News in brief: February/March 2025: Ports & Terminals
A round up of Port Strategy November/December 2024 issue’s Ports & Terminals news.
Vizhinjam Success
India’s Vizhinjam deep-water transshipment port handled 300,000 TEU during its six-month trial in H2 2024. During this period a total of 150 container vessels, including five of what the port classified as “the world’s largest” ships, were handled. In December 2024, a commercial commissioning certificate was obtained. For January 2025, a further 85,000 TEU was moved from 45 container vessels.
APMT MVII to Double
APM Terminals (APMT) Maasvlakte II has commenced expansion that will see capacity doubled. The process includes construction of 51ha of additional terminal land, with 1000m of quay, truck and rail transfer zones and the latest generation of Automatic Terminal Trucks. The project will also include the use of emission-free AGVs and fully electrified sustainable infrastructure. The first phase of the expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Go for Cebu
After four years of delays, the new Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) has commenced construction. A reclaimed area of 250,000m2 will simultaneously accommodate two 2000 TEU container ships at a 500m jetty, with a water depth of 12m. Operational in Q2 2028, the new 375,000 TEU capacity facility should ease congestion at the existing Cebu Baseport Container terminal.
BEST Deals
Hutchison Ports’ BEST facility in Barcelona, Spain, has confirmed commissioning of seven new automated blocks and signed a deal with ZPMC for two new Super Post Panamax cranes. The new blocks will give the terminal 25% more automated yard storage capacity, while the cranes which will be located in the northern area of the terminal, will be 10m higher than existing units when they arrive in the first half of 2026.
Klaipėda Wind Spend
Klaipėda Port Authority is investing €308 million ($322 million) in modern infrastructure and sustainability solutions, with offshore wind the key focus. Modernisation of quays, rail lines and dredging will occur during the forthcoming 2025-2028 period, but the key focus is offshore wind energy projects on the Smeltė Peninsula. This includes a new 100ha area in the southern part of the port, with investors being sought.
Hunterston Upgrades
Peel Ports Clydeport has secured permission to redevelop the Hunterston marine yard to support future renewables infrastructure. The £150 million upgrades are expected to be completed by early 2027 and follow news from Highview Power that it is to construct the world’s largest Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility in Hunterston.
Transnet Rail Need
South Africa is hoping to introduce third-party access to its 21,323km of rail network, but it has confirmed that it needs about R14bn of immediate investment in its six corridors, all of which have been plagued by theft, vandalism and outdated systems. The ability to access better rail facilities is regarded as a crucial component in easing congestion at the country’s container ports, while also better serving hinterlands.
Kandla Boost
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in India has a range of major initiatives for Kandla Port. These include a new cargo terminal outside of Kandla creek at an investment of Rs 270 billion to add 135 million tonnes per annum capacity, introducing modern cargo handling equipment and more efficient evacuation systems, as well as a move to handling more fiscally appealing liquid cargoes.
Busan Builds
The port of Busan, South Korea is to be massively expanded in the period through to 2045 including the construction of a new port, Changwon, 25km west of Busan which will work on an integrated basis with the original port areas. A total of US$9.75 billion will be invested with the primary goal of consolidating and expanding Busan’s status as a major transshipment hub. Total berth length will be raised from the current 18.8km to 25.5km.
Visakhapatnam Agreement
Under a new concession agreement with Integrated Cargo Terminal Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle formed by Orissa Stevedores, the Port Authority of Visakhapatnam will realise a major upgrade of its Western Quay. The work is estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 1.66 billion and will reportedly provide new bulk and container handling capacity.
Livorno Interest
MSC, partnering with local company Fratelli Neri and Lorenzini, has declared its interest in being involved in the large-scale outer harbour expansion at Leghorn in Livorno, Italy. The project is reported as comprising three berths over a total quay length of 1200m, with a depth alongside of 20m, and when fully developed offering a annual handling capacity of 1.6m TEU.MSC already has a presence in Livorno – it has a 50% share in the Lorenzini Terminal.
Bilbao Funding
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to extend a US$84m loan to the Port Authority of Bilbao for the purposes of the second phase of its breakwater expansion, the development of its landside electricity grid and the installation of shore power systems. The loan complements EIB’s commitment to allocate half its annual financing resource to climate action and environmental sustainability.
Hambantota Upgrade
The Sri Lankan port of Hambantota has installed four new ship-to-shore container cranes. The port now in Chinese hands, following Sri Lanka’s financial default related to funding for the development of the port, is gearing up to build its transshipment capacity which, in turn, it anticipates will attract potential investors looking to establish manufacturing plants.
Auto Initiatives
The auto sector has recently seen a number of interesting initiatives. BYD Auto of China has launched the auto’ carrier, the BYD Shenzhen, which is capable of carrying 9200 cars. The vessel has a LOA of 219 metres, a width of 37.7 metres, a draught of nine metres and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots. This new vessel brings the number of car carriers in its fleet to four with the company planning to have eight similar vessels in service by 2026.
Also in China, Guangzhou Shipyard International has commenced the construction of the first LNG dual fuel car carrier for Hyundai Merchant Marine. Jointly developed by GSI and Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute, the vessel features LNG dual-fuel propulsion as well as methanol-ready capabilities. Up to 10 of these new vessels will be built.
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