Dramatic plans for Europe’s ports

Northern Europe is a cornucopia of seaports that are undergoing numerous dramatic transitions. Like ports in the United States, Northern Europe’s largest ports are investing heavily in expansions to accommodate the larger container ships that will soon voyage the seas. The Port of Rotterdam is in the throes of developing its deep sea container terminal, the Massvlakte 2. The 271-acre terminal, with its annual handling capacity of 2.35 million TEUs, began construction in September 2008 and is expected to be operational by October this year. APM Terminals will occupy 192 acres. The terminal will be highly automated. Containers will be transported from the quayside to the stack by 59 computer-controlled Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The stack will be equipped with 32 automatic stacking cranes and 16 automatic cantilever cranes. Already 14 Super Post-Panamax cranes (11 deep-sea quay cranes and three barge/feeder cranes) are in place to handle containerships. The deep-sea quay cranes are over 418 feet tall and have an outreach of 24 container rows. Currently, the largest ships in operation, Maersk Line’s Triple-E vessels, stack containers 23 rows wide. The cranes also are equipped with a double trolley system, which makes it possible to unload a container from a ship onto an AGV in two steps. All quay cranes are fully electronic and remote-controlled, an innovation that has never been applied on this scale before. Particularly important are the some 8 miles of roadways and 8+ miles of railways built at Massvlakte 2. Industry executives contend that not only must the sea side portion of the Port of Rotterdam be efficient, but also the land side. “We, therefore, need big motorways, more rail capacity and expansion on the inland waterways to make the port successful,” says A.P. Møller-Mærsk CEO Nils Smedegaard Andersen in Het Financiële Dagblad, a Dutch financial newspaper. “You therefore still have quite a lot of investments to make in transport infrastructure.” Port of Hamburg Germany’s Port of Hamburg is being restructured to use existing areas more efficiently. Its Development Plan 2025 calls for expansion of the port’s Altenwerder, Burchhardkai, Hamburg Waltershof and Tollerort container terminals. A particular One key project is the Central Terminal Steinwerder (CTS), which will be built on land reserves. Given predicted growth with China, India, Brazil, Russia and Eastern Europe, Hamburg’s two big container terminal operators, Eurogate and HHLA, are also planning major expansions and modernization to their terminals. With predictions calling for an increase in capacity of around 6 million TEUs, the Eurogate Container Terminal is being restructured and expanded to the west. HHLA plans to invest some Euro 800 million in developing its container terminals to increase capacity to over 10 million TEUs. Port of Antwerp Belgium’s Port of Antwerp is investing in strategic projects that include the purchase this year of the Opel site, the location of the former General Motors production plant in the Antwerp port area. The 237-acre site is located in the heart of the port, which officials say will make it attractive to new industry. The port also is developing areas on both the Left bank (the Logistics Park Waasland) and the Right bank (Logistics Park Schijns) for specific logistics activities with multimodal access. In addition, the Port Authority has reached strategic partnerships with hinterland hubs and terminals to increase the port’s competitiveness. These include the Port of Genk, Port of Brussels, Liege Trilogiport, Beverdonk Container Terminal, rail terminal Geleen, and an extended gateway between Antwerp and Limburg. Port of Dunkerque Europe’s secondary ports also play an increasingly important role. The Port of Dunkerque, France’s third largest seaport behind Le Havre and Marseilles FOS, handles containers, roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) and particularly bulk.

According to port officials, in 2013 the port handled a record 282,000 TEUs, a 12 percent increase over 2012 figures of 268,000 TEUs. The share of loaded boxes increased by approximately 13 percent and came to a total of around 165,000 TEUs. Forty-four percent of ships calling at the port are from Central America; 19 percent, the West Coast of Africa; 15 percent, feeder vessels; 14 percent, the Far East; 5 percent, round the world services, and 3 percent from the Americas. Overall, the port handled 43.6 million tons of solid bulk, liquid bulk and general cargo, down from 47.5 million tons in 2012. This year port officials expect the port to handle 47.5 million tons. “Thirty six percent of our shipments are general cargo,” says Yvan Gomel, Dunkerque Port Development manager. Solid bulk encompasses 50 percent. “We are in a good geographic position to not only handle shipments for France, but also London and all of Northern Europe,” says Gomel. “London can be reached by sea in 90 minutes, and we are 25 kilometers (15 miles) to the Channel Tunnel.” Dunkerque is 24 miles from Dover, England, six miles from the Belgian border, near the city of Lille and in the center for the Brussels-London-Paris triangle. Dunkerque’s facilities enable it to handle all types of cargo and accommodate the largest ships. The port has two harbors (ports). With draughts of 46 feet, the Eastern Port specializes in conventional cargoes and is first in France for copper imports, much of which comes from Chile. Eastern Port is also home to the Arcelor Mittal Terminal, which does a large business in iron and coal. Its newer Western Port, with 4,254+ feet of quayside at its container terminal and 1.29m+ square feet of warehousing adjacent to the container terminal, can accommodate ships with draughts of up to 72 feet. The Western Port offers direct links to the sea and fast calls by the largest container carriers and all types of ro/ro vessels. Dunkerque’s Port Central, which is accessible to ships with draughts of 46 feet via the De Gaulle Lock, includes petrochemical, grain, steel and multi-bulk terminals. A major plus to the Port of Dunkerque is the port is France’s foremost rail freight hub. Some 12 percent of national freight is handled in Dunkerque. The north-eastern branch of the French rail network is linked to the Western Port by an end-to-end electrified line that allows the movement of heavy bulk trains, particularly towards eastern France and Germany. “Dunkerque is one of Europe’s few deepwater ports,” Gomel adds. “It also provides access for large tankers and bulk carriers.” Port officials see their role in European logistics as offering advantages since 80 percent of trucks heading back to the UK via the Channel Tunnel travel with unbalanced loads. By using the Port of Dunkerque, however, Gomel says companies can distribute their products at lower prices. In addition, the port has ample room for expansion. The port area has 9,885 acres of which over 7,413 acres are available for development.

Port of Calais France’s Port of Calais is historically known more as a ferry port for passengers traveling between the UK and France. Today that business competes heavily with the nearby Eurotunnel. Anthony Petillon, responsible for Development and Strategy at the port, reveals, however, that Calais is one of the most cost efficient ports in terms of revenues per acre in Europe. “Only Dover is better,” he says. “That’s because our lack of space and our location means we manage the flow of lorries, trailers quickly. Plus we are the closest point on the European continent from the UK coast and the closest city to major markets in the UK.” Ninety-seven percent of its revenues come from this business. It is aided by the fact the port is directly connected to an expressway, and to the A16, A26 and A25 motorways on the continent, and the M20 and M2 motorways in the UK. Today, with 10.3 million passengers per year, passenger traffic is still important. However, the handling of some 41 million tons of freight per year makes the Port of Calais now France’s fourth port for tonnage. Not only does the port benefit from the export of French made Peugeot/Citroen automobiles. “For car carriers, we are the only port from which these vessels can do two loops daily,” says Petillon. “We also offer direct access to rail service.” In addition, the port offers up to 37 acres for storage for 7,000 vehicles. Like other ports, Calais is undergoing an expansion. Its proposed extension, Calais Port 2015, provides for the creation of a new dock north of the current port for three new large ferry berths and three ro-ro berths dedicated to short sea shipping. “An important part of the development will be rail,” says Petillon. The project also calls for reclaiming 222 acres of the sea and will strengthen the port’s position for cross Channel traffic. “It will increase the level of other ro/ro activities and unaccompanied trailers since Europe has a truck driver shortage,” Petillon explains. “It will also develop some niche activities.” After all, Petillon reveals, 80 percent of the economy of Calais is based on the UK’s economy. Another benefit, ferry sizes keep getting bigger, which means increased passenger traffic for the port. “It’s difficult for the Eurotunnel to increase the size of its tunnels,” he remarks. Plus, train service through the tunnel is expensive and ferries operating at the Port of Calais can always provide more cost efficient passage. “From Calais one ship can make six loops in one day. Dunkerque can provide four,” Petillon adds. Key to Calais’s success, however, is the Port of Dover – the busiest port in England. “We are two ports working with one vision,” Petillon stresses. “Dover has no room for additional ferry berths, but has plans for a second terminal at its western dock. It will also provide for more warehouses and new facilities. Together Dover and Calais will provide more capacity to the market.” The modal shift to rail that is going on in Europe will also have a positive impact on the two ports. Germany’s CargoBeamer AG has been doing a test run from its terminal in Leipzig, Germany to Calais to prove that its horizontal rail-road transfer system for non-cranable road trailers fulfils all technical and operational requirements to run on the European rail network. Non-cranable road trailers make up 85-90% of Europe’s semi-trailer population. CargoBeamer is targeting two major European cargo routes with high traffic volumes: the east-west-route to the Baltic states via the Benelux, Germany and Poland; and the north-south route to Italy via France, Germany and Switzerland. With the start of operations planned for 2014, the Calais terminal will have the capacity to transfer more than 800 semi-trailers per day from road to rail. In addition to Calais, CargoBeamer Gates are underway in Hagen (Germany), Legnica (Poland) and Mockava (Lithuania). London Ports London’s Port of Tilbury, operates as a diverse multi-modal hub. With over 850 acres and good access to the M25 orbital motorway and the UK’s national motorway system, the port provides fast service for Southeast England and beyond. The port specializes in container traffic and the handling of paper and forest products, ro/ro, grain and bulk commodities and construction and building materials. According to the Port of London Authority (PLA) freight volumes moving on the Thames tripled in the last four years, reaching a new decade high of 5.3 million tonnes in 2013. This represented a 62 percent increase over 2012. Much of the increase, however, came from spoil being transported from construction projects—particularly the Crossrail, the new high frequency, high capacity railway for London and the South East. River operators are investing to meet the growing demand, with new ships, tugs and barges. Meanwhile, infrastructure work is complete on Tilbury’s new 70-acre London Distribution Park (LDP). LDP is the largest industrial development site closest to the M25. The project will provide up to 900,000 square feet of high quality warehousing and 11 acres of haulage facilities. It will complement the Port of Tilbury’s multimodal connectivity, including rail, port and barge services.