Tuesday 2 December 08 - 21:18
 

Area Survey Benelux

  • Maasvlakte 2 in figures

    01 Jan 2007

    Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam’s new port and industrial zone, is to be built right on the North Sea.Development is expected to take place over the next 20 to 30 years. The development will add 20% to the present port and industrial area, measured in hectares, and treble the port’s container handling capacity.   

  • A hive of Activity

    01 Jan 2007

    Across the Port of Rotterdam there are nearly 50 major development projects either under way or close to starting, including two liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, four electricity plants and eight new terminals for a variety of commodities.   

  • Europe's port powerhouse

    01 Jan 2007

    As Antwerp looks to cash in on a regional capacity deficit, Rotterdam gets the all-important go-ahead for its long term expansion  

  • Zeebrugge lures the big boys

    01 Jan 2007

    Samskip and terminal operator PSA HNN have announced that they are to cooperate in the development of the Port of Zeebrugge as an important hub for shortsea container activities in Northern Europe.  

  • Box bonanza

    01 Jan 2007

    When it comes to Benelux port developments, Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2 tends to take more than its fair share of the headlines.  

Cargo Handling Mobile Cranes & Drives

  • New life for old cranes

    01 Jan 2007

    Many ports and terminals continue to use cranes that are 15-20 or more years old,but once a crane reaches that sort of age inevitably electrical components begin to become unreliable, breakdowns can occur, and there can be an adverse effect on safety. As Portek, the Singapore-based company that specialises in supplying electronics and components for cranes, points out, breakdowns can be expensive.   

  • Upwardly Mobile

    01 Jan 2007

    Globalisation, privatisation, competition and cost pressures are driving changes in the cargo handling business and in the design and construction of mobile harbour cranes, as David Foxwell finds out  

  • A question of classification

    01 Jan 2007

    Crane classification is increasingly important in the market, but what does it mean? A crane must be a high-performance machine,with high lifting capacities, but what use is a powerful crane if it ends up on the scrap heap after a few years?   

Coal Cargo Handling

  • Conveying the load

    01 Jan 2007

    Moving coal from A to B is simply not enough. Today’s coal handling systems need to offer more, as Iain MacIntyre explains  

  • Coals from Newcastle

    01 Jan 2007

    Australia is taking advantage of the dry bulk boom to push through port developments as David MacIntyre finds out  

IT Port-Ship Communications

  • New year,new strategy

    01 Jan 2007

    Get ready to meet a new strategic priority in 2007 by following these eight steps: 1) Define the vision.Check with your IT Department if your port already has in place data transformation and repurposing technology.   

  • The right connections

    01 Jan 2007

    The port-ship communications interface needs to be seamless to combat rising congestion and improve operations. Stuart Butts explains  

Insight & Opinion

  • Mind your P's

    01 Jan 2007

    The end of 2006 and very early part of 2007 saw industrial action in Europe’s ports on a scale that has not been experienced for some time. The last week of December saw action at Gioia Tauro – including a one-day stoppage and which slowed traffic and prompted substantial diversions to other ports. The problems here stemmed from protest at a new national labour contract offer already accepted by the three main transport unions. The unions Unione Generale del Lavor and newly formed branch of the Sindacto Unitario Lavoratori Trasporti (Sult) instigated these strikes. Sult also highlighted shift schedules as a source of unrest among dockers.   

  • Fighting the Last War

    01 Jan 2007

    It is said that generals have a strong tendency to prepare for the war they last took part in. And marine underwriters are not so different in this respect. The last financially traumatic event tends to influence the current approach they take to risk. Post September 11, renewed attention was invested in exclusions of terrorist risk and in the catastrophe modelling that followed, a blanket ban was drafted to apply to all contracts dealing with claims arising out of ABC weapons.   

  • Crippling implications of US initiative

    01 Jan 2007

    One of the more interesting announcements at the beginning of 2007 is that the opposition party in the US, the Democrats, are to fast track legislation which within three years aims to ban containers from entering the US unless they are scanned at source by US-installed equipment and fitted with US mandated seals. It is appropriate that the words “United States” were mentioned numerous times in this announcement as this is clearly the focus: i.e.protection of the US with almost a total disregard for the impact such a measure would have on the container system outside the US.   

  • Is the great equity bubble about to burst?

    01 Jan 2007

    Private equity firms and other non-public shareholder groups such as Dubai Ports World (DPW), have entered the global ports and terminals marketplace to drive up values in the industry. Perhaps the initial driving force was DPW when it entered the Indian market outbidding its rivals.   

  • Taking Stock

    01 Jan 2007

    Time was when shipping lines used to divest terminal assets on the downside of the container boom and bust cycle.Nowadays,however,they have learnt a trick or two and as the recent OOIL disposal highlights they are not disposing of these assets on the downside, but on the upside and reaping the financial benefits as well as retaining priority positions at an operational level. In effect, you could say this is a more sophisticated version of “sale and lease back.” 

Investment Port Finance Opportunities

  • Boom time for banks

    01 Jan 2007

    The recent brilliant spotlight shining on the international ports business from an investment standpoint has turned the sector into a very attractive one from the standpoint of debt provision by the international banking sector. There is no doubt that attracting the interest of banks from this perspective is much easier today than it was just a few years back.   

  • Under the Spotlight

    01 Jan 2007

    There have been some amazing numbers achieved recently regarding port business sales, but perhaps even more amazing when you dig into this is that the high numbers are not seen by the purchasers as obstacles.   

Manpower & Training Crane Simulators

  • Money well spent

    01 Jan 2007

    The capital outlay may be significant but can port executives really risk putting untrained staff into expensive cranes for on-the-job training? Alex Hughes reports  

  • Virtual world

    01 Jan 2007

    Proper use of crane simulators can reap returns in saved education costs, lower accidents and reduced training times in under a year. Alex Hughes investigates  

News Americas

  • CORMAGDALENA RIVER UPGRADE

    01 Jan 2007

    Colombia has invested €350,000 in upgrading the navigability of the Cormagdalena River, which gives access to the port of Barranquilla. It has also improved safety at existing ports along the river and added flood protection.  

  • BELGIANS EYE URUGUAY

    01 Jan 2007

    Belgium's Katoen Natie group, which already owns the box handling facility Terminal Cuenca del Plata in the port of Montevideo, is considering further investment in Uruguay's inland ports.  

  • LONG BEACH UPGRADES CRANES

    01 Jan 2007

    Long Beach Container Terminal has awarded Vycon with an order for green energy storage systems for six of its rubber-tyred gantries.  

  • Kalmar goes large in SA

    01 Jan 2007

    Port equipment manufacturer Kalmar has won an order for 12 rubber-tyred gantries (RTGs) from the largest terminal operator in Brazil. Santos Brasil contracted Kalmar for 7+1 wide and 1-over-6 high units to be delivered between September 2007 and January 2008.   

  • Manta concession worries regional rivals

    01 Jan 2007

    The awarding of a concession to Terminales Internacionales del Ecuador (Tide) to operate the Ecuadorian port of Manta has worried operators and ports in neighbouring Colombia and Peru.   

  • Re-financing a winner for Tacoma

    01 Jan 2007

    The Port of Tacoma has saved $5.3m by re-financing long-term debt at more competitive interest rates.   

  • Portland and Vancouver trade volume to double

    01 Jan 2007

    A study undertaken by the Port of Portland Commission has forecast a doubling of trade volume in the Portland/Vancouver region by 2035. The study highlights the need to plan and invest to increase the capacity of trade and transportation support while reducing the negative impacts on the region’s liveability.   

  • Chile issues ports policy

    01 Jan 2007

    The Chilean government has released its new national ports’ policy, which emphasises the need to award more terminal concessions as a means of boosting competition.  

  • TIDEWORKS GOES DEEP

    01 Jan 2007

    Terminal management software provider Tideworks Technology has deployed its gate operating system, GateVision, at the Port of Portland’s deep-draft container handling facility.  

  • WASHINGTON PORT TARGET

    01 Jan 2007

    State of Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has unveiled a Container Ports Initiative to boost throughput and employment at ports in the state.  

  • Mexican ports lose out on empties

    01 Jan 2007

    Mexican ports handle 370,000 empty containers each year, which causes losses of around $200m, according to estimates.   

  • US financial interest stays strong

    01 Jan 2007

    Financial investment in the port sector from the Americas continues unabated.   

  • Costa Rica seeks hub status

    01 Jan 2007

    The government of Costa Rica is to offer as a concession the construction of a major container hub at Moín, 10km from Limón. With an estimated cost of $500m, the new facility will take five years to complete, thereafter being able to accommodate the world's largest container ships.   

  • ‘Road map’ to national port security upgrades

    01 Jan 2007

    A US task force has recommended a number of security enhancements for the 361 US seaports.   

News Asia

  • Busan to open new berths

    01 Jan 2007

    Three new berths are expected to open at the South Korean port of Busan this month. Doubling existing capacity to 2.4m teu, these berths will be operated by Pusan Newport Company, in which DP World is a major shareholder.  

  • Indonesia initiates new infrastructure projects

    01 Jan 2007

    The government of Indonesia is seeking to raise almost €600m to build what will become the country's largest port in Banten province. Eight international investors and eight located locally have submitted letters of interest for a contract involving a joint-venture with the port.  

  • Crane chaos in Chittagong

    01 Jan 2007

    Four new gantry cranes operated by Chittagong Container Terminals are being underutilised because of the non-corporation of stevedores and also because of the lack of coordinated back-up services.   

  • GULFTAINER IN PAKISTANI JV

    01 Jan 2007

    Sharjah-based Gulftainer has agreed a joint-venture with the Pak Shaheen Group of Karachi to bid for logistics and transport contracts in Pakistan.  

  • Penang invests in port growth

    01 Jan 2007

    Penang Port in Malaysia is to invest $277.78m over the next five years in infrastructure upgrades.   

  • DP World steps back from Pakistan

    01 Jan 2007

    DP World has rather surprisingly withdrawn from the bidding process at Pakistan's Gwadar port. Publicly, it claims this was done for commercial reasons, although there were serious concerns in India about the company's presence in neighbouring Pakistan given that DP World also manages several terminals in India.  

  • PSA seals Chennai box contract

    01 Jan 2007

    PSA Sical has been sent a letter of intent by Chennai Port Trust in respect of the concession to run a second container terminal.   

  • Gujarat identifies new port sites

    01 Jan 2007

    The government of the Indian state of Gujarat has identified Cambay,Mahuva and Sutrapada as new port development sites, as throughput at existing local ports grew by 11.2% to 108m tonnes in 2005-06.   

  • Busan ditches container tax

    01 Jan 2007

    Busan has scrapped an unpopular container tax, six years after it originally expired. Busan Metropolitan City imposed the $21.56/teu container tax in 1992 in order to fund road construction at the port.   

  • Sri Lanka kicks off record expansion plan

    01 Jan 2007

    An official inauguration has launched Sri Lanka’s largest infrastructure project to date, with plans to construct four container terminal berths in the coming years.   

  • TUTICORIN SECOND BOX FACILITY

    01 Jan 2007

    Tuticorin has been given permission to convert its number eight berth into a second container terminal on a build-operate-transfer basis. Five companies, including PSA-Sical and DP World, are in the running for the €25.93m project.  

  • INDIAN MINOR PORTS BOOST

    01 Jan 2007

    As part of India's National Maritime Development Programme,€89m is to be invested in a number of projects at minor ports. India has 12 major ports and 185 minor ports, although only a few of these latter facilities are open year-around.Nevertheless, this group handles 25% of all traffic, amounting to around 150m tonnes.  

  • WEST BENGAL FEASIBILITY

    01 Jan 2007

    The tender for a feasibility study for a deep-water port in West Bengal has attracted bids from consultancy firms in the US, Europe and China. In addition to drawing up the report, the winning bidder will have to maintain an association with the project until it is fully implemented.  

  • OOIL terminal division sale awaits official seal

    01 Jan 2007

    Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL) deal to sell its terminal division to Canada's Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan for $2.35m is awaiting approval from shareholders and competition authorities.   

  • Klang and Incheon pool resources

    01 Jan 2007

    Port Klang and Incheon Port have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve trade, traffic and services between the two ports. Last year, Port Klang handled 22,000 teu from Incheon Port, a rise of 37.5% from 16,000 teu in 2005. Total throughput from South Korea was 142,000 teu in 2006. The MoU will also facilitate an exchange of “technical assistance, post studies, action plan programmes”and port promotion.  

  • China's bright star still shining

    01 Jan 2007

    “China’s port industry shows a promising future”, a recent report from Research in China has found. The study estimates that China’s port handling capacity will increase by 80% or more from 2006 to 2010 and by 2010 the annual handling capacity of Chinese ports will top 6bn tonnes. Container handing capacity will also surge to 120m-140m teu.   

  • INDIANS FINANCE PORTS

    01 Jan 2007

    India's private-sector is forecast to invest $7.67bn in the domestic port industry over the next six years.The 276 potential projects will require total investment of $12.4bn, which will be state-funded where possible.  

  • CHINESE INVEST IN INDONESIA

    01 Jan 2007

    Two Chinese companies – China National Property Administration Council and Qili Holdings – are making substantial investments in the Indonesian province of Papua. Biak Port will benefit from the construction of a new container terminal.  

  • SHENZHEN CONCENTRATES OWNERSHIP

    01 Jan 2007

    DP World is to sell a stake in two of its three Shenzhen terminals for $229m to China Merchants Holding, which has also agreed to the purchase of further equity currently held by minority shareholder Swire.This would allow three box facilities to merge ||under the Mega SCT name.  

  • SHANGHAI SHARES UP

    01 Jan 2007

    Shares in Shanghai International Port (Group) Company Ltd are now being traded on stock exchanges in both Shanghai and Shenzhen.Despite being valued at above the company’s initial expectations, the shares rose by 3% in early trading.  

  • CHINA SHIPPING SEEKS MALAYSIAN OPPORTUNITIES

    01 Jan 2007

    China Shipping Terminal Development, part of the China Shipping Group, is rumoured to be negotiating an equity stake at the Malaysian port of Tanjung Pelepas, although this has been officially denied.The company is also in talks with Port Klang box terminal operator Westport, with the same aim in mind.  

  • HORIZON PRESENCE IN KOREA

    01 Jan 2007

    Dubai-based Horizon Terminal Ltd recently inaugurated its joint-venture Horizon Taeyoung Korea Terminals in partnership with the Taeyoung Group, expanding the company's terminal network in the Korean port of Ulsan. A 130,000 sq m expansion area will be created, capable of accommodating vessels of up to 30,000 dwt at a cost of $65m.  

  • ICTSI swoops on Shandong terminal

    01 Jan 2007

    Global port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) has bolstered its Asian port holdings with a majority share in a Chinese operator.  

News Australasia

  • Reefer boom for Tauranga

    01 Jan 2007

    A range of infrastructural and procedural improvements have been put in place by the Port of Tauranga to cater for the 85% increase in reefer container throughput in half a decade.   

  • PROFIT BOOST FOR PORT NELSON

    01 Jan 2007

    A 33% increase in after-tax profit to NZ$6.9m and 7% rise in revenue to NZ$29.6m has been recorded by Port Nelson in the 2005-06 financial year. Although throughput did not reach the record level of the previous year, cargo volumes were higher at 2.5m tonnes.  

  • Auckland geared for growth

    01 Jan 2007

    Ports of Auckland took delivery of three new ZPMC cranes in December as part of its NZ$100m investment programme to handle container throughput  currently doubling every 10 years.   

  • Positive tones in NZ merger talks

    01 Jan 2007

    Solid progress is being made in the potential mergers between New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland and Port of Tauranga and the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) and Port Otago.   

  • CREAN TO LEAVE NORTHPORT

    01 Jan 2007

    A five-year term as Northport’s chief executive will come to a close this year when Ken Crean steps down from the role.The position is currently being advertised and Mr Crean says he is flexible about the timing of the new appointment.   

  • Join the queue

    01 Jan 2007

    The Australian port of Newcastle has reported that queues of ships waiting to dock peaked at record levels of the mid-50s between late November and early December. The port had been operating a successful capacity balancing system, which the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approved in 2004 citing “net public benefit”in reducing waiting time and cutting costs. The system was intended to cut queues by limiting coal producers to set quarterly capacity allocations.   

  • PATRICK IN TOLL SPIN-OFF

    01 Jan 2007

    Australia's Toll group has announced plans to spin-off its ports division, which encompasses Patrick Corporation, as well as the Pacific National Railway.The new company will retain 83% of the group's debt.Toll will create a separately listed infrastructure trust made up of Australia's biggest port owner and the Pacific National rail network.   

News Europe

  • FERRARI CROSSES KALMAR FINISHING LINE

    01 Jan 2007

    Kalmar has boosted its Italian reach with the acquisition of CVS Ferrari Group.Under the deal, sealed at an undisclosed price, CVS Ferrari will operate as a separate entity and brand within Kalmar, selling its products through its existing distribution network.  

  • RAVENNA INVESTMENT AGREED

    01 Jan 2007

    Ravenna Port Committee has approved a €339m investment package after traffic in 2006 rose by 10% to 26m tonnes.  

  • GALLANTI KEEPS ESPO WATCH

    01 Jan 2007

    Giuliano Gallanti has been re-elected as chairman of the European Sea Ports Organisation for another two years.He has prioritised the development of a “meaningful European port policy”, adding that the big challenge is how to clarify the rules of the European Treaty apply to our industry “without trying to establish a one size fits all policy”.  

  • MEDCENTER TRAFFIC RECOVERY

    01 Jan 2007

    Medcenter, at the port of Gioia Tauro, handled 3m teu in 2006. Second-half traffic was up 16% over that generated in the first six months and up 4% compared with the corresponding 2005 period, although slightly down on the previous year overall.  

  • PLA replaces patrol vessels

    01 Jan 2007

    The Port of London Authority has swapped one hull for two in a bid to reduce wash and improve emissions on the River Thames. Two PLA river patrol vessels have been replaced with Ecocats-designed catamarans, offering a lower-wash speed and a 67% drop in fuel consumption in comparison with the original monohulls. “For each Ecocat launch we’ll save 3,660 litres of fuel a year,” said Alan Cartwright, chief marine engineer.  

  • Gallozzi Group buys into TIN

    01 Jan 2007

    Salerno-based Gallozzi Group has bought a 30% stake in Interporto Campano-owned Terminal Intermodale di Nola (TIN), taking on the running of the day-to-day business. The 225,000 sq m facility,sited close to Southern Italy’s largest commercial district,aims to provide a “substantial and advanced” Mediterranean intermodal rail/road platform.  

  • ALBANIA TENDER RELEASED

    01 Jan 2007

    Albania has issued a tender in respect of construction of a new port at Durres, 33km west of Tirana.The work, which is worth €40m, is being funded by a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and also by the European Bank for Investment. Work is expected to commence in early 2007.  

  • Make your view count.

    01 Jan 2007

    UK maritime interests have just a few more weeks to make their views known on the European Union Maritime Green Paper, published last year by the European Commission.   

  • CAMPBELL TAKES CHARGE

    01 Jan 2007

    Campbell Mason has been selected as the managing director of DP World's two container terminals in the UK at Southampton and Tilbury.   

  • LA SPEZIA PORT PLAN

    01 Jan 2007

    The Italian provincial government of Liguria has approved an outline plan for the port of La Spezia, which is due to become law early in 2007.The plan envisages the creation of 140,000 sq m of new infill land.  

  • BCT BUILDS HANDLING MUSCLE

    01 Jan 2007

    Gdynia’s Baltic Container Terminal has taken delivery of two new post-panamax gantry cranes, supplied by Konecranes. The cranes mark the first of their kind to be introduced into service at BCT, with a lift capacity of 50 tonnes, outreach of 46 metres and a backreach of 20 metres.Once both units are online, an existing Paceco Panamax dimension crane will be retired from service.  

  • EU gives Granadilla go-ahead

    01 Jan 2007

    Stavros Dimas, the European Union's Environmental Commissioner,has given the conditional go-ahead for the construction of the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife, in the Spanish Canary Islands.    

  • Second place for Valencia

    01 Jan 2007

    Valencia has consolidated its position as Spain's second most important port, beaten only by Algeciras Bay. Figures recently released by the state-managed Puertos del Estado for the first 10 months of 2006, report a 13% rise in overall traffic to 38.98m tonnes. This compares with the 61.26m tonnes handled at Algeciras (+9.73%) and the 39.43m tonnes at Barcelona (+5.5%).   

  • Milford looks to the past

    01 Jan 2007

    Milford Haven Port Authority recently took the unusual step of investing in research of archive information to help expedite repair of a gate in its docks.   

  • CASTLE WINS BREMORE BATTLE

    01 Jan 2007

    Ireland’s new deep-water port at Bremore is to be developed in a joint venture between Drogheda Port Company and Castle Market Holdings, a consortium that includes an unnamed “world class”port operator.  

Planning & Design Consultancy Projects

  • Don’t forget safety

    01 Jan 2007

    It is not only the cynics who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. This is a quality of character occasionally displayed by the upper echelons of management in port, transport and energy organisations. We can take as our example the recent strictures applied to the leadership of BP.  

  • Taking the pain out of ports

    01 Jan 2007

    Consultants can deliver the planning pill to solve complicated design problems. Alex Hughes investigates how two challenging schemes have been tackled  

Port Profile Abu Dhabi

  • Room for two

    01 Jan 2007

    Undeterred by neighbouring Dubai’s bid to build a regional superport,Abu Dhabi is breathing new life into a decade-old port development plan. Alex Hughes reports  

Port Profile Antwerp

  • Locking on to labour

    01 Jan 2007

    Buoyed by booming throughput,Antwerp has set its targets on modernising work practices. Felicity Landon reports  

Products & Services/Middle East News

  • HAIFA BOTTOM LINE HIT

    01 Jan 2007

    Israel’s port of Haifa reported a 9% drop in cargo traffic in the first three quarters of 2006, as well as a 4% drop in container traffic.This compares with a forecast for an 8% rise in total cargo. In total, it is predicted to see a €10m loss in revenue for 2006 as a result of Israel's incursions into Lebanon, although it still expects to post an overall profit for the year.  

  • GULFTAINER LOOKS OVERSEAS

    01 Jan 2007

     

  • Morocco bows out of port management

    01 Jan 2007

    Morocco has announced that the state monopoly on managing domestic ports is to be abolished as a means of improving competitiveness.   

  • Removing mystery of intermodal capacity

    01 Jan 2007

    Software that promises to “greater simplify”determining the capacity of an intermodal yard has been released to the open market.   

  • Website no waste of time

    01 Jan 2007

    Ports looking to get a better handle on waste management in the UK can now make use of a specially designed website. BeCompliant.co.uk can help producers of hazardous waste to meet compliance criteria, save money and avoid environmental incidents and fines.   

  • Cavotec reels in DP world

    01 Jan 1970

    DP World has returned to cable reel specialist Cavotec to equip its new container terminal at Jebel Ali Port.   

Security surveillance

  • SECURITY BRIEFING

    01 Jan 2007

     

  • Under watchful eyes

    01 Jan 2007

    CCTV technology can offer everything from movement detection to automated number place recognition.But first,ports must make choices on monitoring levels,coverage and layout.Felicity Landon reports  

Motorship