Busan works to safeguard growth

With no additional terminals planned to open until after 2019, BNCT is the only container terminal with significant new expansion capability. Just over two years after opening, BNCT, which was Asia’s first vertical-automated terminal, has launched its phase two expansion plan which will provide an additional 700,000 teu in capacity by March 2015 – ready for future mega vessels.

“BNCT’s decision to push for its expansion is the right thing to do in terms of volume growth projections and capacity constraints in New Port,” said John Elliott, CEO, BNCT.

“We are confident that we will complete our expansion project as scheduled. When our additional 700,000 teu capacity is ready it will be a big support to Busan New Port’s steady growth in volume and continued increase in vessel size,” he added.

With four berths totalling 1,400m, BNCT’s current capacity of 1.8 million teu will increase to over 2.5 million teu with this expansion. It will also result in additional yard blocks and mega vessel-friendly equipment including three ship-to-shore cranes.

These new cranes are new super-post-panamax twin lift quay cranes with 24 rows of outreach and 49m of height and are part of a new bath of cranes being delivered by March 2015.

Since opening in 2006, New Port has seen a rise in both size and number of mega vessel calls with the triple EEE class 18,000 teu vessels already calling at the port since July 2013.

BNCT is also working to mitigate the risk of accidents and clear increased pollution that comes with these mega vessels. A spokesperson for BNCT told Port Strategy: “Our first priority is safety. We have strict safety management system in place, supported by OHSAS 18001 Accreditation. There is ongoing and practical safety education and training for the workers, including tool box talks, and risk assessment and management is carried out whenever necessary. In terms of pollution, Korea already has strict regulations so we must ensure we comply.”

The container terminal handled over 1.2 million teu in 2013 and is on target to handle 1.5 million teu this year. It also broke its all-time monthly volume record last month, moving 128,863 teu in a single month.

Busan Port Authority (BPA) says it has anticipated the current mega vessel trend and will continue dredging works in Busan, which will see 17m of draft ensured for all of New Port by the end of 2015 and the main sea route by November 2015.