Eastern Europe drives port growth

Mr Vree spoke about the recent industry analyst forecasts at the TOC Container Supply Chain Conference Europe this week.

Recent industry forecasts indentified Eastern Europe as the fastest growing global region in terms of container volume, with 7.3% growth projected for 2013, followed by 6.7% for the Middle East, and Southeast Asia at 6.1%.

But, while Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, ninth by population and sixth globally in terms of national GDP, Russian ports handled less than five million teu last year. “Clearly this will change, particularly with Russia’s joining of the World Trade Organisation,” Mr Vree said.

Mr Vree also stated the use of new automation as the deciding factor in terminal operators’ success at established European hub ports with the introduction of the newest 18,000 teu plus class vessels on the Far East/Europe trade lane.

“Automated operations such as those we are introducing at our new container terminal at Rotterdam Maasvlakte II will be the difference in meeting shipping lines’ needs and enabling their new generation of vessels to maintain schedule integrity,” he added.

APM Terminals last year completed the acquisition of a 37.5% partnership share in Global Port Investments, Russia’s largest container terminal operator by volume, which operates two container terminals in St Petersburg and one in the Russian Far East port of Vostochny.