Low countries struggle to maintain dry bulk volumes

Some ports in the low countries have struggled recently to maintain previous healthy levels of dry bulk traffic as the recession in Europe has knocked industry back and resulted in fewer imports. However, there have been some bright spots, too.

At the Dutch Port of Dordrecht, the leading dry bulk terminal, ZHD, handled around 2.5mt (million tonnes) of cargo in 2012, with commercial director, Leo Lokker stressing that the company deals with all kinds of products, many of which performed differently during the year. Scrap, for example, did particularly well last year, although has had a slow start in 2013, due to the downturn in the steel industry, the price of scrap and the situation in the Middle East, among others.

“Wood pellets (biomass) is a major commodity for ZHD at the port and performed well in 2012, but has since declined due to the Dutch government’s policy in respect of co-firing,” explains Lokker.

He adds that the industrial minerals markets, which depend on the steel industry very much, are also having a difficult time.

“However, thanks to the diversity of customers/end-users and products, although 2013 is not a great year so far, ZHD is still doing well,” he says, noting that the company has also entered the agribulk markets due to obtaining GMP certification at the beginning of the year.

To stress how tough things are out there at the moment, Lokker forecasts that, at Dordrecht, ZHD expects a decrease of approximately 300,000 tonnes on the year. Nevertheless, it also has a terminal at Moerdijk and a floating cranes business in Rotterdam, so is sufficiently diversified to cope with falls in traffic at one terminal.

ZHD’s Dordrecht terminal handles both imported and exported dry bulk. Scrap is mainly exported, while other commodities are, usually, inbound. Quizzed over to whether the ratio is changing over time, Lokker concedes that it is difficult to say, since the company is involved in so many different markets: minerals, scrap, agribulk, coal, biomass, and so on, although the overall picture at the port is broadly similarly to that of Rotterdam, whose port authority effectively oversees that of Dordrecht.

Given the presence of such a powerful neighbour, Lokker was asked how Dordrecht is still able to compete in the dry bulk market. There are, he says, many distinct reasons.

“Most importantly, larger vessels — up to Handymax size — can call here because we have 9.45m of draught, which means they sail further inland, where there are then good barging and trucking options to allow consignments to move even further into the continent,” he explains, noting that if a vessel drawing more water wants to access facilities, it can be lightered on the buoys at Rotterdam, using the company’s self-propelled floating cranes.

According to Sjaak Vaes, manager of commerce, at Moerdijk Port Authority, “The expectations for dry bulk in the near future is for traffic to stabilize or grow just slightly up until 2030.”

Most of the dry bulk handled at the port is imported, although Vaes expresses a hope that, in the future, there will also be more exported consignments.

Asked why companies make use of the Port of Moerdijk when other dry bulk handling facilities abound at other ports in the region, he points out that good access by sea, barge, rail and road are all important reasons, with the port accessible by the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt, Volkerak, Haringvliet and Markiezaatsmeer rivers, as well as via various canals.

“We are also located mid-way between the main ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, with the latter just three hours’ sailing time up river, which is why a lot of companies prefer to use Moerdijk. In addition, we have a lot of good connections with the main hinterland of Europe, going from Germany as far east as the Baltic States,” he says.

In terms of landside movement, the port authority is active in trying to achieve a modal split by promoting non-road transport. However, Vaes concedes that rail, in particular, needs significant investment, if it is to achieve greater market share.

“We are therefore making a major effort to put into place a Rail Service Centre, where we will be able to combine large flows of the same product. In addition, companies that are situated within the Port of Moerdijk are also making investments

to ensure that they are ready for future developments,” he says.

Asked whether any current traffic could be considered to be ‘captive’ to the Port of Moerdijk, he says he believes that cement could be seen in that light. However, the port also handles agribulk, building materials, steel products, wood pellets, fertilizer and metal products.

Finally, in terms of access, he points out that draught, at around 8.9 metres, means that 90% of Lloyds-registered ships can be accommodated at the port.

Groningen Seaports, which is the fourth largest Dutch port in terms of volume behind Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland, handled total traffic in 2012 of 8.705mt, of which 6mt was in the form of dry bulk, a slight increase over the

Furthermore, ZHD is very much more focussed and specialized in niche markets, such as scrap handling, biomass and special minerals, the latter involving specialist transshipment. This enables additional value to be added, which wouldn’t be the case with larger Panamax and Capesize vessels hauling coal and iron ore shipments. Nevertheless ZHD is still able to discharge even these vessel sizes directly into barges with means of their floating cranes on the buoys and/or dolphins in the Port of Rotterdam.

“We can also offer our customers greater flexibility, more competitive pricing and better services than most of them would get in a bigger port,” he says. “Because we also handle general cargo in both containers and as breakbulk, we have the equipment available to load or discharge bulk into or from containers, or in whatever combination that might prove useful.”

Significantly, Dordrecht is the busiest inland waterways hub in the Netherlands, with barges accounting for at least 2.5mt of cargo. They go as far down river as it is possible to go, including to Berlin and out into the Danube. For large bulk volumes — which would be the case when operating to, for example, Duisburg in Germany — barges can load up to 5,500 tonnes depending on actual water level.

In contrast, rail is little used, while road accounts for 10–15% of the total cargo moved land side.

“Both the municipality and port of Rotterdam are already investing heavily in upgrading roads and other infrastructure around Dordrecht. ZHD, itself, is investing a lot in new warehouses, equipment and together with the Port of Rotterdam we are working on a expansion plan, which would see our operating area expanded by about 100,000 square metres,” says Lokker.

In 2012, the Dutch Port of Moerdijk — the Netherlands’ fourth largest in terms of total trade — handled a total of 7,884,000 tonnes of dry bulk. For the first half of the current year, volume amounted to 4,063,814 tonnes compared to the 4,190,193 tonnes handled in the corresponding 2012 period.

According to Sjaak Vaes, manager of commerce, at Moerdijk Port Authority, “The expectations for dry bulk in the near future is for traffic to stabilize or grow just slightly up until 2030.”

Most of the dry bulk handled at the port is imported, although Vaes expresses a hope that, in the future, there will also be more exported consignments.

Asked why companies make use of the Port of Moerdijk when other dry bulk handling facilities abound at other ports in the region, he points out that good access by sea, barge, rail and road are all important reasons, with the port accessible by the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt, Volkerak, Haringvliet and Markiezaatsmeer rivers, as well as via various canals.

“We are also located mid-way between the main ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, with the latter just three hours’ sailing time up river, which is why a lot of companies prefer to use Moerdijk. In addition, we have a lot of good connections with the main hinterland of Europe, going from Germany as far east as the Baltic States,” he says.

In terms of landside movement, the port authority is active in trying to achieve a modal split by promoting non-road transport. However, Vaes concedes that rail, in particular, needs significant investment, if it is to achieve greater market share.

Asked whether any current traffic could be considered to be ‘captive’ to the Port of Moerdijk, he says he believes that cement could be seen in that light. However, the port also handles agribulk, building materials, steel products, wood pellets, fertilizer and metal products.

Finally, in terms of access, he points out that draught, at around 8.9 metres, means that 90% of Lloyds-registered ships can be accommodated at the port.

Groningen Seaports, which is the fourth largest Dutch port in terms of volume behind Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland, handled total traffic in 2012 of 8.705mt, of which 6mt was in the form of dry bulk, a slight increase over the 5.8mt reported for 2011. According to Erik Bertholet, business manager logistics, the 3.44% growth is mainly due to an increase in paper and palm kernel expeller commodities.

“For the first six months of 2013, dry bulk traffic has amounted to 2.6mt, during which both paper traffic and building materials have declined somewhat,” he says. “However, for the year in total, we are expecting a similar to performance to both 2011 and 2012, given that the economy remains sluggish.”

Groningen Seaports handles more exported dry bulk than imported, although appears to be on course to register a slight increase in imports in the third and fourth quarter of the current year. Minerals is by far the most important dry bulk handled, accounting for 52% of the port’s overall traffic base, with food products and agribulk, at 5% and 4% respectively, well behind in second and third place.

Quizzed as to why the port is still able to attract dry bulk traffic when it is relatively close to other major ports, Bertholet notes that there are several existing production companies within the vicinity of Groningen, which also cater for specific logistical demands from within the local area. In addition, the port has few problems with congestion and has easy road access.

“Our hinterland is similar to that of both Rotterdam and Antwerp, although we can say that our ‘niche’ market is to be found in the northern extent of that region,” he says.

Groningen Seaports is also linked, via the Eemskanaal, to the local inland waterway network. The canal is actually a major inland route, also serving Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Indeed, so important is this link that Bertholet notes that it accounts for the majority of dry bulk movements, which are either barged inland or moved using small vessels.

“In terms of the modal split, waterway predominate, with road carrying just a small part of our overall dry bulk traffic,” he says. “We do have rail connections to both Eemshaven and Delfzijl harbours, with rail services provided daily by DB Schenker. The port authority is trying to encourage greater use of rail and Groningen Seaports is investing to extend our rail network.”

In fact, the main role of Groningen Seaports is to invest in quays and infrastructure, such as roads, rail links and utilities, leaving the provision of handling equipment and storage to private sector interests.

Most bulk handling takes place at Eemshaven, which has a modern public bulk terminal opened in 1973 and is used for the storage and transshipment of dry bulk commodities. The bulk terminal, which is situated on the northern side of Julianahaven, is accessed via 1,100 metres of quay, offering draught of up to 14 metres. This compares with the 7.5–9 metres to found elsewhere within the port complex, which also comprises two inland terminals at Farmsumerhaven and Oosterhornhaven.

At Delfzijl harbour, there are ample storage and transshipment facilities, serving several adjacent industrial and logistics clusters, such as Chemie Park Delfzijl, Metal Park Delfzijl and the Trade Wharf. The Eastern Trade Wharf has a total length of 850 metres and is the transshipment location of both general cargo and dry bulk goods. Just behind, two stevedore companies offer storage and transshipment for commodities such as timber, containers, paper, hardwood trunks, china clay, pulp and general cargo.

Plans for a gasification plant at BioMCN and Eneco’s wood- fuelled plant in Delfzijl should also result in a sharp increase in the import of wood (and wood-like materials).

In 2012, Zeeland Seaports reported a 9% reduction in dry bulk traffic, although for the first half of 2013 traffic grew by 1.5%, which is how the port authority expects the year as a whole to end. Despite the essentially flat European economy, the diversity of dry bulk handled at Zeeland means that, when one commodity is doing badly, others are doing better.

Statistically, Zeeland Seaports handles twice as much imported dry bulk as it does exported dry bulk, although officially released figures do no include a lot of export barge traffic, which means outbound consignments are probably under-reported.

Facilities at the port are located mid-way between Antwerp and Rotterdam, with all three ports essentially chasing the same hinterland, which could be said to be quite a large chunk of north-western Europe.

“We believe that shippers choose Zeeland Seaports over either Antwerp and Rotterdam because of the good dedicated terminal facilities that we have, along with a good workforce, quick turn around times, our located close to the North Sea, draught of up to 16.5 metres and our congestion free, multimodal hinterland connections,” says communications manager Arno Dirkzwager.

The excellent barge connections generated 12mt of dry bulk traffic last year, moving between the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Indeed, barge has a 45% share of the overall landside movement of cargo, followed by road (25%), short sea (20%) and rail (10%).

“Recently, our customers have been investing in new storage facilities for black and white bulk. At the port authority, we have invested in better quay facilities and rail connections for dry bulk. On top of that, we are looking to improve barge facilities,” says Dirkzwager.

He also reveals that a recent agreement has been signed with a company that is going to invest in the construction of a new fertilizer factory in Terneuzen, which will provide further storage facilities for dry bulk, as well as overall more traffic.

Dirkzwager calculates that around 60% of current dry bulk traffic is essentially “captive” to the port, because of either nearby processing plants or industries.

In terms of draught, Terneuzen has handle vessels drawing up to 12.5 metres of water, while Vlissingen has water depth of 16.5 metres, with the port authority actively investigating a possible one metre increase.

“16.5 metres is already suitable for Capesize ships, but in the future ports might be better of with 17.5 metres,” he says.

The poor state of the European economy definitely negatively affected the flow of goods transported by water to and from the Port of Brussels in 2012. Cargo loaded and unloaded in Brussels decreased 3% to just over 4.7mt, while transit traffic through the river on which the port stands declined sharply by 22%. Overall traffic — that handled directly by the port and that simply passing through — dropped 9.2% to 6.5mt.

However, despite the poor results, these are indicative of those reported across the entire European port sector.

Significantly, the volume of goods transported by inland waterways effectively took 610,000 trucks of the road in and around Brussels, thereby saving 95,000 tonnes of CO2. In terms of dry bulk traffic, construction materials continue to head the list of commodities handled. Unfortunately, given the comparative slump in the local construction industry, these declined by 8% on the year from 2.836mt to 2.611mt. Hydrocarbons remain in second position, but are showing positive signs of growth. Agribulk, at 332,000 tonnes, was up 5%, although foodstuffs fell by 21% to 122,000 tonnes. Minerals and scrap traffic declined by 45% to 113,000 tonnes, although metallurgical products continue to decline too, down 60% to just 21,000 tonnes.

The Netherlands remains Brussels’ major trading partner, accounting for almost 60% of the tonnage traded. The estuary ports of Dordrecht and Breskens provide the bulk of the sand imported by Brussels for the building industry. The Netherlands also remains an important market for the sector development in areas such as slag and mill residues.

Trade between Belgium and France remained stable overall, while that with Germany is almost back to its 2008 level.

Last year, the Port of Brussels also launched its pilot Watertruck project, which forms part of the EU INTERREG Ivb programme. This latter provided half of the €40,000 seed capital, with the operators accounting for the balance.

The scheme consists of small barges ferrying water sludge from a treatment plant at North Aquiris to the container terminal, where it is loaded onto larger barges for onward transit to Liège, where it is used in the production of cement. The new concept allows 2,000 truck journeys to be eliminated, since the 20,000 tonnes of product involved would previously have been moved by road. Not only does the deployment of the small barges help to optimize the logistics chain involved in cement production, but it also results in cheaper costs.

OVET INVESTS FOR THE FUTURE: NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART TRAIN LOADING STATION AT FLUSHING/VLISSINGEN TERMINAL As from now, OVET has a new state-of-the art train loading station available at its terminal in Vlissingen/Flushing. This new piece of equipment will allow OVET to receive 44 wagon trains in one length. OVET already handled 14 test trains for different (German) customers using different rail transport companies in August and September with good results. A 24-hour round-trip to e.g. the German Ruhr area has proven to be successful. The rail companies were very satisfied with the available good connections to the port of Vlissingen.

An electrified shunting yard is facilitated at rail station Vlissingen- Sloe.

With these facilities, OVET is capable of expanding coal rail transport towards the European hinterland, mainly to supply the German power and steel industry.

However, other dry bulk products can obviously also be handled for all European destinations. The new facility is designed in order for OVET to remain flexible in the way of loading. Other loading equipment as mobile conveyor belts — or cranes — can still be used to load different types of wagons with all kinds of dry bulk products.

OVET operates two deep water terminals in Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Both locations are strategically located and have efficient hinterland connections. The advantage of the locations for rail transport is that there is no congestion at all. The time needed to reach the German border is therefore very efficient.

The new installation was built by Heilig B.V. located in Heerhugowaard, in co-operation with TES Installation for the electro technical installations. The rail infrastructure was built by Strukton with subcontracting to J. Hoondert & Zn. B.V. The of the terminal layout was designed in co-operation with Logitech B.V.

The rail network Zeeuwse lijn and Sloelijn connect the port of Vlissingen to the European hinterland. The rail lines are electrified and the port of Vlissingen has of an electrified train yard. The rail track from the train yard to the OVET Terminal (Kalootharbour) is non-electrified. The transport on this track is done by means of diesel shunting locomotives. Different shunting companies are present in the port. The distance of this track is approximately 5km.

With these new facilities OVET is ready for the future. It can now be present in the market on different fronts.

The Port of Antwerp in Belgium and the Port of Nagoya in Japan have renewed their collaboration agreement. The agreement expands on the treaty of friendship that was first signed 25 years ago. The formal signing of the renewed twinning agreement was held on 28 August during a ceremony on the construction site for the new Deurganckdocklock, giving access to the left bank of the river Scheldt. This lock will enter operation in 2016 and will be the biggest in the world. The agreement was signed on behalf of Nagoya Port Authority by executive vice president Takayuki Kondo. The signatories for Antwerp Port Authority were port alderman and Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel and CEO Eddy Bruyninckx. The governor of the province of Antwerp, Mrs Cathy Berx attended the ceremony.

Nagoya is the fourth-largest city in Japan and capital of the prefecture of Aichi, with some 2.3 million inhabitants. The city has also developed into a centre of trade and industry. Important industries include car manufacturing, chemicals, paper and toys. Nagoya is also a major port, with a freight volume of 203mt (million tonnes) in 2012 including 2.7 million TEU of containers.

In the new twinning agreement the Nagoya and Antwerp port authorities emphasize that they will collaborate in projects that further strengthen the links between the two ports, that they will share best practices in port management, and that they will examine ways of further promoting trade between the ports.

The first treaty of friendship between the ports of Antwerp and Nagoya dates from November 1988, 25 years ago. During this period it contributed to good relations between the two ports and the development of sustainable commercial relations between them. 

Despite the coal markets remaining in something of a flux, Port of Amsterdam saw throughput surge in the first half of 2013. Lex de Ridder, Manager Cluster Energy, gave DCI his take on the market and explained why the Port’s new corporate status will enable further growth in the future.

DCI: In the first six months of the year Port of Amsterdam saw coal volumes soar 27%, helping push total throughput at the Port up by 5.4% to over 40mt (million tonnes) compared to a year earlier. What prompted such a jump in coal demand? De Ridder: Coal demand was extraordinary and it wasn’t just us, it was also true for some other ports, although their rates of growth did not match Amsterdam’s. There were a few reasons for this. One, of course, is the oversupply of coal in the world market at the moment, especially from the US. Although we don’t receive huge volumes from there, the availability of US coals influences the price which has fallen. This has made coal preferable for many users in comparison to gas. The other major factor is that we had a very cold winter — it took until May or June before it got warmer!

DCI: Do you expect growth to slow in the second half of 2013? De Ridder: It hasn’t so far but I think it will eventually. But even if it does, I still think we’ll handle 15–20% more coal this year than we did in 2012 which is remarkable. We should handle over 18mt in 2013 which will beat the record of around 17mt in 2008. Since that year the numbers have hovered around 16mt.

DCI: Are these sort of volumes sustainable in 2014 and beyond? De Ridder: It has been an unusual year and tonnage may drop in 2014. But our aim is to be handling 20mt in 2020, so this has been a stride forward. Even if we take a small step backwards next year we are on the right path.

DCI: Where is most of the coal imported through Amsterdam destined for? De Ridder: Germany, a market we are very focused on and have multimodal connection options to reach, now takes about 80% of the coal we receive. Coal production in Germany is diminishing quickly, down to just 12mt last year. But its use is in favour after plans to increase nuclear production were phased out after events at Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 in Japan which, of course, continue to capture the headlines.

DCI: How is your home market? De Ridder: A few weeks ago after a broad national discussion about energy, it was concluded that a handful of older power plants in Holland would be closed, probably four to five plants. However, it looks like Amsterdam’s coal power station Nuon, part of Vattenfal, is staying. As a result, our coal volumes shouldn’t be affected so much, but some other ports surely will be.

DCI: How would you say the overall outlook for coal is in Europe? De Ridder: I think it’s good. There might be a general political tendency to phase out coal in Europe, but most authorities expect coal to remain in the energy mix for the next 20 years. We are positive and will continue investing in coal facilities. I think Fukushima changed a lot because this ruled out nuclear as an option in Germany. It changed the nature of the debate about coal across Europe.

DCI: But legislators and consumers are still very environmentally aware and many still see coal as a dirty source of energy. Should more be done to address this? De Ridder: Yes, that is the only way coal will play a major role in the long-term. If we want high volumes of coal then there has to be more use in modern power stations of carbon capture and storage technologies. I don’t expect coal demand to remain high in Europe long term unless these technologies are used. But at the moment the energy companies just don’t have the funds to pay for them because this is very expensive. In future, governments and the private sector will hopefully find funding solutions.

DCI: What about renewables, will they make more of an impact on overall energy output in the years ahead? De Ridder: Well, Germany is completely focused on wind and solar. Sometimes, like this summer, they are producing too much wind power and can’t store it so they export it, including to Holland. So that complicates things. But if you look at most analyses, they see coal as a long-run player in Europe’s energy mix. Even if more alternatives become available, because coal is widely available and affordable.

DCI: Leaving coal aside, Port of Amsterdam also saw a 24% increase year-on-year in agribulk in the first six months of the year. What was behind this big jump — local factors or global agricultural markets?

De Ridder: Most agribulk imports passing through Amsterdam originate in South America with Brazil and Argentina being the largest exporters. 2012 was a year of disruption in both Argentine and Brazilian ports due to strike action and continued congestion, respectively. These factors, both unfortunately outside our control, impacted on throughput and resulted in disappointing tonnages in 2012. The agribulk markets are, by definition, volatile and prone to fluctuation in relation to both climatic and economic factors. This, in combination with the footloose nature of the large cargo shippers in their choice of port for transshipment and storage, makes for constantly varying figures. In the first half year of 2013 these movements are certainly in our favour. That said, Port of Amsterdam together with both our customers and the cargo owners, are constantly striving towards providing the best service for the agribulk business, be that in the form of competitive port dues,

professional and efficient transshipment or flexible buffer storage. By broadening the pallet of services offered, we are confident of being able to anchor more and more agribulk tonnages to our port.

DCI: In April, Port of Amsterdam was finally corporatized. What does this mean in terms of your forward plans? De Ridder: It means the Municipality of Amsterdam remains the port’s single shareholder. But instead of being a municipal service company Port of Amsterdam has now been registered as a public limited company. This changes everything. It gives us far more freedom to act and allows us to become more market oriented.

DCI: How will this affect how the port is managed? De Ridder: There has been a restructuring of management responsibilities, but essentially the new strategy breaks down into three areas. Firstly, we will look to maximize the potential of the land at the port of Amsterdam. Secondly, we will work harder at optimizing assets in the region which means more co-operation with municipalities, like IJmuiden and Zaandam along the North Sea Canal where ships enter our port system. We might be the fourth largest port in Europe, but these municipalities are independent so to optimize our operations for our clients we need more regional co-operation. And thirdly, we are looking at new ways of making money, both in the port, the region and outside the region including abroad.

DCI: What type of investments are on the drawing board? De Ridder: Concerning coal, the construction of lightering facilities at IJmuiden to enable better handling of Capesize vessels will now definitely start next year which will make us far more competitive. We are investing €20 million in this and the Ministry of Transport has committed €80 million, which is excellent news as there have been cutbacks on other projects. We are also looking at handling liquid bulk there, like we already do at the ‘board–board’ facility in the Afrikahaven. This is another investment which we think could generate business. And then we’re looking at a new approach to investments in West Africa and Brazil. Nothing is confirmed yet and this will

take time. But we have three or four projects we’re moving forward with which are independent of Port of Amsterdam operations but will involve us using our expertise.

DCI: So you’re feeling quite positive about 2014 and beyond? De Ridder: Amsterdam is ready to co-operate with terminal operators and authorities to improve the whole climate for growth. Now we are corporatized we have a renewed sense of optimism and confidence in progress in moving forward, both at Port of Amsterdam and beyond.

Nord Céréales and the Port of Dunkirk have re-launched the grain trade between France and China.

The Moon Globe, a Panamax ship 225m long and 32.26m broad, called at the Port of Dunkirk during the last week of August to load more than 60,000 tonnes of wheat from the Nord Pas-de-Calais, Somme and Aisne regions, bound for Guangzhou in China.

France had not shipped any grain to China since 2004.

The quality of the wheat offered is highly satisfactory and opens up new opportunities for trade with Chinese buyers. With its outstanding access for shipping, its draught, and the handling facilities available, the Port of Dunkirk can accommodate very large ships for the loading of grain.

The Moon Globe called at the Nord Céréales terminal and was loaded at a rate of 1,800 tonnes per hour, by using two gantry cranes simultaneously. Nord Céréales recently acquired a second loading gantry to double its handling capacities.

Joël Ratel, General Director of Nord Céréales, said: “The 2013-2014 season looks promising, in terms of both quantity and quality, and gives us good prospects for the coming weeks and months.”

Christine Cabau, Chair of Dunkerque-Port’s Executive Committee, added: “The investments made by Nord Céréales in the Port of Dunkirk are bearing fruit: we are able to berth and load extremely large ships with a high level of productivity to satisfy the most demanding clients. We are delighted with this result which rewards the efforts made by the sector.”

The Nord-Céréales terminal is located in the Port of Dunkirk and offers all the facilities needed for berthing ships with a capacity of 110,000 tonnes. The terminal has 222,000 tonnes of vertical storage, 110,000 tonnes of horizontal storage, and a 3,000-point dryer.

France’s third-ranking port, Dunkirk is well known for handling heavy bulk cargoes and for its numerous industrial installations. It has also built its reputation in other sectors such as cross-Channel ro/ro traffic to the UK, containers, fruit, etc.

Since 1973, the EMO terminal in the Rotterdam Port has been a major hub in transporting coal and iron ore from all over the world to the European hinterland. EMO has always been a reliable partner for its customers in helping to control these flows of goods by combining daily processes with a clear vision for the future.

EMO is able to accommodate the world’s largest dry bulk vessels, and yet it never ceases to look to the future and plan ahead — now more than ever. In 2012, the terminal significantly increased its storage and transshipment capacity and efficiency by commissioning five new, state-of-the-art projects: its seventh stacker reclaimer, fifth unloader, a second fully automated coal wagon loader, a brand-new sea going vessel loader along an innovative, new quay, and a high-tech operations centre. These projects ensure that EMO is fully equipped to enhance its safety, efficiency and sustainability performance, and to continue to serve its customers as a reliable partner in dry bulk transshipment in the coming decades.

EMO operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It handles large bulk shipments; its discharge capacity is 47mt (million tonnes) and throughput capacity is 60mt. It always approaches its work and planning with the greatest care. EMO believes it is very important to remain state-of-the-art. Keeping the terminal state of the art as well as making necessary improvements is its key to serving its customers. EMO’s highly skilled trained personnel work closely together. Skilled employees working with innovative technology guarantee high quality, efficiency and sustainability.

MEETING MARKET DEMANDS

EMO’s 160-hectare area currently offers 7m of storage. EMO is ideally located on a 23m-deep waterway connected directly to the North Sea. Rotterdam harbour has excellent rail and waterway connections to the rest of Europe.

EMO is a partner that offers reliability and trustworthiness.

RHENUS MIDGARD’S BULK CARGO TRANSSHIPMENT TERMINAL IN WILHELMSHAVEN HAS BEEN FULLY OPERATIONAL SINCE THIS SUMMER With a discharge capacity of up to 4,000tph (tonnes per hour), a 2.5km- long conveyor belt system can transport coal from a docked vessel directly to storage areas on land. The Magsenger 16 was the first coal ship to benefit from the improved infrastructure at the Rhenus Midgard site at the end of last month. The Capesizer had transported 110,000 tonnes of hard coal bound for Vattenfall’s power stations in Berlin across the Atlantic from the United States.

“Of course, we will continue to optimize our transshipment processes in Wilhelmshaven in the future. But the completion of the new conveyor belt system is an important milestone. The co-ordinated interplay of handling, storage and transport capacities means we can now fully exploit Niedersachsenbrücke’s full potential,” says Matthias Schrell, managing director of Rhenus Midgard in Wilhelmshaven. “On average, we can now offload a large Capesizer in about three days.”

If commercial operations continue to develop storage space can be expanded from two to as many as seven storage areas. Then some 3mt (million tonnes) of coal instead of the current 800,000 tonnes could be stored to allow the supply of power stations and other coal consumers in line with demand.

“The extended structures at the Niedersachsenbrücke offer the industry new opportunities to make their transport chains more efficient by integrating the capacities in Wilhelmshaven. In the long term, the terminal facilities have been designed to allow the handling of up to 10mt of coal annually,” says Michael Appelhans, managing director of Rhenus Midgard. “In June 2013 — in other words, even before the commissioning of the new conveyor belt — we were able to manage 440,000 tonnes, which is the largest amount of coal ever handled in Niedersachsenbrücke in one month. Our goal is to increase this figure still further in the future.”

The Rhenus Group provides logistics services around the globe and has annual turnover amounting to €4 billion. Rhenus employs over 24,000 people at more than 350 locations worldwide. The Rhenus business areas — Contract Logistics, Freight Logistics, Port Logistics and Public Transport — manage complex supply chains and provide a wealth of innovative value-added services.