OVET will officially launch its new extended quay in the Kaloothaven area of Vlissingen port at Zeeland Ports on 21 June but the capacity addition has already received its first bulk carriers including Capesize ships.
The 400-metre extension allows the stevedore to accommodate two Capesize vessels and one Panamax simultaneously, using current crane and yard equipment capacity. “The capacity of the present crane park is enough to cope with another few million tonnes extra,” said Jan Agten, head of commercial affairs at OVET.
OVET will also install a new train loading system in the early months of 2013, which will enable loading a 2,500-tonne train within three hours, while two new state-of-the-art dry screening facilities are also planned for installation at Vlissingen in August and October, respectively. “The two mobile screening plants can work ‘in series’,” explained Agten.
OVET saw tonnage over its dry bulk terminals at Vlissingen and Terneuzen and its fleet of floating cranes which ply the entire Western Scheldt area make substantial gains last year.
Agten said the stevedore handled 11.4mt (million tonnes) in 2011 compared with 10mt in 2010. “About 75% was solid fuels, and 20% minerals/ores,” he added.
OVET is forecasting a slight decrease in tonnage to 10mt this year. However,Agten expects demand for power generation in Germany to drive coal demand in the years ahead which is why the company has been investing so heavily in capacity and the latest handling gear in recent years.
“Basically the only growth in the region will come from Germany,” he said. “We see a decrease in met coal in Western Europe and steam coal growth in the Netherlands will be linked to the geographic position of new power plants at Rotterdam and Eemshaven. The volume growth will all be in Germany.”
The increase in tonnage at OVET in 2011 helped Zeeland Ports out-perform expectations with total throughput surpassing 35mt, an 8% gain year-on-year compared to forecast growth of six percent and a new record for the port.
However, Zeeland Port Authority was cautious about the business environment for 2012 given Europe’s economic problems. “It has really become clear that while Zeeland is not one of the biggest ports in the region, it is indeed one of the fastest-growing where sea transfer is concerned,” said Zeeland Ports Authority. “Given the uncertain economic situation, the port authority cannot risk making a prediction for 2012.”
The Port of Rotterdam saw total throughput of dry bulk cargoes contract 7% to 19mt (million tonnes) in the first quarter of 2012, wiping out some of the gains made last year when over 87mt was handled by its stevedores, a year-on- year gain of 3.2%.
Indeed, the first quarter of this year was in some ways the exact opposite of 2011, with agribulk, iron ore and scrap and ‘other dry bulks’ both contracting after big gains in 2011. The port attributed the fall in the loading and unloading of the latter sub-division, consisting mostly of building materials and minerals, was the result of a stagnant construction sector and declining industrial production.
Karel Peters, Senior Business Manager Dry Bulk in the Port of Rotterdam’s Industry & Bulk Department, said the port’s agribulk gain of 17.7% last year which pushed volumes close to 10mt was primarily down to the opening of a new bioethanol plant at the port by Abengoa Bioenergia.
“That was a big part of the increase last year,” he said. “We also gained some volume by a strong growth of the cargo handled by a parcel operator that uses one of our stevedores.”
In 2011 the port also benefited in the first half of the year from higher imports from the US and South America because of weak harvests in France and Germany and export bans and quota systems introduced in the Ukraine and Russia, also due to poor harvests, a trend that has been reversed this year as bans have been lifted and grain prices in the second half of this year will go down, predicted Peters.
The constants for the port have been growing coal imports and declining iron ore demand, the latter being the product of Europe’s weak economy which has seen steel demand contract prompting production at many Dutch and German blast furnaces to be scaled back or halted, a trend expected to persist throughout 2012. “Blast furnaces in Belgium and north east France has been shut down,” confirmed Peters.
The 1mt (16.7%) gain in coal throughput in the first quarter of 2012 followed on from a 10.9% increase last year when coal volumes totalled 26.7mt.
“One of the reasons for the increase this year was German coal imports, driven by fear for energy shortage in the winter time,” he said. “Also prices of coal are low — in Rotterdam they are lower than in Richards Bay, so that’s a factor,” said Peters.
The supply side of the coal equation is very different now than some years ago, with most steam coal now coming into Europe across the Atlantic from Colombia and the US, or from Russia, instead of from South Africa, Australia or Indonesia, which are now mainly supplying buyers in Asia.
Nuclear closedowns and the gradual reduction in Germany’s own coal mining output will boost imports via Dutch ports but to a lesser extent than originally anticipated because renewable energy is now playing a major part of the energy mix in Germany. This has left coal-fired energy as something of a swing supplier in Germany — only fully employed when energy demand surges.
“Germany’s policy is that sustainable energy is the first source drawn upon to meet energy demand, followed by gas and lignite-fired capacity,” said Peters. “Five years ago plants were burning at 100%, now it is lower, down to sometimes 60% of capacity. That’s the reason why coal imports are lower than we expected 3–4 years ago.
“But in future I think they will still need more coal at certain times when energy demand is high.”
Peters expects coal imports at Rotterdam to grow further in 2013/2014 with some 4.2mt per annum extra needed to feed two new power plants in the port due to come on stream operated by GDF and E.on, respectively,.
Looking further forward, the outlook for Rotterdam’s bulk cargo business is at the mercy of the European economy. “It depends on the economic crisis, because when industrial production is lower, the industry is also asking less energy from power plants and there is less construction, and less demand for steel and therefore iron ore and coking coal,” said Peters.
But even with the doubt surrounding the European economy, Rotterdam’s leading stevedores are investing in new equipment and capacity. EMO recently installed a second coal wagon loader while this year a seventh stacker-reclaimer, a fifth unloader and a new seagoing vessel loader are also to be installed.
EECV, meanwhile, is extending its coking coal facility, which already covers some 35 hectares, by a further 50%, while EBS has just completed the extension of its coal stock area by five hectares and renewed its conveyer belt system.
EMO, full service gateway for coal and iron ore
EMO is the largest transshipment terminal for coal and iron ore in Europe and occupies a top position in the dry bulk market. Modern and multifunctional, the EMO terminal is strategically located at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam.
EMO operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It handles large bulk shipments; its discharge capacity is 42mt (million tonnes) and its throughput capacity is 60mt. EMO approaches all of its work and planning with the greatest care. It ensures that its terminal is state-of-the-art, and is continually improving its facilities so that its customers are served in the best possible way. EMO’s highly skilled trained personnel work closely together. Skilled employees working with innovative technology guarantee customers the quality, efficiency and sustainability they seek.
MEETING MARKET DEMANDSEMO provides handling facilities that the world’s largest bulk carriers require. Its terminal is a major hub in transporting coal and iron ore from all over the world to the large European hinterland. EMO’s 160-hectare area can currently hold 7mt of storage. The terminal 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 prides itself on being a reliable and trustworthy partner. It remains on top of the latest developments in the market, and continually analyses its customers’ needs, the quality of its services and its terminal’s performance. In anticipation of market trends and customer needs, it is always geared towards offering a more efficient, cleaner and safer terminal, one designed to meet the highest of expectations. As a major player in the European market, EMO does everything to keep its terminal in tip-top condition so that it can serve its customers well. The EMO terminal was commissioned in 1973 and, ever since, it has continually adapted its services to meet new market demands. The result: tip-top products and services that match customers’ needs. Recent projects and projects under construction are:
Second coal wagon loader with access to European rail network EMO’s second fully automated coal wagon loader, which started operating in July 2011, means that altogether it can load 16 coal trains a day. The extensive preparations for this enormous project began in 2010 and construction took place in November 2010. The infrastructure had to be adapted as well since EMO required new transport conveyor belts and railtrack. A dedicated rail cargo line — the Betuwelijn — connects EMO directly to the European rail network offering fast, clean and cost-efficient access to the hinterland. Both coal and iron ore reach inland Europe by rail.
Fifth unloaderThe new 85-tonne fifth unloader increases overall loading capacity. An additional unloader means more capacity and more reliability and flexibility. Manufactured in Europe, the unloader will be operational in the third quarter of 2012. The five unloaders situated on EMO’s deep sea quay running along its waterway (23m deep) have an average unloading capacity of up to 200,000 tonnes a day.
Throughout the year, the five unloaders are constantly unloading Capesize ships (bulk carriers). The whole terminal is connected by an internal conveyor belt system.
Seventh stacker reclaimer
Preparations for building the seventh stacker reclaimer started in 2010. This stacker reclaimer is, amongst its other duties, responsible for supplying the coal and biomass-fired GDF Suez Energy power plant. As the stacker reclaimer becomes operational as from this summer, EMO will have seven separate cargo flows served by automated stacker-reclaimers.
New loading berth for sea-going vessels
The Amazone harbour is being widened for the latest- generation vessels of the adjacent ECT terminal. The area where the current sea- going vessel loader is located will be widened and EMO has built a new loader along the Mississippi harbour, east of the unloaders. This sea- going vessel loader in the Mississippi harbour loads coal and iron ore fast and efficiently. This ship loader has a capacity of 5,000 tonnes an hour.
The Rotterdam Port Authority built a new quay, equipped with the most sustainable technology and creating an innovative solution by integrating the berthing structure with the fender structure. A characteristic of the new structure is that it uses a thin layer of high- performance concrete to line the outside of the quay, instead of a traditional fender structure.
Integrated terminal with conveyor belt system and operations centreAll coal and iron ore is transported by EMO’s conveyor belt system. This 47km system
connects all discharge, storage and loading equipment within the EMO terminal into one flexible machine. The conveyor belt system is together with the complete terminal and its machinery
supervised by EMO’s new operations centre. The new operations centre is ready for tomorrow’s challenges. To meet present and future developments, it is important that the supervisory role of the operations centre, the nerve centre of the terminal, can grow. When EMO was modernizing the operations centre, it took both existing processes and anticipated future developments into consideration. The smooth transition to the
modernized operations centre took place in October 2011. While the new operations centre was being built, the old one remained fully operational and processes continued to work properly. Once the new facility was set up and tested, it replaced the old operations centre.
Hartel stripBy relocating to the Hartel strip, EMO will go on being able to grow and offer a highly efficient service. This deep sea location can be used for specific needs of customers. Biomass used in firing power plants, such as wood pellets, also requires extra space.
The new terminal along the Hartel strip will compensate for land lost
due to the widening of the Amazone harbour and for land lost to Electrabel’s new plant. This strip lies across the existing EMO terminal and was created by filling in part of the Hartel canal.
New bulk harbour ready in Dutch Eemshaven
Groningen Seaports invested over €70 million in bulk facilities in Eemshaven, in the northern part of the Netherlands.PORTSGroningen Seaports is the port authority for the port of Delfzijl, Eemshaven and the adjoining industrial sites. The organization provides the complete package of port services to its industrial and commercial clients, from logistics and infrastructure services to the issue and maintenance of the sites in both port regions.
Groningen Seaports has a market-driven approach. It is a service provider and puts what the client wants first. It offers good facilities, short lines of communication and has a rock-solid multimodal infrastructure.
SITESAs well as the two excellently equipped ports, Groningen Seaports manages the industrial sites around the ports and at other areas in the Eems Delta. Various clustered business sites are located on the sites, including a chlorine-related chemicals cluster with Akzo Nobel and its alliance partners as important players. Also, a large part of Eemshaven has been earmarked for the development of energy-related industry: Energy Park Eemshaven. Large energy producers such as GDF SUEZ Energie Nederland, Norned, Nuon/Vattenfall,TenneT, RWE/Essent and Eemsmond Energie have since settled at this location.
WILHELMINAHAVEN READY TO RECEIVE COALS AND BIOMASSThe Wilhelminahaven in Eemshaven is extended with 520 metres and around this new harbour about 1,250 metres of heavy bulk quay has been constructed to receive huge bulk carriers containing coals and biomass. At the moment two power plants are being built by Nuon/Vattenfall and RWE/Essent on Energy Park Eemshaven. Nuon is constructing a multi-fuel (natural gas, coal, biomass) power plant of 1,200MWe. RWE, a German energy supplier, constructs a pulverized coal power plant (together with the possibility to use biomass) with a capacity of 1,600MWe. When operational Nuon and RWE together need 5mt (million tonnes) of coal and 1mt of biomass, which will be transshipped in huge bulk carriers to the Eemshaven. Therefore Groningen Seaports constructed this new bulk harbour, a major investment of about €55 million.
BULK AREA EEMSHAVENNext to the new bulk harbour Wilhelminahaven, Eemshaven also
The building sites of RWE/Essent (left) and Nuon/Vattenfall (right) at Energy Park Eemshaven.
has a modern public bulk wharf with a terminal for the storage and transshipment of dry bulk. This bulk area is located on the northern side of Julianahaven in the Eemshaven. With a depth of 15m NAP alongside the quay and a quay height of +4.40m NAP, it can handle vessels with operational draughts of up to 11m (14m in the near future) under normal HW conditions (Panamax size — 35,000 tonnes maximum). The overall length of the bulk wharf is now 1,100 metres and is a public facility.
PROJECT CARGOES & SHORT-TERM STORAGEThe northern part of the existing bulk quay storage area has been asphalted and features walled-in and drained storage boxes (wall height: 2.5m). These boxes are ideal for project cargoes and short-term storage of dry bulk. Part of the asphalted area is also used for the assembly of large offshore constructions. Storage boxes can be leased.
AVAILABILITY OF LANDSites for permanent use can be bought or leased. In Eemshaven there are still 180 hectares available.
Amsterdam unlocked: looking forward to a very successful year
The future of the Port of Amsterdam may change later this year, when City officials decide whether to proceed with corporatizing the port. This move, managers insist, would give them more freedom to meet market demands. If agreed, this will see the port, which is currently registered as a municipal company and owned by the City of Amsterdam, become a governmental limited liability company.
The proposed change, said Lex de Ridder, Commercial Unit Manager for bulk cargoes at the port, would enable managers to embark on more entrepreneurial relationships both locally, nationally and internationally. All shares would be retained by the City. However, the mooted new structure would enable the port to enter more commercial arrangements with port companies and attract investors without loading risk on to the City. It would also link the ports of Amsterdam and its North Sea neighbours of Beverwijk, IJmuiden and Zaanstad under one management structure.
“It would boost competitiveness and helps us win more cargo currently being moved via other Northern Range ports,” said de Ridder. “A decision is expected to be made this summer and, if we get the green light, a new structure will be in place from 2013. This will enable us to participate in regional port facilities in the city and on both sides of the locks, which will help our position in the market.”
Last year Amsterdam ports — including Amsterdam, Beverwijk, IJmuiden and Zaanstad — handled some 93mt (million tonnes) of cargo in 2011, over 2mt more than a year earlier. Dry bulk was steady at 46.6mt, with coal tonnage increasing 6.4% to almost 20mt. Ores went up 5.9% to 10.2mt, but cattle feed — the ports’ third largest dry bulk cargo by volume — contracted 3.4% to 5.8mt.
De Ridder expects demand across all cargoes to push past 120mt by 2020. Crucial to handling the extra cargo will be the construction of a new lock system at IJmuiden. This will enable direct port access for Capesize vessels with beams up to 70 metres, length of 500 metres and draught of 17 metres. The €700 million project is now due to start in 2017 if full clearance is obtained from city officials. “We want bigger ships with a bigger beam in the port or we will be stuck with our present volumes and will not be able to grow and add capacity,” said de Ridder.
Capacity will also receive a boost in 2015 when a new lightering facility is scheduled to come on stream at IJmuiden. This valuable investment, costing around €100 million, will enable two Capesize bulk carriers to be handled simultaneously, doubling present capacity.
“The dry bulk fleet is upscaling, so we have to lighten more and more ships so we have to improve our lightering facilities,” said de Ridder. “There is a similar trend for liquid bulk vessels and this will also help us handle them.”
Coal volumes handled at Amsterdam ports picked up in the first quarter of 2012 compared with a year earlier. In part, this was due to higher demand from Germany which is phasing out its nuclear electricity generating capacity. De Ridder says year- on-year growth was also boosted by the disruption suffered in the early months of 2011, when the Baltic Sea froze over and was intermittently closed to shipping.
“Over the first four months of this year, coal volumes have completely recovered so we’re very happy with that,” he added. “We had good growth last year and it is increasing again this year. We’re serving the energy market with steam coal, rather than providing met coal to the steel industry which is not
performing so well. We still feel we have potential to grow even more.”
In 2012, he said agribulk had been “robust” and Amsterdam was now viewed as a market leader in the ARA range of ports. This position will be further enhanced later this year when a new terminal, operated by MAJA Stuwadoors in tandem with Cargill, comes on steam adding more storage capacity for agribulk and biomass.
“The Port of Amsterdam is beginning to do very well in biomass markets this year, and we think if Nuon/Vattenfall one of the biggest energy companies in Europe, opts to start co-burning biomass and coal at its Amsterdam power station, then we’ll get a big boost,” he said. “They will decide later this year.”
De Ridder also said another area for optimism was industrial minerals with volumes now approaching 7mt per annum. DEME will soon open a new terminal in the Australiahaven on a pier not used by the previous tenant. This will attract an extra 1mt per annum of materials mined from the sea floor to the port.
“Overall, 2012 is shaping up to be really good for Amsterdam,” said de Ridder. “I am hopeful that by the end of the year we will have a new corporate structure in place and clearance for a new lock system. Then we’ll be able to accelerate our growth plans.”
OBA handles Amsterdam’s first major load of biomass
He said the coal business was relatively stable last year, with a slight increase. Long-term demand prospects were, he admitted, hard to determine with any exactitude.
“The largest market is Germany but coal has a bad image so it is now a swing supplier that steps in when there is a power generation gap, when there is limited energy being generated by wind or other renewable, for example,” he said. “Germany already has lots of windmills and more are being installed, so it makes coal import demand predictions very difficult for our customers and us.
“But in the next few years I expect coal will remain a substantial part of Germany’s fuel mix, but whether that means substantial increases in tonnage is difficult to tell. I think there will be an increase because they are phasing out nuclear output and domestic coal usage, but how big that increase will be I’m not sure, it’s hard to predict.”
OBA has invested heavily in its terminals at Amsterdam over the last three years and a fifth gantry crane was commissioned in October. Supplied by Chinese manufacturer ZPMC, it offers lifting capacity of 60 tonnes, coal handling capacity of 3,500 tonnes per hour and an outreach of 40 metres over water. A Nemag grab has been fitted with 38m3 capacity.
This outlay followed the addition of a new shiploader, the refit of a rail car loader and the installation of a second conveyor system. This year a new CAT 385 machine with a 10m3 grab has also been added which has been deployed to handle barges and to stockpile coal.
“We’re always looking to increase capacity and we’re now examining how to boost storage capacity at Main Terminal — it’s a continuous process,” said Mattheyer.
“We’re making these investments to position ourselves for the next few years.All the new additions could give us a huge theoretical capacity — these investments add up to about 3–4mt per annum of extra capacity – but we’re limited by storage space and the length of time parcels stay here. So our throughput capacity for discharge is huge, we can do about 70,000 tonnes per day, but after discharge it comes down to storage and logistics so that limits us because the coal needs to hit the market at the right time.”
Amsterdam stevedore OBA made a major splash in May when it handled the port’s first large-scale load of biomass.
OBA successfully unloaded the Egret Bulker at its deep draught Main Terminal in the Westerhaven area of Amsterdam port. The stevedore, which also operates a second facility called North Terminal at the port, discharged the 47,000 tonnes of wood pellets exported from Vancouver direct from the ship into covered storage alongside the berth using a gantry crane fitted with grabs.
Most of the cargo will be supplied to RWE Supply and Trading, which operates a power station at Geertruidenberg but some will be re-loaded onto smaller vessels for shipment to power stations in the UK, where RWE has a plant at Tilbury, over the next weeks and months, according to Hans Mattheyer, commercial manager at OBA.
“This is the first substantial cargo of this type that Amsterdam has attracted,” he said. “For OBA it’s a scoop and shows we can serve co-fired power stations in the Netherlands just as well as other ports.”
Mattheyer said OBA would continue to target the biomass market and hoped to win more such cargoes using its direct unloading system, which avoids the need for conveyors and offers ample covered storage. “It depends how the market develops, but we hope this is the first cargo of many to come,” he said.
“We are trying to take a position in the biomass sector.We have covered storage alongside a deep draught, we have five sheds in total and we have the beauty of not needing conveyor belts to move cargo to the shed, we just use a grab, so it’s a perfectly adequate position to be in for this market.”
OBA handled just over 19mt (million tonnes) of bulk cargo last year, up from 18.6mt a year earlier.
“Agribulk was good,” said Mattheyer. “It’s not a growing market, but there was a shift in one importer’s supply chain concept and how they view their shipping and logistics which enabled us to do more volume in the animal feed stuff market as they decided to use us more instead of other continental ports. The cargo still went to the same destination, it just came via Amsterdam so our volumes went up.”
Terminal extension proves its worth
The extension of the deep-sea quay in the Kaloothaven in Vlissingen is finished. Zeeland Seaports started the work last year by preparing the terminal for the simultaneous handling of two large ocean-going vessels by the transshipment company OVET. Even before the official commissioning by the terminal operator, the extension is already proving its worth, judging by the photograph, which was taken recently.
Flexible loading and storage solutions in a volatile market
Thanks to its many deep water ports, including Rotterdam (Europort) one of the largest bulk ports in the world, the Netherlands is extremely well placed to act, as it does, as a major transshipment hub for Western Europe, writes Barry Woodbine, AUMUND Group. Able to handle the largest ore carriers, including the recently launched Berge Stahl at 365,000dwt which, as its name suggests, transports iron ore from Brazil to Europe for distribution to the blast furnaces of Germany. In addition both steam and metallurgical coals represents an extensive tonnage destined mainly for the steel works and power plants of the Ruhr valley.
Extensive import and bulk storage facilities are provided in many locations along with outloading equipment to inland waterway barges and rail wagons for movement inland direct to clients but also to inland distribution centres such as Neuss (Dusseldorf) where Rheine barges are transshipped to bulk trains for final delivery to the customer. Nowadays coal is not the only solid fuel transhipped in the area as biomass, mainly in the form of wood pellets, is now being shipped in from Africa and from the USA where B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. has already supplied two major shiploading systems with a third unit recently ordered. Wood pellet is shipped in large vessels to Panamax size, or even Post-Panamax, and therefore the deep water of the Netherlands major bulk terminals is imperative and many are now gearing up for this new commodity.
The expansion of these many coastal and inland discharge, storage and reloading facilities has provided a fertile base for the development of many technology providers and consultants specializing in the design of bulk terminals, expertise that is exported worldwide to large and small ports handling a variety of cargoes. Materials Handling Consultants (MHC) of Rotterdam is such a company with a long-term connection to B&W Mechanical Handling of England, famous for its mobile shiploader and stacking solutions, going back to year 2000 for the delivery of mobile shiploader and link conveyor systems for the Port of El Sokhna in Egypt handling fertilizers for export in Handysize vessels. More recent contracts for similar equipment have been delivered to Ras Al Khaimah in the Emirates and to Orascom for Sorfert Algerie handling sulphur and urea (nitrogen for fertilizer) respectively and incorporating mobile SamsonTM feeding solutions enabling direct export from truck to ship without local storage or double handling. In addition, in the Emirates B&W has supplied StormajorTM stacking equipment, comprising an integral SamsonTMTM surface feeder with radial stacking boom, for the storage of sulphur granules at Dolphin Energy in a new 220,000-tonne dry bulk store linked to the liquid material granulation process.
Throughout history, the Netherlands has had close links to many territories. Even today it remains closely connected to many of these, such as the Dutch Antilles, only dissolved officially in 2010, including Curacao where there is a substantial oil refinery operated by Refineria ISLA Curacao BV that produces sulphur as a by-product of the refining process. Here again B&W is supplying another mobile shiploader to load the sulphur.
However, this time, the contract includes a mobile link conveyor forming a flexible bridge between on-port storage and the mobile loader offering maximum flexibility without obstructing the general purpose berth with any permanent loading equipment.
Of course sulphur is the core component of sulphuric acid that is fundamental to fertilizer manufacture and, for example in the USA, sulphur from the oil and gas industry has now displaced all other forms in fertilizer production.
The key linkage here to the Netherlands specifically starts with the development of expertise; this know-how benefits the development of smaller ports and bulk terminals internationally, particularly in this case for the fertilizer industry which is a key component in food and biofuels production. Biofuels and biomass usage (wood chip and wood pellet in this case) are driven by both the cost of fossil fuels and government sustainability obligations for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, generally and particularly from power generation. It is projected by the European Union that, even by conservative estimates, over 60mt (million tonnes) of wood pellets will be imported into Europe for burning in both dedicated power and CHP (combined heat and power) plants plus as top-up for existing coal fired plant. Whilst the bulk of this material will arrive in deep sea vessels and be transshipped in the same manner as coal it is rare to find new biomass power plants that are rail or inland waterway connected. In this situation the final leg of the biomass logistics chain is inevitably by road. For this purpose, B&W is supplying SamsonTM surface feeder equipment to intake the material to the power plant. Recent orders in Poland (Electrabel Suez Polaniec power plant) and in the UK at Tullis Russell (CHP for Paper Plant) are typical, comprising in each a set of four units for the intake of locally produced biomass and for imported wood chip or pellet.
The key feature of all these machines is flexibility, enabling any suitable berth to be utilized for bulk exports using a B&W mobile shiploader or any suitable storage building to be converted for bulk storage using a B&W StormajorTM. Similarly the SamsonTM surface feeder receives biomass without expensive deep excavations thus even in a fixed plant, such as a power station, these solutions retain inherent flexibility in location and easy relocation. In an extremely volatile market flexibility and economy are vital to minimize investment risk and take maximum advantage of short-term market positions.
Of course in any market local representation is a key factor. MATEC massagoed techniek, based in Amersfoort, has provided dedicated local support to B&W and others in the materials handling industry for 20 years, delivering a quality of service that is critical to B&W’s customers.
ABOUT THE AUMUND GROUPThe AUMUND Group is long-established and well-respected in continuous process industries delivering world-class materials handling and storage solutions at every stage in the raw material and fuel logistics chain and within the process plant. B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd of the UK was established back in 1966 to serve the shipping and storage sectors with particularly mobile and surface mounted highly flexible solutions that cross many industry sectors. AUMUND Fo¨rdertechnik GmbH, SCHADE Lagertechnik GmbH and B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. are consolidated under the umbrella of the AUMUND Group along with AUMUND Logistik GmbH. In conjunction with the headquarters of the manufacturing companies, the global business is supported in eight locations in Asia, Europe, North and South America by own subsidiaries plus worldwide by an extensive network of agents covering four continents with equipment operating in over 100 countries.
Belting good news from Dunlop
Despite the gloomy world economic situation, Netherlands- based Dunlop Conveyor Belting (part of the Fenner Dunlop Group) is enjoying unprecedented success. With an order book at record levels, they are forging ahead with a €6.4 million factory expansion programme.
The first objective is to install a new, 12-metre long ‘double daylight’ press, which is urgently needed to increase production. The press is due for delivery during June with the intention to be up and running by mid-August. The next stage is to install a steelcord production line for the first time ever in their Drachten production plant.
Although actual production of steelcord is not expected before January 2013, news of Dunlop’s expansion is certainly raising eyebrows within the industry. “Many traders and end- users believe that we are far too expensive and that there is very little demand for high quality belts,” says sales and marketing director Andries Smilda. “The fact that we are increasing our capacity because our order books are so full is hopefully making them realize that there are still a lot of companies out there who do actually want quality and are prepared to pay for it.”
FOCUSING ON QUALITYApart from servicing an existing base of customers located in more than 150 countries worldwide, Dunlop employs a range of strategies in order to maintain growth. The historical cornerstone of competing on quality and lowest lifetime cost rather than price continues to be its primary weapon in seeking new customers.
“We focus a great deal on companies that have demanding applications such as premature wear or who are experiencing problems such as belt surface cracking due to ozone exposure,” explains general sales manager, Les Williams. “Supplying belts that are resistant to the effects of ozone is particularly relevant to coastal based operations, where ground level ozone is more concentrated.The cracking causes pollution (spillage) leading to premature replacement even though the covers are not completely worn. We find that if we can impress customers by solving tough problems then they will more likely try our more ‘standard’ belts. The difficult part is to get the first order. After that, winning more orders is usually quite easy because they will have seen the advantages of Dunlop quality at first hand”.
According to Williams, it is not just the quality of the product that helps to gain and maintain custom.“Our customers also get the very best technical advice and support. If we can save them money by using a different specification then we will. Many companies use belts that are ‘over dimensioned’ and especially covers that are thicker than they should really need because the belts they are using wear out too fast. I would say that many end-users do not always fully understand conveyor belt technology so for that reason, they do not realize that you may pay a higher price per metre initially but save a lot of money by not having to replace the belt two or three times in the same period.”
The growing emphasis on safety, such as genuinely fire-resistant or anti-static belts, and rubber compounds which do not contain chemicals and substances that could potentially be harmful to people or livestock also appears to be working in Dunlop’s favour.
SMELLING THE DIFFERENCEDunlop claim to be the first manufacturer to achieve full compliance with REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemical substances) regulation EC 1907/2006. Although not commonly known by consumers, all European manufacturers (not just those who make conveyor belts) are legally obliged to comply with the regulations including the registration of potentially hazardous raw material elements listed within the regulations with ECHA (European Chemical Agency) headquarters in Helsinki. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many manufacturers have chosen to ignore this legal requirement, either completely or at least partially because of the impact on production costs.
A wide variety of chemicals are used in conveyor belt manufacturing such as accelerators used in the vulcanization process. One of the biggest concerns involves the use of short- chain chlorinated paraffin’s (SCCP’s) . Because of their category 3 carcinogenic classifications and their threat to the environment, REACH regulations stipulate that SCCP’s should either not be used at all or only used on a strictly controlled basis.The unpleasant smell given off by some rubber products can be a strong indicator that chlorinated paraffin’s have been used within the rubber compound.
Manufacturers outside of the EU, such as Asia for example, are not, of course, legally subject to the regulations and are therefore free to use unregulated raw materials and chemicals, even though they may be regarded as extremely hazardous within the European community.
AT YOUR SERVICE
Dunlop is also expanding its network of Dunlop Service centres, having successfully established centres in Holland, Spain, two in Poland, two in Italy, Morocco and, most recently, the Canary Islands.
Eurosilo coal storage for Trianel power plant
FIRST COAL TO BE STORED IN THE 100,000M3 EUROSILOS
The Trianel coal-fired power plant will start up later this year, and received its first load of in May. The barges will be unloaded by two grab cranes and the coal transported to the silos by fully enclosed belt conveyors at a design capacity of 1,800 tonnes per hour.
Key features of the Eurosilo
® system
- no pollution or loss of calorific value;
- minimal footprint for large-scale storage;
- safest storage method on the market;
- maximum logistic control and flexibility;
- minimal operating and maintenance costs; and
- high availability due to minimal downtime.
STORAGE WITH A MINIMAL FOOTPRINTAs with many other resources, space is often a restraint for expansion. Open-air storage of coal also adds costly environmental drawbacks, as well as loss of energetic value. Enclosed storage in highly automated silos solves all these problems with the smallest possible footprint. The Eurosilo® system offers massive storage capacities — to date, up to 100,000m3. The coal is fed at the top of the silo into a telescopic chute through which it reaches the auger frame on the coal surface. Two main parallel screw conveyors distribute the material over the entire area of the silo, layer by layer, while the auger frame rotates. Reclaiming is done by withdrawing coal from the bottom and by inducing central gravity flow. The screw conveyors than rotate in reverse to feed coal into the formed core-flow.
FUEL MANAGEMENT TO MAXIMIZE REVENUEMost power plants can only operate at the highest efficiency rate by burning a designated coal blend. To prepare the right blends at the right time, ESI Eurosilo’s Fuel Management System can be of great help. This software visualizes the different grades of coal in multiple silos and enables the operators to plan the coal blending in the optimal way. The boiler requirements and the coal characteristics are the input data of the Fuel Management System as well as the actual storage levels. By reclaiming the respective coal grades from each silo in a controlled and adjustable rate, the optimal coal blend can be prepared.
LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENTTo ensure long-term competitiveness, it is vital to achieve cost- effective compliance with environmental regulations and self- imposed policies. Environmental Management Accounting (EMA)
integrates environmental, operational and maintenance issues into the financial analysis. An integrated lifecycle assessment, as recognized by the European Community, offers a complete evaluation. Following this approach, the investment in Eurosilo® systems comes with a payback period of just 10 to 15 years.
So it is worth checking and comparing not only the investment cost but also the operating and maintenance costs involved.
EUROSILO COMPARED TO ALTERNATIVESThe three main methods of enclosed storage are, besides the Eurosilo system, the dome (circular) and A-frame (longitudinal) storage system. Table 1 shows a comparison between the different kinds of enclosed storage methods.
Safer Moorings with Lankhorst Ropes
Part of the Royal Lankhorst Euronete Group, Lankhorst Ropes is a leading supplier of high- performance synthetic ropes and steel wire ropes for mooring and towing. The ropes are produced in accordance with Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and ISO standards, and are designed to provide an optimal combination of breaking strength, life-time safety and ease of handling. The company’s global network of stockpoints includes Bilbao, Brisbane, Durban, Fujairah, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Panama, Rotterdam and Singapore.
SPLICING INNOVATIONWith the trend towards fewer ship and tug crew members, Lankhorst has developed the A3 rope splice.
Winner of the ‘Innovation in Ship Operations’ award at the recent Seatrade Awards, the A3 splice is lighter, stronger and smaller than traditional splices. Moreover, the splice greatly improves the ease of rope handling safety during mooring and towing.
The efficiency of the A3 splice is 100%, which means there is no loss in rope strength due to splicing. It makes rope handling easier as there is no doubling of the rope or splice stiffness in the mainline, commonly experienced with traditional rope splicing. And, by reducing the weight and size of the splice, the heaviest part of the rope, the A3
splice enables single person rope handling.
SAFER DRY CARGO MOORINGSThe primary risk to crew and vessel safety from mooring ropes is the rope breaking during mooring operations. A rope snap can occur when either the wrong rope is used or the rope is poorly maintained. Lankhorst Ropes is committed to working with dry cargo vessel operators to improve mooring rope safety. For example, it strongly recommends that operators use the same rope for all mooring lines. Failure to do so increases the load on the mooring line with the lowest elongation properties.
BETTER ROPE MANAGEMENTLankhorst’s mooring ropes are each given a unique identifier, comprising a tracer with the rope’s unique code running the full length of the rope. The unique serial number is also clearly visible in the neck of each splice eye. The tracer and serial number correspond with the factory certificate number for each rope.
“The ability to identify the rope allows better rope maintenance. If the ropes are poorly maintained then the port vetting inspector can refuse the ship entry to the port — and the ropes must be replaced,” says Hans Pieter Baaij, manager maritime division, Lankhorst Ropes. Rope identification allows ship operators to maintain a log of when the rope was first used and the number of moorings it has been used for; all of which can be shown to the port vetting inspector.
A further benefit to vessel operators of being able to identify the rope is that often ropes are delivered in batches, however, not all the ropes are used immediately or are put to work at the same time. Without the ability to identify and record each rope’s use the operator may have to replace all the ropes delivered in the batch rather than only those that have been used.
Of course, the rope identifier also makes it easier for different crews to identify and reorder mooring ropes of the same type.
RESIDUAL ROPE STRENGTHIdeally dry cargo ship operators want to know that the rope is safe and be able to show the residual strength of the rope to the port vetting inspector. Recently Lankhorst Ropes has gone a stage further and is now providing predictive data for mooring rope life. Baaij adds,“When a rope is new its performance is known. However, if the rope has been in service for a while it will have lost some of its strength. Over time Lankhorst Ropes has performed residual strength rope tests and correlated the results with the mooring log, this is then used to predict the residual strength for in-service ropes, giving an indication of the remaining mooring life of each rope.
“It also helps dry cargo vessel operators optimize their rope inventory management getting the maximum life from each mooring rope.”
RC-Inspection B.V. in Rotterdam
RC-Inspection b.v. was established in 2006, focusing on the marine survey market. Since that time, it has expanded, and now has a ferroy-alloy and a coal-inspection department.
The coal-inspection department provides expertise on the handling of coal cargoes, coal sampling and analyses. It also provides solutions related to the specific demands of coal technologies to several international coal traders, as well as consumers of coal and/or coal products.
The senior staff members are RC-Inspection have over 40 years of experience in the coal-inspection and coal-analysis fields. It specializes in visual inspections, sampling and analysis of all types of steam coal cargoes, and steam coal from Colombia and Russia, as well as all other kinds of coal products.
The RC-Inspection coal team is very familiar with all possible problems relating to the stockpiling of Colombian steam coal. It also boasts great expertise in the cargo temperature of Colombian steam coal and stockpiles of coal from other origins.
RC-Inspection has co-ordinating headquarters Rotterdam, as well as satellite offices all around the world, from South Africa to Ukraine, China, Belgium, Russian Baltic ports as well the Russian Black Sea area. RC-Inspection is able to provide the most professional services to coal traders, shippers and coal consumers such as power stations and small industries.
RC-Inspection staff are available wherever they are needed to support coal trading activities. For example, they are in weekly attendance at North German ports for coal shipments.
Marcor Stevedoring B.V., unique shoreless facility
In the competitive market of (un-)loading and storage of dry bulk commodities in Rotterdam, Marcor Stevedoring B.V. is a steady and respectable player.
The company has been present in the port since 1997 and is still eager, flexible, efficient and reliable; furthermore service and quality are at a high level.
Every year, in the Port of Rotterdam, Marcor handles roughly 6mt (million tonnes) of dry bulk commodities. Of said volume, more than 50% is agribulk, mainly from South America.
The remaining quantity consists of mineral commodities, such as magnesite and bauxite from China, ferro alloys from South Africa and Russia, as well as steel scrap as export from Rotterdam. A range of other commodities are also handled by Marcor, such as wood pellets, sugar and salt.
The way Marcor operates is rather unique, as it does not have a shore facility at its disposal. Despite this, Marcor services its customers at a high service level, which includes storage facilities. It does this by making use of its owned storage vessel, Marcor Bulk1 and rented barges, both with a quality level above market standards.
Any customer looking for high-quality storage and a minimum risk of contamination is in safe hands at Marcor. It is a ‘given’ that Marcor will preserve the identity of the products it handles, and that it will segregate them appropriately.
Sustainability is, for obvious reasons, a part of the philosophy of Marcor; as an example, the company uses low-sulphur gasoil. The majority of vessels are handled midstream, in particular, the Waalhaven or Botlek basin.
It is also possible to handle vessels at the Caland Canal and Europoort; in other words, throughout the whole of the Port of Rotterdam.
For the handling of vessels and commodities, Marcor has four floating cranes. In addition, two floating weighing towers are available for the handling of agribulk commodities only.
These units are all of recent date and are well maintained, to avoid unexpected interruptions — delays — and thus extra costs. As a result of regular maintenance, Marcor is able to guarantee the smooth handling of both cargo and ship.
The pontoons of the six floating units are of such a size that they can withstand even extreme weather circumstances. The equipment is able to handle cargo from any type of vessel up to Capesize.
The fleet of four floating cranes, consists of two, more or less identical, 36-tonnes lifting capacity Figee cranes. These cranes easily reach a production rate of 800tph (tonnes per hour) to 1,200tph when unloading Panamax type vessels.
The other two cranes have a lifting capacity of 25 tonnes (NDC built) and 16 tonnes (Figee built).
A regular Panamax vessel with 60,000 tonnes agri bulk is able to set for sea again in 48 to 60 hours.
Of course, Marcor lives up to the various prevailing regulations, such as ISPS, BLU code and is awarded with GMP+, Cert ID and ISO certificates.
So also from that angle all is under control.
The experienced personnel which are all part of the Marcor family, are all well skilled, professional and motivated, and they all talk the same language, also in terms of quality, care, safety, speed etc.
During the past twelve months Marcor took in 9 new and young employees, bringing the total FTE to 62 at present; and in addition 3 operational trainees.The 62 FTE is split up in 5 technical employees, 51 operational and 6 for planning and management.
Marcor is closely working together with other service providers, such as ship agents, controlling companies, forwarding agents, barge and coaster operators, to get the job done in a smooth and efficient way. All this in the interest of those involved in commodities and ships.
ZHD Stevedoring on the move
In order to further strengthen its position in the Rotterdam Rijnmond area and keep on serving its customers in a modern and professional way, some 18 million Euros have been invested at ZHD Stevedoring throughout the last 18 months.The Rotterdam based family owned, private company with more than 40 years of stevedoring experience, has been able to continue the strong growth from 2010 into 2011.
MILESTONES IN 2011 WERE:
- a new mobile Gottwald crane (HMK 6407B, High Tower) – operational in Dordrecht since April 2011;
- upgrading loading and discharging facilities for waste-materials at Moerdijk — May 2011;
- a new 150m-long quay wall (Mallegat Quay Dordrecht) — opened in June 2011;
- 20,000m2 of new developed storage area at Dordrecht — opened in December 2011; and
- a new 50-tonne self-propelled floating crane — expected to be operational as of July 2012.
Although forecasts for 2012 are still uncertain, ZHD Stevedoring has decided to keep on investing in 2012. In early 2012, ZHD Stevedoring started the preparations for the construction of covered storage in Dordrecht. The demand for covered storage from both existing as well as potential new customers has been high in 2011, says Leo Lokker, commercial director at ZHD Stevedoring.
“By investing in covered storage facilities, we expect and trust to serve our customers even better. The same goes for our new self-propelled 50-tonne floating crane which is now under construction at our terminal in Dordrecht.”
This new self propelled 50-tonne floating crane further expands ZHD Stevedoring’s crane capacity and will be operational in Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Moerdijk (see artist’s
impression above). As of 1 July 2011, the municipality of Dordrecht and the
Rotterdam Port Authorities have entered into an an agreement to join forces. Under this agreement, the Port of Dordrecht has become an integral part of the Port of Rotterdam with all its benefits. Although already active in Rotterdam for many years, by means of its self-propelled floating cranes, ZHD Stevedoring recognizes the advantages being part of the Port of Rotterdam. In close co-operation with the Rotterdam Port Authorities, ZHD Stevedoring is looking into possibilities and has started the negotiations to reclaim a further ten hectares of land at its terminal in Dordrecht. These ten hectares will be connected directly to the water with a 750m new quay wall with 9.45m draught, able to accommodate vessels up to approximately 40,000 tonnes.
Apart from handling products like minerals, coal, petcokes and seasonal products as salt, ZHD Stevedoring has been focusing on handling and storage in niche markets such as steel- scrap, biomass (woodpellets) and waste materials. Special services in the field of breakbulk and the handling of bulk in/from containers (a.o. minerals, scrap) — a global trend which will grow in the future — are not unfamiliar to ZHD Stevedoring and complete the handling portfolio of the stevedore. With its steel terminal in Moerdijk, ZHD performs handling of coils as well as other steel products, such as wire-rods, steel bundles, etc..
Rotterdam-based ZHD Stevedoring is a family owned, private company with more than 40 years of stevedoring experience. ZHD is active in the total so-called Rotterdam-Rijnmond area, with terminals in Dordrecht and Moerdijk, but also with its (self-propelled) floating cranes in Rotterdam. The company offers services in bulk, neo-bulk, steel products, coils and container handling, including warehousing and storage (open, covered and floating). ZHD has both road-mobile and floating equipment and is able to handle all kinds of products. All ZHD terminals are able to work round the clock (24/7) and are ISO and ISPS certified. Furthermore, ZHD also has water-related sites available for further (industrial) development.