Another customer uses the new coal terminal at the Niedersachsenbrücke Jetty in Wilhelmshaven

The Rhenus Group has invested €90 million in modernizing its facilities for handling coal at the Niedersachsenbrücke jetty. After deepening the berth, the terminal on Germany’s North Sea coast is now the only one in the country that can accommodate fully laden Capesize vessels with a draught of 18.50 metres and up to 250,000 tonnes of cargo on board.

Part of the Rhenus Midgard’s extension work involved installing two new double jib level luffing cranes, each of which is able to handle up to 1,750 tonnes per hour. A second conveyor belt from the pier to the coal storage area will enable the three cranes to achieve their full unloading potential from the summer of 2013 onwards and this will significantly reduce unloading times for vessels. But the company has not only upgraded its facilities for unloading ships — it has also ensured that the coal can be stored until it is transported to final customers. Each storage area — and a second one will be completed by the spring — can accommodate approximately 400,000 tonnes of coal. As many as seven storage areas are possible — where up to three million tonnes of the fuel could be stored, when fully completed.

FIRST COAL UNLOADING OPERATIONS FOR GDF SUEZ

Wilhelmshaven has attracted great interest in the market place. The first fully laden Capesize vessel, the Navios Pollux, docked at the coal terminal at Wilhelmshaven in November last year. The conversion of the Rhenus Midgard terminal opens up new opportunities for competitive imports through the port in Lower Saxony — for coal consumers in Germany and neighbouring countries, e.g. large energy suppliers like GDF SUEZ. Rhenus Midgard has signed a logistics contract with this company for a coal-fired power station that is still under construction.

Although the new power station in Wilhelmshaven has not yet been commissioned, the customer is already using the new opportunities at the coal terminal at Wilhelmshaven to supply its power stations in North and South Germany. As a result, Rhenus Midgard handled its first load of coal for GDF SUEZ in January.

BLACK GOLD FROM RUSSIA

The Patricia V flying the Liberian flag reached the Jade with a draught of 14.17 metres on arrival following a four-day voyage from Vysotsk, which is situated in the Russian district of Leningrad. The journey from Vysotsk to Wilhelmshaven covers 1,150 nautical miles; the Russian port has an oil and coal terminal and is located about 150 kilometres north-west of Saint Petersburg. The Panamax carrier, which is 224.90 metres long and 32.25 metres wide, had 71,050 tonnes of Russian coal on board and the Rhenus Midgard employees at the Niedersachsenbrücke jetty unloaded this cargo.

“We view the way our business relations are developing with GDF SUEZ in a very positive light. The handling of the Patricia V is just the start of our long-term co-operation at the Wilhelmshaven site,” says Matthias Schrell, Managing Director of Rhenus Midgard at Wilhelmshaven, summarizing the situation.

WILHELMSHAVEN WINS OVER CUSTOMERS WITH ITS NAUTICAL ADVANTAGES “Wilhelmshaven offers nautical advantages, because the largest vessels can berth here. This creates savings in expenditure on logistics and it is the reason why GDF SUEZ is planning to locate its coal hub at Wilhelmshaven,” says Michael Appelhans, Managing Director of Rhenus Midgard, commenting on the benefits of the site. The GDF SUEZ coal, which has already arrived at Wilhelmshaven, is destined for power stations near Bremen and Munich and is being transported on block trains in line with demand.

GOOD RAILWAY LINKS TO INLAND DESTINATIONS

Rail links have improved too as part of the upgrading work. The railway line between Wilhelmshaven and Oldenburg has had double track since the timetable change last December. This opens up greater capacity for rail services and improves links to the European rail network for the business site. Rhenus Midgard in Wilhelmshaven also offers its customers a new wagon loading facility at the coal terminal; this can load 2,000 tonnes of coal per hour on average and it therefore guarantees rapid and safe train turnarounds.

“We’re delighted by the growing interest shown by customers, particularly from the coal sector. It’s now our aim to develop the Wilhelmshaven site and turn it into the central coal hub on the North Sea coast. We’ve now almost completed the technical requirements with the current upgrading work on the Niedersachsenbrücke jetty and the infrastructure near the terminal,” says Appelhans.

IMPORTED COAL ESSENTIAL IN THE ENERGY MIX

One thing is certain: despite the change in energy policy in Germany, it will be impossible to completely do without fossil fuels during the next few years. Current estimates suggest that Germany will still need to import many million tonnes of coal until 2030 for power generation purposes, the iron and steel industry and the heating market. Mining German coal is not competitive, particularly because it involves operations at such a great depth. So politicians have decided to continually reduce subsidies and close German black coal mines by the end of 2018. Reductions in the amount being mined have to be offset by imported coal and lower consumption.

Most German imported coal arrives through Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp (ARA), the most important seaports in the Rhine/Maas delta. “Following the expansion of the Niedersachsenbrücke jetty in Wilhelmshaven, we now offer a real alternative to the ARA ports,” says Appelhans, viewing the future in a very positive way. “We want to gradually increase the amount of fuel handled at our coal terminal during the next few years — from approximately 1.6 million tonnes before the upgrading work to ten million tonnes per annum.”