Between the gate, the breakwater and beyond

In the event of a casualty, whether in remote coastal waters or in the approaches to your port, the one thing that’s needed first and foremost is firm and decisive action. Middleton, in his role as SOSREP, delivers just that.

If SOSREP is concerned with matters nautical then Khalid Bichou turns 180 degrees to face the subject of landside logistics. It’s understandable that the mindset of ports is directed seaward. Ports have always been built to accommodate ships. But if a port is to fulfil its real potential as a pivotal player in the supply chain, then it must make that paradigm shift and recognise that what goes on beyond the gate is every bit as important as what goes on beyond the breakwater. Not just recognise but embrace!

I’ve never quite understood why transhipment hubs treat feedering the way they do – like second class citizens. This might sound like an over-generalisation but let’s face it, when push comes to shove the mother vessel’s schedule comes first.

There are some obvious reasons for this but isn’t it time the two – feeder and mother – got separated in terms of operational management? After all, a carrier’s hardly fulfilling his promise of providing an efficient door-to-door service if his boxes get stuck at the transhipment port. The subject of dedicated feeder berths came up at the recent congestion conference in Amsterdam (see PS). And in our Terminal Performance feature on STS cranes, Richard Clarke of Halcrow reckons there’s a case for at least giving certain berths a ‘feeder emphasis’ with STS quay cranes to suit. But he wants simulation to prove his point that there are productivity gains to be had from deploying smaller cranes.

Power, compactness, manoeuvrability and flexibility of purpose are all key features of modern tug design. Although involving higher initial capital outlay, there are operational savings to be had which David Foxwell examines.

And then there’s tyres. If you’re looking to save on terminal operating costs, look no further. Alex Hughes has been talking to terminal operators who are getting significant savings by the judicious selection of rubber for their wheeled terminal equipment.