will entail additional 

operating expenses associated 

with maintenance and energy 

costs of running the storm water 

engineering system. 

In countries with winter snow 

conditions, UCS will require additional 

equipment and operating 

expenses related to snow removal. 

Risks 

In the event that the storm water 

drainage system malfunctions, the 

lower part of the stack can be 

flooded with the storm water. 

Concentrating the container 

stack in small areas might lead to 

terminal traffic congestion. 

Conclusions 

MPT is currently involved in a 

technical and economical analysis 

of the UCS concept and its viability 

for certain types of container 

terminals. 

The scope of work includes 

selection of container blocks for 

the transformation, operational 

simulation, development of the 

conceptual design (together with 

a civil engineering partner), engineering 

the stacking crane 

modifications and analysis of the 

modification on the cranes’ mechanical 

characteristics (together 

with an equipment engineering 

partner), estimating the capital and 

operating expenditures and building 

the RoI financial model. 

The results suggest that carefully 

planned underground container 

storage systems can be a 

cost-effective solution for increasing 

storage capacity. ❏ 

March 2010


New options in virtual training 

Falling throughput means that many terminals 

face a training and development 

scenario not seen for several years; a reduced 

need for crane drivers and more 

available equipment time for training 

purposes. These were two of the main 

factors behind the increasing use of crane 

simulators over the last five years, but it 

seems simulation-based training is now 

well entrenched as a training tool for crane 

operators in particular. 

Some new operators such as DCT 

Gdansk have trained a new workforce 

without the use of simulators, while established 

operators such as Singapore, 

Shanghai and Antwerp have extensive 

simulator-based training facilities. 

Cost driver 

The benefits of training in a virtual environment 

with a structured training programme 

instead of on an actual crane are 

well-known. The biggest issue for some 

terminal operators is the cost. Over the 

last five years the falling price of computing 

power and projection technology 

together with the availability of off-theshelf 

simulation engine applications has 

brought the price of large-scale crane 

simulators down significantly, but further 

cost reductions will be marginal. 

Clyde Stauffer, EVP of Utah-based 

GlobalSim (part of the Konsberg Maritime 

Group), said hardware costs are now 

the smallest component in the price of a 

simulator; nowadays, software development 

and integration are the most expensive 

components. 

While there are low-cost alternatives 

such as India’s ARI, full scale ship-to-shore 

(STS) crane simulators typically start in 

the region of US$500,000. Last year when 

throughput fell and terminal operators 

had to cut costs aggressively, demand for 

new simulators dried up. 

In response to the crisis, MPRI, which 

is owned by the L-3 group of companies, 

announced a new strategy to begin offering 

simulator-based training directly, effectively 

spreading the cost among a wider 

client base. 

In November it added the expertise 

of another group company DP Associates, 

which specialises in design, development 

and implementation of interactive 

multimedia instruction, to MPRI’s 

Simulations Group to form a new entity, 

MPRI Training Systems Group. This new 

entity will offer a “blended training solution” 

for logistics applications including 

crane operations. 

Portables parked 

The recession has forced the Maersk 

Training Centre (MTC) to park the two 

containerised simulators it offers for rent. 

In 2007 APM Terminals (APMT) began 

its CraneSIM project to provide a containerised 

STS and RTG simulator that 

could be shared among its terminals to 

reduce the cost of simulator training. 

P&O Ports did something similar before 

it was acquired by Dubai Ports. The 

APMT project was “outsourced” to 

MTC, which extended its portfolio from 

mainly maritime training and created a 

“Terminals and Logistics” department. 

MTC considers the most economical 

hire period for a terminal is six months, 

but at the moment ports have little budget 

for training and there is short demand. 

“The decision was taken to hub the 

CraneSIMs, one in Europe and one the 

Middle East allowing relatively easy access 

to ports in the areas for training purposes,” 

said Johan van Berkel, Chief Instructor 

Terminals and Logistics at MTC. 

“It also means that when the financial 

climate allows, the CraneSIMS will be 

ideally placed, one in Rotterdam and one 

in Bahrain, to resume their roving role.” 

While the market is tough at the moment, 

Berkel says the portable strategy has 

proved a success. The first simulator was 

fitted out in Salt Lake City in 2007 and 

shipped to APMT Tangiers where it was 

used to select and train crane operators. 

Sharp cut 

When this terminal became operational 

in 2008 the simulator was shipped to 

Tanjung Pelepas where it reduced the 

crane driver training programme from 40 

Crane simulator prices have fallen, but for 

some terminal operators renting or 

outsourcing training remains a more 

cost-effective option 

to 28 days yet, according to Berkel, “produced 

operators that consistently had a 

higher level of productivity.” It also reduced 

accidents; Berkel says that simulator-trained 

operators have not been involved 

in an incident since March 2008. 

The second CraneSIM was shipped 

to the Port of Salalah in Oman and served 

the port from mid-2007 until mid-2009. 

“According to the training manager, their 

An operator at TSI Deltaport (Vancouver, BC) 

undergoing training on the twin hoist system 

on its new ZPMC cranes in the ABB 

simulator. The containerised simulator was 

located next to the new cranes on the quayside 

Experience 

the progress. 

Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. 

Fossa, Killarney/Ireland 

Tel.:+353 64 66 70 200 

Fax:+353 64 66 31 602 

sales.lcc@liebherr.com 

www.liebherr.com 


news 

The Group 

March 2010 31


news 

simulator-trained operators were 

averaging between 25 and 30 

moves per crane hour after completing 

MTC’s training programme, 

meaning they were able 

to perform at a higher productivity 

level than non-simulator 

trained operators,” said Berkel. 

Strong points 

Alhough ports might have more 

crane time available now, Berkel 

believed that simulator training 

still has advantages. “The training 

programme is consistent and level 

of skills guaranteed by means of 

examinations. People are allowed 

to make mistakes and learn from 

them rather than on real equipment 

where the instructor will 

quite rightly interfere to avoid real 

accidents or damage. 

“The question you should ask 

is, will the trainee remember next 

time without somebody looking 

over his shoulder? In the real 

world a mistake is only reviewed 

through recall and, if serious, an 

inquiry. With CraneSIM every 

movement can be analysed from 

every angle to see where the fault 

lay. We have a saying at Maersk 

Training Centre, if you think educating 

workers is expensive, you 

should try an accident.” 

Biggest yet 

GlobalSim reports that terminal 

operators that had been planning 

to purchase simulators before the 

recession are now dusting off their 

plans, and Stauffer believes the 

market has “turned the corner.” 

GlobalSim is now hearing 

back from port operators that were 

holding off on investing last year 

as throughput begins to grow 

again. Terminals recognise, says 

Stauffer, that simulators can help 

them bring staff into operating 

roles much more quickly and help 

avoid labour shortages caused by 

training delays. 

Globalsim has recently sold 13 

32 

training systems to CSX 

Intermodal for training operators 

in using the widespan all-electric 

RMGs that CSX plans to implement 

at several US terminals. In 

the port market GlobalSim signed 

a contract with Agence Nationale 

des Ports (ANP) in Morocco for 

what will be its biggest port crane 

simulator yet. 

ANP is building a port training 

centre for the Northern African 

region and has ordered a simulator 

with a 30ft diameter dome, 

over a dozen projection screens 

and a hanging control station with 

six degrees of motion. 

GlobalSim will deliver six 

simulator modules including STS, 

RTG, portal crane and Potain 

tower crane. The company also 

recently delivered an ML4000 

crane simulator to the Puerto 

Rico Port Authority to train operators 

for the new Port of the 

Americas in Ponce. 

Standard issue 

Looking ahead, the growing importance 

of standardised training 

and nationally recognised certification 

perhaps creates an opportunity 

for greater outsourcing of 

port training and more extensive 

use of simulation. 

Sweden’s Oryx AB, which 

supplies systems to ABB and 

Cargotec for crane simulators, is 

growing its business supplying 

heavy equipment training simulators 

to schools and other training 

institutions that offer training 

and certification for equipment 

operators. This requires, however, 

a nationally recognised training 

and certification framework. 

The UK’s Port of Blyth has set 

up a training division called Port 

Training Services (PTS) to provide 

training and certification to 

third parties. PTS provides courses 

including terminal tractor, forklift, 

slinging/signalling, reach 

stacker and crane operating. 

Training manager Colin 

Bassam is passionate about achieving 

a greater level of standardisation 

and certification in the UK’s 

port labour force and is pushing 

hard to get uniform port training 

courses developed and recognised 

as national vocational qualifications 

by the Office of Qualifications 

and Examinations Regulation 

(Ofqual). 

Blyth spirits 

The lack of certification, he says, 

has severely disadvantaged experienced 

stevedores that have been 

laid off in recent months and 

found they are “unqualified” to 

operate handling equipment in 

positions outside the port regardless 

of what “internal” training 

they have completed. 

Standardisation will also make 

it easier for contract stevedores to 

move between ports. The ports of 

Hull, Tees and Tyne, for example, 

all have different training courses 

with very similar content and 

there is sometimes unnecessary 

duplication. 

The organisation Ports Skills 

and Safety is now in the process 

of getting a technical certificate for 

stevedores put on the national 

qualifications framework and 

Bassam is hopeful this will be 

completed in April or May. This 

will enable ports to “put a value” 

on on-the-job training and stevedores 

to obtain credits that can be 

accredited to other programmes. 

For its training PTS focuses on 

classroom and then practical 

“hands-on” training using actual 

equipment in the team environment 

stevedores will encounter in 

the workplace. PTS does not have 

simulators and, while he sees their 

value for larger, more expensive 

equipment like gantry and STS 

cranes, Bassam says classroom instruction 

followed by gradual onthe-job 

training is more useful for 

other port staff. 

Crane Simulator CS 800. For 

crane people by crane people. 

ABB Crane Systems 

Tel. +46 21 32 50 00 

Fax. +46 21 34 02 90 

E-mail: cranes.sales@se.abb.com 

Internet: www.abb.com/cranes 

The issue of using a simulator 

to train drivers that operate in a 

team environment has been addressed 

by simulator supplier 

Drilling Systems, which offers 

fully integrated remote “checker 

stations” or virtual ground crew 

which the instructor can manipulate 

as required. 

On dock at TSI 

ABB has recently completed a 

simulator project at the TSI 

Deltaport Terminal in Vancouver, 

BC. TSI recently took delivery of 

three new ZPMC cranes with its 

twin hoist system for tandem container 

operations and ABB drives 

and controls. 

The BC Maritime Employers 

Association runs its own programme 

(which includes simulators) 

for training and certifying 

crane drivers, but these are the first 

Tandem cranes in North America. 

ABB supplied a containerised version 

of its CS800 simulator with 

dual hoist simulation to train crane 

drivers in Tandem operations. 

The container was placed on 

the quay next to the cranes and 

used to train terminal personnel 

from late October 2009 till mid- 

January. The CS800 provides a 

range of pre-set scenarios and 

ABB trained TSI’s own personnel 

to deliver and assess the training. 

In total 65 crane operators completed 

a one day course, 20 maintenance 

personnel a two hour 

course and 15 operational personnel 

a 1 hour course. To demonstrate 

the cranes and for marketing 

purposes 40 people including 

customers, VIPs and other guests 

had a 15 minute session in the 

simulator. 

Assistant Engineering Manager 

Roy Kristensen said the training 

was focused on TSI’s regular 

workforce and “was categorised as 

an upgrade to the existing quay 

crane operator rating. The upgrade 

took five days in total, one in the 


The inside of the containerised CraneSIM simulator that can be rented from 

Maersk Training Centre (MTC) and, below, the simulator in transport 

simulator and four in the crane.” 

The value of simulator training 

for experienced operators 

might not be as readily apparent 

as with new employees, who may 

have never been up a container 

crane, but Kristensen said it was a 

valuable training tool. 

“The simulator allowed us to 

fast track our operators’ understanding 

of the fundamentals of 

dual hoist operation, and to gain 

insight into the special operational 

skills and techniques required to 

efficiently load and unload from 

ship to shore in dual hoist mode. 

“The simulator also allowed us 

to start training prior to final com- 

missioning and handover of the 

cranes.” 

For the on-crane training TSI 

used an assortment of mixed sixed 

containers and a barge to perform 

complete loading and unloading 

cycles in manual and semi-automatic 

mode. 

Fredrik Johanson, Marketing 

and Sales Manager at ABB Crane 

Systems, said the TSI project was 

a good example of a customer taking 

advantage of the flexibility of 

the containerised simulator to efficiently 

train drivers using the 

actual control system in the cranes 

before they progressed seamlessly 

to the real machine. ❏ 

ABB Crane Systems offers complete, customized crane driver training based on our unique Crane Simulator CS800 

that mirrors your yard environment, crane dynamics and special weather conditions in real time. 

We are the world’s leading crane systems supplier. Our understanding of what your new and current crane drivers 

need to know is based on in-depth insight into the crane industry. This makes ABB’s Crane Simulator CS800 the 

perfect choice for your crane driver training. www.abb.com/cranes 

March 2010


news 

A study of break-bulk shipping 

recently published by the Dutch 

consultancy group Dynamar* 

highlighted the top 10 operators 

in terms of order book for the 

heavy lift sector (defined as a minimum 

lift capacity of 100t). 

The study shows 107 ships 

on order as of December 2009 

aggregating 2.65 Mt deadweight. 

This is composed of 60 

vessels with a lift capacity of between 

100t and 500t and a further 

83 ships that have a lifting 

capacity, as defined by Dynamar, 

as the weight of the cargo item 

that can be lifted rather than the 

overall combined lifting capacities 

of the ships’ cranes. 

This represents the largest influx 

of heavy lift ships into this 

market to date as the operators of 

multi-purpose tonnage graduate 

into the big lift market. The move 

could be seen coming. Ship sizes 

tend to stabilise at around the 

* “Breakbulk - Operators, Fleets, 

Markets,” published by Dynamar BV, 

Alkmaar, January 2010 

34 

20,000 dwt level and the cost of 

fitting, say, two 250t cranes is not 

proportionally greater than fitting 

two 100t cranes, while the potential 

market and revenue earning 

opportunities are enhanced. However, 

the influx will inevitably lead 

to pressure on rates. 

Blurred vision 

There has always been a distinct 

cut-off point between project 

cargo shipping and heavy lift: 

the former had medium capacity 

cranes, but squared-off hold 

volume was more important; 

while the heavy lifters deployed 

smaller ships, but with higher 

crane capacities. 

However, this distinction is 

becoming less defined as deck 

crane ratings increase in proportion 

to their price dropping, and 

sophisticated computer-con- 

trolled ballast systems ensure 

that even relatively narrow 

beam vessels are more stable 

during heavy lift operations. 

Strong proponents 

The two strongest proponents of 

this trend are BBC and Beluga, 

which between them have around 

75 multi-purpose/heavy lift ships, 

aggregating almost 1 Mt deadweight, 

on order, according to the 

Dynamar study. Both are relatively 

new companies, which started 

operations in Bremen in 1997, although 

BBC subsequently moved 

to nearby Leer. 

The location of Bremen is appropriate 

as this was home to one 

of the founders of heavy lift shipping, 

Hansa, which in the 1930s 

started fitting ≥ 100t derricks on 

its liner ships to handle heavy export 

plant, such as boilers and 

steam locomotives, to India and 

the (then) Persian Gulf area. 

While these were state-of-theart 

at the time and challenged the 

(then dominant) British heavy lift 

operators such as Harrison Line, 

they bear no comparison to the 

current generation of heavy lift 

vessels, in terms of hold capacity 

and lifting capacity for the same 

similar overall dimensions. 

Mind your Ps and Ps 

Beluga, for instance, which has 31 

ships on order representing 

515,000 dwt, of which 13 have lift 

capacities of ≥ 500t, has now taken 

delivery of the first of its 14 first 

P1/P2 class vessels. These vessels 

are equipped with three NMF 

deck cranes. 

The midship and aft cranes of 

the 19,100 dwt P1 vessels have a 

capacity of 400t, twinned for a 

800t lift, while the forward crane 

is rated at 120t. 

The 20,000 dwt P2-series 

ships are split into two classes. 

The P2-800 class has the same 

lifting arrangement as the 

slightly smaller P1 ships, while 

the P2-1400 vessels will have 

upgraded cranes of 700t in the 

midship and aft mountings, 

twinned for 1400t lift, plus a 

180t crane forward. 

On its maiden voyage, BELUGA 

HOUSTON loaded two 21m long 

485t reactors in Yokohama for 

Aratu, Brazil and then topped up 

with a further three reactors plus 

associated project cargo in South 

Korea for the same destination. 

Beluga’s CEO Niels Stoberg 

claims that “the P-class will set 

new benchmarks for the transport 

of project and heavy lift cargo 

from and to almost every harbour 

in the world.” Given the strong 

competition the company faces, 

this is a bold statement. 

BBC world service 

BBC Chartering, for example, has 

44 ships on order, aggregating 

558,400 dwt, of which 15 have a 

lift capability of between 100t and 

500t, while 29 are fitted with 

[twinned] cranes able to lift in 

excess of 500t. 

This order book includes 

five 17,500 dwt ships equipped 

with 2x250t cranes and a 80t 

crane for delivery this year, 

when a further 12,780 dwt ships 

outfitted with 2x150t cranes 

will also be delivered. 

The main thrust in the high 

capacity market, however, will be 

15 12,000 dwt ships to be delivered 

between 2010 and 2012. 

These will have 2x400t cranes plus 

a 80t crane, while a series of seven 

smaller 8500 dwt vessels equipped 

with 2x350t cranes will be delivered 

over the same period. 

Annual review 

Reviewing his company’s performance 

over the past year and 

the market facing it, BBC’s CEO 

Svend Andersen issued the following 

statement. 

“The past 12 months have 

showed us a diversified picture of 

the world economy and our market. 

It is probably the first time that 

we have seen emerging markets 

stabilising the world economy. 


Multi-purpose shipping takes on a heavier rôle 

The traditional “dividing line” between multi-purpose 

and heavy lift geared shipping has become harder to 

define in the “project” age 

• SAL | FULL-SERVICE HEAVY LIFT SHIPPING • 

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sal@sal-heavylift.com • www.sal-heavylift.com 

A joint venture with 

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BREAKBULK Antwerp 

May 18–20, 2010 

Booth 705 

Beluga’s latest newbuilding, BELUGA HOUSTON, loaded reactors for Brazil on 

her maiden voyage from Japan and South Korea 

“As expected, the year 2009 

was driven by insecurity and market 

caution. In consequence we 

had a significant decrease of freight 

rates and cargo movements in the 

first nine months, stabilising at a 

low level in the last quarter. 

“For 2010 we [BBC Chartering] 

do not expect a significant 

change even though we see a light 

in the dark. Nearly 80% of the 

projects greater than US$1B investments, 

which were stopped 

due to frozen credits, have been 

released again. In addition we see 

a high potential in the energy sector. 

Government programmes 

supporting green energy are being 

launched all over the world 

and oil and gas exploration 

[projects] are being readopted. 

“As before, we expect the market 

to continue to be driven by 

the same players as we have seen 

in the past: South America, India 

and China. These three still have 

immense potential and are still 

rapidly developing, driven by a 

high rate of public and infrastructure 

investment. 

“It is unlikely that they will 

reduce their development and infrastructure 

investments, and we 

do not expect them to adopt protectionist 

trade policies. But all 

these positive indicators are not 

changing the fact that we have to 

face a tough year. The existing 

tonnage is more than capable of 

covering the present and medium 

term market volumes.” 

Competitive market 

Conscious of the increasing competition, 

BBC has announced a 

20% rate cut for its breakbulk liner 

traffic to South America, comprising 

the Andino Express Line between 

the US Gulf and WCSA, 

the Americana Line serving US 

Gulf and ECSA ports, plus their 

European routes serving the same 

west and east coast South American 

ports covering Ecuador, Peru, 

Chile, Brazil and Argentina. 

BBC Chartering USA introduced 

a new service to Columbia, 

Ecuador, Peru and Chile 

late last year when it started a 

monthly sailing from the Port 

of West Palm Beach to complement 

its Houston gateway, from 

where its Andino Express service 

was inaugurated in 2005. 

The German company faces 

Dutch operator Rolldock’s first newbuilding, ROLLDOCK SUN, loading a 1300t 

boiler in Thailand, destined for Singapore 

March 2010


Eight RTGs were shipped fully-erect to Tecon 

Suape from the Noell China plant on board 

BBC ZARATÉ. (See also p22) 

strong competition in this market from 

the only US-based heavy lift operator, 

Intermarine, which operates its West 

Coast Industrial Express, (WCIE) in conjunction 

with Associated Transport Line 

(ATL) to provide breakbulk and heavy 

lift service between the US Gulf and 

WCSA, with two sailings per month from 

Houston to Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Callao 

and Matarani. 

Other load and discharge ports such 

as New Orleans, Tampico, Veracruz, 

Manta, Salaverry, Paita, Pisco and the 

Chilean ports of Arica, Antofagasta, 

Valparaíso and/or San Antonio, are called 

on inducement. 

E for Europe-ECSA 

The company, which also operates its own 

dedicated terminal on the Houston ship 

canal, earlier this year started a heavy lift 

service between Europe and the Atlantic 

coast of South America, operated by its 

E-class ships. 

The US company is targeting South 

America’s oil and gas, power generation, 

mining, and infrastructure development 

projects, while the 2008/2009-built ships 

are also well suited for wind energy component 

movements to Europe as they are 

designed without transverse bulkheads 

and can accommodate underdeck components 

up to 75m long. 

The E-class ships are similar in design 

to Intermarine’s C and D vessels but 

slightly larger at 10,000 dwt and they feature 

dual 250t cranes combinable for 500t 

lifts, as do the six D-class 8000 dwt vessels, 

whereas the seven 8000 dwt C-class 

are equipped with twin 200t cranes. 

These ships will be followed by four, 

as yet unnamed, 12,000 dwt newbuildings 

equipped with dual 400t cranes, capable 

of an 800t twinlift. They are scheduled 

for delivery from the Portuguese ENVC 

shipyard from 2010. 

Rolling out 

The newly-formed Dutch operator 

Rolldock, which entered the market with 

an ambitious six ship order in 2006, has 

now taken delivery of its first ship 

ROLLDOCK SUN. The ship was originally 

scheduled to be delivered in July 2008, 

but was in the event delivered in January 

this year. The delay was not unexpected 

as the order marked the first ships to be 

built at Larsen & Toubro’s new shipyard 

complex at Hazira in India. 

Rolldock entered the newbuilding 

market when the shipbuilding boom, 

mainly generated by container ship demand, 

was at its height. Prices were high 

and slots difficult to get, particularly for 

sophisticated floodable hold heavy lift 

carriers such as the Rolldock design. 

The company accordingly opted for 

a newcomer to the shipbuilding market, 

and although Larsen & Toubro is the largest 

engineering conglomerate in India, it 

was new to shipbuilding. These floodable 

hold ships are highly sophisticated and 

would present a challenge to any shipbuilder, 

but Rolldock concluded that 

Larsen & Toubro’s engineering expertise 

was capable of delivering the ships, even 

if a delay would be incurred during the 

construction of the shipyard. 

Rolldock also appears to be getting 

something of a bargain, with Larsen & 

Toubro quoting a price for the first pair 

of ships of some US$70M, well below the 

US$60M apiece claimed for the slightly 

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larger 11,000 dwt CombiLift ships built 

at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven. 

Following its delivery, ROLLDOCK 

SUN sailed to Thailand to load a 1300t 

boiler plus associated plant for a refinery 

project in Singapore. This is part 

of a seven voyage contract to transport 

similar plant from Thailand to Singapore 

and reflects the company’s ambitious 

aim of being able to handle roro, 

floating and lo-lo cargoes. 

Complex job 

Due to the different quay heights at the 

loading site, the boiler was lifted and rolled 

onto a barge by self-elevating multi-wheel 

Right: A SAL type 179. The order was 

cancelled, but the two type 183s, for delivery 

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news 

Vale had to charter Jumbo’s JUMBO JUBILEE for a very short (5 km) but tricky 

move from Peiú (Vitória) to Tubarão in Brazil 

multi-wheel trailers, and then 

ballasted down to match the ramp 

height of the ship. The landside 

handling was contracted to the 

Dutch company Mammoet, the 

original owners of (the now) Big 

Lift Shipping. 

Takeaways 

Shortly after Rolldock signed the 

newbuilding contract, fellow 

Dutch heavy lift operator BigLift, 

part of the Spliethoff group, ordered 

two specialised heavy lift 

36 

vessels at the Hazira shipyard. 

These 18,700 dwt ships, HAPPY 

SKY and HAPPY STAR, will be 

equipped with twin 900t 

Huisman mast cranes to be installed 

in Rotterdam and are 

scheduled for delivery early 2011, 

having also slipped past their original 

delivery date. 

BigLift has a further five 

new 17,500 dwt carriers on order, 

but from the Chinese 

Zhejiang Ohua shipyard for delivery 

from July to December 

2010. Although only contracted 

in January 2009, they will be 

delivered before its S-class ships. 

The short delivery times have 

been secured on the back of its 

parent company Spliethoff’s current 

newbuilding programme. 

Spliethoff has seven D-racht 

18,500 dwt vessels on order in 

China and the BigLift D-series is 

closely based on them. 

D-day 

The first ship in the Spliethoff 

series, DIJKSGRACHT, was delivered 

late last year, while the 

Dutch operator also has a further 

eight F-class 12,500 dwt 

multi-purpose carriers at this 

shipyard with options for six 

more recently exercised for delivery 

between November 2010 

and July 2011. 

The D-racht ships are relatively 

heavily geared for conventional 

multi-purpose vessels, 

being equipped with three deck 

cranes each capable of a 120t lift 

at a maximum outreach of 16m, 

and they have the same hull size 

and 8400 kW propulsion system 

(giving a laden service speed of 

17 knots) as the BigLift newbuildings. 

Indeed, the distinction between 

a multi-purpose vessel and 

a heavy lift ship becomes particularly 

difficult to define in the 

Spliethoff newbuilding programme, 

as its “multi-purpose” 

vessels are more heavily geared 

than some similar sized ships marketed 

as “heavy lift” carriers. 

The heavy lift D-class, HAPPY 

DELTA, DIAMOND, DOVER, DRAGON 

and DYNAMIC, will also be 

equipped with three deck cranes. 

Two of these, mounted midships 

and aft on the starboard side, are 

each capable of a 400t lift at 18m 

outreach, reducing to 200t at 

30m. Maximum twinned capacity 

is 800t. A 120t crane is fitted 

on the portside forward in the 

same position, and rating, as the 

D-racht “multi-purpose” design. 

Height advantage 

While the multi-purpose/heavy 

lift ship operators emphasise the 

lifting capabilities of their 

newbuildings to a degree where 

even 800t and 1000t twinned lift 

capability is becoming accepted, 

it is not always the main criterion 

as the Brazilian mining conglomerate 

Vale found when it contracted 

the transportation of two 

iron ore shiploaders from China 

to Brazil in 2009. 

Each machine weighed a total 

of 1720t without the tripper car. 

The shiploader and gantry 

weighed around 1250t once some 

of the sub-assemblies, such as the 

counterweight, had been removed. 

The contract was awarded to SAL, 

which nominated its newbuildings 

with two 700t NMF deck cranes 

for this project. 

Swell times 

The shiploaders were to be installed 

directly onto the quay at 

the Port of Tubarao, which is effectively 

half open to the sea and 

continuously subjected to swell. 

Depending on the time of the 

year, the swell conditions can vary 

between 0.20m and 1.10m. 

Due to a delay in cargo readiness, 

however, the vessel only arrived 

during the Brazilian winter 

season when swell conditions 

were severe and handling of a 

1250t unit constituted a significant 

risk to both cargo and vessel. 

It was decided, therefore, to 

discharge the shiploaders in the 

safe haven of Vitoria, some 5 km 

from the intended site. 

Later in 2009, after the serious 

swell conditions had calmed 

down to an acceptable level, Jumbo’s 

newbuilding JUMBO JUBILEE 

sailed in ballast from Rotterdam 

and lifted the shiploaders in two 

separate moves from the quay at 

Peiu (just inside Vitoria port) to 

the loading jetty at Tubarao. The 

loaders were then positioned directly 

onto the rails of the finger 

pier by the ship’s 900t Huisman 

mast cranes. 

Jumbo’s engineers - like SAL’s 

engineers before them - had to 

analyse swell statistics of the port 

and used detailed weather forecasts 

and computer analysis to forecast 

the vessel’s behaviour. 

Nothing to chance 

A window of opportunity was 

identified with manageable 

wave heights and periods and 

the vessel was ballasted to an optimum 

level of stability, resulting 

in minimum pitch and roll 

in the given conditions. 

Leaving nothing to chance, a 

Motion Reference Unit (MRU) 

was used to register actual ship 

movements. Once the two installations 

were completed, the 


A classic scene from the “heyday” of container crane deliveries in 2008 - ZPMC 

delivering superpost-Panamax gantries to HPH Balboa... 

JUMBO JUBILEE returned to Rotterdam, 

again in ballast. 

Make and take 

The somewhat depressed market 

for container cranes has forced the 

Chinese supplier ZPMC to look 

for alternative contracts for its fleet 

of heavy lift ships, which were previously 

fully employed delivering 

the company’s prodigious port 

crane output. 

ZPMC has more experience 

than any other operator of skidding 

heavy cargo between a ship 

and the quay and although this 

experience is limited mainly to 

container cranes, these are difficult 

items to move. 

Its ships have been developed 

for that purpose, being 

converted from old tankers or 

bulk carriers, but on the open 

market are at a disadvantage as 

they lack any heavy lifting 

cranes, even if they have a high 

ballast capacity to match quay 

heights. On top of that, they are 

not submersible. On the plus 

side, they are large and cheap 

and well-suited for cargoes such 

as offshore wind turbine columns 

and base structures. 

However, ZPMC has not really 

entered the open market with these 

ships as yet, preferring instead to 

use them to deliver its own steel 

fabrications as part of an overall 

“make and take” contract. ZHEN 

HUA 24, for instance, recently delivered 

a full load of wind turbine 

structures from China to Vlissingen, 

with further cargoes of this type 

booked for European destinations. 

Semi-submersible 

ZPMC has also now entered the 

semi-submersible market with the 

conversion last year of a capesize 

tanker, indicating it may be looking 

at the offshore market currently 

dominated by Dockwise. 

The converted ZHEN HUA 28 has a 

Loa of 232m and beam of 42m, 

giving a clear deck space, which 

is strengthened for a 20t/m 2 loading, 

of 152m x 42m. 

The ballasting system is capable 

of submerging the main 

deck some 7m below sea level, 

which makes it suitable to transport 

floating craft, including 

barges loaded with steel structures. 

They can access quays that 

the “mother” ship would be 

unable to go alongside. ❏ 

...and now a more recent and probably more profitable activity for ZPMC’s 

fleet - ZHEN HUA 24 transporting wind turbine pieces from China to Vlissingen 

March 2010

REEFER INDUSTRY 

MCI Qingdao has become the first reefer container 

manufacturer in China to replace HCFC 141b with 

an environment-friendly foam blowing technology 


news 

Green wind of change blows at MCIQ 

Though the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons 

(HCFCs) as 

foam blowing agents for polyurethane 

foam insulation is not 

subject to control in China until 

2013, with complete phase-out 

slated for 2030, Maersk Container 

Industri (MCI) has bitten the bullet 

at its Qingdao plant and replaced 

its HCFC 141b-based system 

with an environment-friendly 

foam blowing technology for both 

its Mark Q container designs and 

Star Cool reefer machinery. 

The patented system - 

SuPoTec (Sustainable Polyurethane 

Technology) - was originally 

developed by MCI in conjunction 

with research institutes 

and the polyurethane industry in 

2002, ahead of the phase-out 

deadline in Europe for the use of 

HCFCs in foam blowing applications 

at the end of 2003. 

EU regulations also prohibited 

the “placing on the market of 

products and equipment containing 

controlled substances” from 

the same date, which meant that 

reefers manufactured using HCFC 

141b after that date could not be 

deployed in intra-European service 

nor could they be sold into 

secondary markets in Europe. 

SuPoTec was implemented at 

MCI’s reefer manufacturing facility 

in Tinglev, Denmark, in 2003 

and over 30,000 reefers were built 

using the technology before the 

plant closed in 2006. 

Viable alternative 

In its search for a viable foam 

blowing agent with a performance 

similar to that of HCFC 

141b, but with zero Ozone Depletion 

Potential (ODP) and 

minimal Global Warming Potential 

(GWP) to comply with the 

requirements of the Montreal and 

Kyoto Protocols respectively, 

MCI examined a number of alternatives, 

including the HFC 

blends 365mfc/227ea and 245fa, 

water-blown CO 2 and the hydrocarbon 

cyclopentane (C5H10). 

The HFC options were discounted 

as, despite having zero 

ODP, their GWP is significantly 

higher than that of HCFC 141b 

and their use is likely to be the sub- 

ject of accelerated phase-out as global 

efforts to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions are stepped up. 

CO 2 -blown foam, whilst 

meeting all the environmental imperatives, 

was similarly dismissed 

as it was found to have significantly 

lower insulation properties than 

HCFC-blown foam, which rendered 

it unsuitable for use in reefer 

container production. 

The most promising alternative 

proved to be cyclopentane, a 

hydrocarbon with zero ODP and 

low GWP, which is widely used 

in the production of domestic 

refrigerators and industrial piping 

insulation. 

In its standard form, however, 

the insulation properties of 

cyclopentane-blown foam are inferior 

to those of HCFC 141bblown 

foam due to the formation 

of relatively large gas cells, which 

results in a higher heat leakage 

value (U-value). 

Neutral additives 

MCI addressed this issue through 

the use of non-poisonous ODPand 

GWP-neutral additives, 

which have the effect of creating 

smaller gas cells in the foam, 

thereby reducing radiation and the 

GreenRail on track 

GreenRail, the partnership of a 

number of Dutch produce shippers, 

logistics companies, intermodal operators 

and 45ft container specialist 

Unit45, recently undertook its 

75th containerised shipment of 

fresh flowers by rail from the Netherlands 

to Italy (Milan). 

GreenRail began transporting 

“floricultural” products by rail in 

45ft reefers in mid-2009 and since 

then an average of 2-3 loads/week 

have been shipped to Italy. In addition, 

routes have been opened 

up to Hungary and Romania and 

new services to Poland (Poznan 

and Warsaw) and Switzerland are 

in the pipeline. 

These are all pilots for the 

GreenRail project, in which flower 

Using SuPoTec results in an 11.5t reduction in CO 2 emissions per 20ft box 

auction FloraHolland and the 

Dutch Association of Wholesalers 

in Floricultural Products (VGB) are 

arranging the transport of flowers, 

plants and other fresh products using 

conventional intermodal services. 

Results to date are said to have 

been promising. 

According to GreenRail, a rail 

trip over long distances (≥600 

km) results in a 50% reduction in 

CO 2 emissions as well as a reduction 

in costs of around 10% per 

Danish trolley compared to road 

transport. 

So far, 96% of the containers 

have been shipped on time and to 

schedule, with product quality at 

outturn equal to that provided by 

road transport. ❏ 

“billiard ball” effect of large and 

unequal gas molecules bouncing 

against each other. 

The resulting SuPoTec process, 

says MCI, produces an insulation 

foam that provides substantial improvements 

over traditional 

cyclopentane-based solutions and 

is very close in performance to that 

of HCFC 141b-blown foam. 

At the ISO rating condition, 

which requires heat loss to be 

measured at a mean wall temperature 

of 20degC, SuPoTec-blown 

foam displays a U-value just 

1.0W/degC higher than foam 

blown using HCFC 141b, which, 

says MCI, equates to a carbon 

footprint of 945 kg and is a minor 

consideration in comparison 

to the huge reduction in GWP 

that the SuPoTec process brings. 

Flammability issues 

Cycopentane is, of course, flammable 

and precautions are necessary 

during the production process. The 

polyurethane industry has been 

dealing with this issue for many 

years and safe working processes are 

well established. 

The foam blowing installations 

at MCI Qingdao have been modified 

to address the flammability 

issue and have been approved by 

the relevant authorities and tested 

in production. 

No precautions are needed in 

terms of the final product, how- 

ever. Though the foam iself has a 

6% higher calorific value than 

HCFC 141b-blown foam, the 

possibility of fire or explosion is 

equally negligible, MCI says. All 

current repair methods and materials 

can be safely used on reefer 

panels manufactured using the 

SuPoTec process. 

Environmental impact 

According to MCI, not only does 

the SuPoTec process completely 

eliminate any detrimental impact 

on the ozone layer, it also actively 

contributes to the reduction of 

CO 2 emissions. 

MCI calculates that producing 

a 20ft reefer using the SuPoTec 

process instead of HCFC 141b 

TAN THANH 

CONTAINER 

Since 1995 we specialize in: 

• Manufacturing, Trading and Leasing 

Container: Reefi ng. DC 20, 40, 45 ft 

Chassis: Terminal, container-trailer, tipping, 

side-wall 20, 40, 45 ft 

results in a reduction in CO 2 emissions 

of 11.5t, while for a 40ft high 

cube reefer, the reduction is 24t. 

Using SuPoTec in its Star Cool 

reefer machinery also results in an 

800 kg reduction in CO 2 emissions 

per unit. 

Put another way, for every 

10,000 40ft high cubes built, a 

240,000t reduction in CO 2 emissions 

can be achieved, which translates 

into a saving of 80,000t of oil 

or 480,000,000 kWh of energy. ❏ 

• Services 

Supply any spare parts of Reefer, DC and chassis 

Inspection and maintenance for container, chassis 

under IICL 

Supply York axle (Singapore) and Fuwa axle (China) 

Contact: Tan Thanh Trading Mechanic Corporation 

Head Offi ce: Quarter 4, Truong Son Street, Linh Trung Ward, 

Dist Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam 

Tel: (84.8) 3744 5924 – 3898 9413 – 3728 0924 

Handphone: (84.9) 0822 7422 (Mrs. Phuong) 

Fax: (84.8) 3744 5058 

E-mail: tanthanhdepot@hcm.vnn.vn 

Website: www.tanthanhcontainer.com 

March 2010 37 

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news 

As expected, 2009 turned out to 

be a poor year for tank container 

manufacturers. Never before did 

global production drop as much 

in a single year. Twelve months ago 

WorldCargo News predicted that 

global tank container output in 

2009 was likely to fall by approximately 

75% compared to the 

8,000-plus tanks built in 2008. In 

the event, it wasn’t quite that bad 

but the actual fall, of over 60%, was 

nevertheless a record annual slide. 

Tank orders in 2010 have 

picked up compared to last year, 

but the big volume tank manufacturers 

are still only working one 

shift, in contrast to the two or 

three-shift work programmes that 

prevailed in 2007 and early 2008. 

More companies are ordering 

tanks but the batches are relatively 

small. A number of expected large 

orders have either been delayed or 

cancelled and the big leasing companies 

have put their rolling purchase 

programmes on hold and 

only ordering tanks against specific 

enquiries. 

Idle stock 

In general, the tank container 

market is still oversupplied. Although 

the number of tank shipments 

began to rebound towards 

the end of 2009, there is still a large 

backlog of idle tanks to be assimilated 

before major new tank building 

programmes are launched. The 

rates levied by tank operators are 

still under severe pressure and 

margins continue to be squeezed, 

not least due to the surcharges 

imposed by equally harassed container 

shipping lines. 

For manufacturers, the current 

low cost of tank newbuildings - 

US$20,000 for a standard tank, 

down almost 50% compared to 

38 

two years ago - does bring the 

benefit of some increases in 

newbuilding orders. A number of 

tank operators, having returned a 

number of older, leased tanks in 

their fleets as they come off-hire, 

have launched mid-level newbuilding 

programmes as part of 

ongoing development plans. 

Furthermore, interest in new 

foodgrade and customised special 

tanks has remained relatively 

strong, as has the demand for tanks 

by the oil and gas industry. 

Nevertheless, despite some 

green shoots of economic recovery 

and the comparative health of 

some sectors, the bottom line for 

tank manufacturers is a highly 

competitive environment that is 

set to prevail for several more years. 

NTtank on the move 

The latest newcomer to the ranks 

of tank container manufacturers 

is Nantong Tank Container Co 

(NTtank) of Nantong in China’s 

Jiangsu Province. The company 

only began producing tanks in 

mid-2008, just before the global 

financial crisis broke. 

Considering the circumstances, 

NTtank has done relatively 

well in its first two years of 

operation. Although it will be 

some time before the new plant’s 

maximum capacity of 5,000 tanks 

per annum is achieved, the manufacturer 

is moving in the right direction, 

with a total of 200 tanks 

built in 2008 and 350 in 2009. 

At the company’s launch the 

NTtank management envisaged 

that it would be building primarily 

standard tanks for a strong 

market. However, following the 

quick collapse of the tank market 

in the wake of the global downturn, 

it was soon apparent that 

there would be a stronger demand 

for specials and the technical department 

was set the task of developing 

a portfolio of designs for 

special tanks. 

The decision proved timely 

and, as a result of the reorientation, 

some 70% of NTtank’s 2009 output 

was specials and only 30% 

standard tanks. “We have had a 

strong focus on special tanks over 

the past 12 months,” said Jane Shu, 

vice president operations at 

NTtank. “Our 16,700 litre prototype 

tank successfully passed its 

prescribed tests at the Tergnier station 

in France in February 2009 

and our 12,000 litre prototype 

achieved a similar result in January 

2010. As a result of these certifications, 

our company is now 

able to offer its customers ISO 

tanks in the 10,900-26,000 litre 

capacity range.” 

New products over the past 

year include the NTtank Superior 

polyurethane foam-insulated tank, 

an anhydrous hydrogen fluoride 

(AHF) tank, a milk tank, a PElined 

tank, a PTFE-lined tank and 

a range of offshore tanks.” 

“The economic crisis and the 

resultant oversupply of tanks has 

put a great deal of pressure on all 

manufacturers. Tank newbuilding 

prices remain depressed and one 

of the greatest challenges for our 

industry as a whole is to drive 

prices back to a level where margins 

begin to approach what was 

being achieved before the recession 

hit,” Shu said. 

With demand beginning to 

pick up, NTtank has targeted a 

more ambitious output of 1,500- 

2,000 units for this year. Suttons 

International will figure large 

amongst the company’s major 

customers in 2010. After taking 

delivery of 20 x 24,000 litre 

highly insulated special tanks 

from NTtank in 2009, Suttons has 

just placed a £6M (US$9.01M) 

order for 400 x 26,000 litre baffled 

units, with deliveries starting 

in May. Suttons has taken advantage 

of the competitive tank 

newbuilding prices now pertaining 

and has invested over £12.5M 

(US$18.8M) in new tanks over 

the past year. 

Singamas recovery 

The decline of tank output in 

2009 at Singamas Container 

Holdings, China’s second largest 

builder of tank containers after 

China International Marine Containers 

(CIMC), was typical of the 

performance of all the volume 

tank manufacturers. The company 

completed 1,000 units in 2009, 

down from 2,150 tanks in 2008. 

Singamas was also typical of 

tank manufacturers in general in 

its efforts, as part of an overall defensive 

strategy, to increase the 

share of value-added special tanks 

in its output. In 2008, specials accounted 

for only 11.6% of the 

total Singamas tank production 

but this share increased to 19.6% 

in 2009. 

In the drive to increase the 

range of design options, the 


Tank builders look to avoid double dip 

Flexible leases 

After suffering their worst-ever drop in orders in 2009, tank container 

manufacturers are experiencing a partial rebound. However, it will be 

several years before production lines are as busy as they were in 2008 

custom DesiGn 

Direct sales certiFication support online 

cronos tanks 

The NTtank Superior polyurethane foam-insulated tank is one of the new 

designs introduced by NTtank over the past year 

Global coveraGe From your local cronos oFFice www. .com 

Singamas factory at Shunde in 

China’s Guangdong Province was 

awarded ASME-U and R stamp 

certifications in 2009, enabling 

the manufacturer to offer customers 

ASME U-stamped pressure 

vessel tanks for use in the 

carriage of liquefied and compressed 

gases and other highspecification 

products. 

Singamas has set itself a target 

of building 1,500 tanks in 2010 

but it is under no illusion that 

competition in the marketplace 

will remain fierce this year and 

next. The company is seeking to 

build up its base of Chinese domestic 

tank customers as well as 

its international clientele. 

One of the company’s key local 

customers is Sinochem and a 

range of swap tanks with capacities 

in the 30-35,000 litre range 

has been developed for use in the 

carriage of bulk liquids within 

China. Such capacities allow 

payloads similar to those carried 

by road tankers and enhance the 

commercial viability of the 

intermodal option on Chinese 

transport routes. 

The domestic market for swap 

tanks is expected to increase fivefold, 

to about 1,000 units, within 

the next few years. Singamas also 

builds swap tanks for customers 

in Europe and Australia, amongst 

other locations. 

Special time at CIMC 

There are very few types of container, 

freight vehicle or static 

storage tank that CIMC does not 

build. As the world’s largest manufacturer 

of standard dry freight 

and tank containers, the group 

had the furthest to fall in 2009 

and the declines in output from 

both sectors during the year, most 

container type 

iso single compartment insulated and steam-heated stainless 

steel tank containers 

CApACitY 

26,000 l 

25,000 l 

24,000 l 

21,000 l 

tAre weiGht 

4,150 kg 

3,970 kg 

3,375 kg 

3,237 kg 

General speciFications 

mAx Gross weiGht 

36,000 kg 

36,000 kg 

36,000 kg 

30,480 kg 

worKinG pressure: 4 bar // mAximum CArGo temp: 100˚–130˚c 

stanDarD FittinGs 

mAnLiD: 500mm (20˝ ) diameter 

Air Line: 1.5˝ stainless steel ball valve, 1.5˝ bsp cap. provision for pressure gauge 

reLieF vALve: 2.5˝ stainless steel maxi highflow. provision for second valve 

top DisChArGe: provision for 3˝ valve and siphon tube 

bottom DisChArGe: 3˝ stainless foot / butterfly valve assembly. blank flange or 3˝ cap 

steAm-heAtinG: 7.5m 2 effective surface area. 0.75˝ inlet /outlet 

approvals 

lloyds construction cert, uic, csc, tir, im101, uk(dot), rid/adr, 

aar600, fra, tc, un portable tank 

/////////////////////////////////////////// see us at multimoDal 2010 – Hall 4 – stanD 739 ///////////////////////////////////////////// 

Antwerp ChennAi DubAi GenoA GothenburG hAmburG honG KonG Lisbon LonDon new YorK rio De JAneiro sAn FrAnCisCo seouL shAnGhAi sinGApore sYDneY tAipei toKYo 

drys reefers tanks rolltrailers cpc ® s 45´ palletwides open tops flat racks bulkers equipment services cement tanks car racks 

March 2010


notably in dry freight containers, were 

startling. 

In the tank container field, specialised 

types have provided a key alternative 

business strand for CIMC over the 

past two years. The grand scale of the 

CIMC organisation has permitted significant 

resources to be directed at specials 

construction and the results have 

been impressive by any standard. 

The recent CIMC output of new 

tanks has included ASME-certified tanks 

for China Dongyue for the transport of 

freon and other refrigerants; 23,300 litre, 

6.7 bar AHF tanks for Sinochem and 

ASME standard ethylene oxide tanks for 

Oxirane, the first such units to be built 

in China and the first such units to be 

used in the country; and 40ft, ASME LPG 

tanks able to carry up to 50m 3 of product, 

the maximum volume of LPG that 

can be carried over the road in China. 

In addition, CIMC has continued on 

the acquisition trail over the past year 

and the establishment of CIMC Enric 

Holdings and CIMC Sanctum Cryogenic 

Equipment, following takeovers, 

has provided the group with a major capability 

in the construction of cryogenic 

tanks. Recent output has included the 

manufacture of 40ft super-insulated tank 

containers for the regional distribution 

of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in China. 

The large size of the units means that 

they can also be used as storage vessels at 

customer premises. 

LNG tanks are similar in design to 

the cryogenic tanks used for the carriage 

of the “air gases” - liquid nitrogen, oxygen 

and argon. Amongst the new output 

of such units from CIMC have been T75 

argon tanks for Ken Industrial Gases Pte 

Ltd in Singapore and 10ft nitrogen tanks 

for use by offshore platform and vessel 

operators. The nitrogen units, also type 

T75 cryogenic tanks, comply with the 

DNV standard 2.7-1 for offshore tanks. 

Fifty/fifty at ZZTC 

Zhongshan Zhonghua Tank Containers 

(ZZTC), the other major Chinese tank 

builder, began establishing a range of special 

tank designs almost from its inception. 

While the construction of standard 

UN T11 portable tanks for leasing companies 

such as Eurotainer and GE SeaCo 

constituted an important part of early 

activity at ZZTC, the output of standard 

equipment has rarely accounted for 

much more than 50% of the tanks built. 

The builder’s specials portfolio has 

continued to expand and recent output 

has included a lube oil tank built to a 

simple specification enabling a price tag 

20% below that of a standard tank. 

Other innovations include a series of 

9ft high tanks built with forklift pockets 

customised for mining operations in 

Alaska; teflon and FRP-lined tanks for 

Japanese and Taiwanese customers for the 

carriage of highly corrosive and highpurity 

products; and tanks with sophisticated 

electrical heating systems for European 

customers for the transport of 

methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). 

Buhold holds up 

In South Africa, output at the Buhold 

Group’s Welfit Oddy plant also dipped 

in 2009 compared to a year earlier. However, 

the builder was buoyed by several 

notable orders, including a contract for 

200 baffled tanks of 26,000 litres capacity 

for Suttons International, completed 

in September 2009, and another order 

for 200 tanks from Den Hartogh, built 

during the second half of 2009. 

Meanwhile, the performance of Welfit 

Oddy’s German sister company, WEW, 

exemplifies the relative strength of the 

specials segment. The manufacturer has 

been further insulated from the 

recessionary effects felt by the tank container 

industry in general because its output 

is focused almost entirely on the high 

end of the specials market. Output in 

2009 was 500 units, up from 400 in 2008. 

WEW has achieved a significant increase 

in turnover over the last few years 

and has extended its plant’s production 

floor area by 4000m 2 . The paint shop was 

modernised over the 2009-10 winter period 

and WEW engineers continue to 

develop innovative tank designs and production 

line features. 

In 2010, WEW expects to achieve a 

turnover comparable to that recorded in 

2009, which was slightly over €30M. An 

output of 550 units has been targeted. 

Enhanced chassis 

Elsewhere in Europe, tank output at Van 

Hool’s Belgian factory declined in 2009 

compared to a year earlier but the manufacturer’s 

broad tank operator customer 

base and diverse range of swap tanks, chassis 

and special tanks helped to minimise 

the decline. 

Van Hool delivered its 5,000th tank 

container to Hoyer early in 2009, the 23rd 

year of the close relationship between the 

two companies. Van Hool has built over 

50 different types of tank containers and 

road tankers for Hoyer over the period, 

including specialist silo tanks for bulk 

powders and gas tank containers. Equipment 

provided for the tank operator has 

BULK LOGISTICS 

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also included container chassis in aluminium 

and lightweight steel, some of 

which are designed for tipping while others 

are fitted with powerful pump units. 

Van Hool engineers continue to introduce 

new designs. Recent concepts 

have included a super-insulated, 20,000 

litre, 20ft tank for the carriage of air gases 

at cryogenic temperatures. The unit, 

which features both tank shell and frame 

in stainless steel, has attracted strong customer 

attention and Van Hool has already 

received a number of orders for this type 

of container. 

Van Hool has also been extending its 

tank chassis complement over the past year. 

The attributes of its basic lightweight container 

skeletal for the transport of 20ft tanks 

and swap tanks can be enhanced with the 

fitting of special options such as a WABCO 

Chemicals 

Food 

Gas 

Petrol 


news 

Swap tanks for both the Chinese and overseas markets have been a key focus for Singamas 

TCE trailer module, electronic monitoring 

equipment for tank discharge operations, 

a stainless steel pressure pipe, additional 

hose tubes and a pump unit. In addition, 

a new construction technique for 

Exceptional intermodal supply chain 

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We have a global platform capable 

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Our intermodal bulk containers 

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InterBulk’s deep understanding 

of customer needs makes us the 

best in the business. www.InterBulkGroup.com 

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skeletals able to transport both 20ft and 30ft 

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InterBulk 

GROUP 

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March 2010 39

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