Dutch firm patents ‘flat pack’ container 8


Fold-flat boxes could soon become a workable proposition, thanks to a new innovation by Netherlands- based Holland Container Innovations. HCI, a spin-off from Delſt University of Technology, is marketing the 4FOLD, a 40-foot shipping container that can be folded flat in a matter of minutes. While foldable containers are not


an entirely new idea, HCI says its patented box will be the first such unit to achieve ISO certification, allowing it to be used in regular container transport by land or sea. ISO certification means, for


instance, that the containers have been subjected to 96-tonne- per corner loads, wave motion and watertightness tests,


says


HCI managing director, Simon Bosschieter. Apart from its novel design, the 4FOLD is made from standard materials and its size profile is very similar to a standard 40-foot box, he told FBJ. The unit weighs around six tonnes, as against four tonnes for a standard 40-footer, but HCI is working on measures to reduce the excess. “In any case, the 40-foot market is mainly volumetric so the extra weight is not a problem,” said Bosschieter. Three customers – two shipping


lines and one leasing company - are currently testing the 4FOLD, one between the Netherlands and Spain and two on the Asia/US trade, all routes on which there is a significant traffic imbalance. More boxes are under construction and HCI is seeking further customers. Many potential users are currently


awaiting the completion of the current trials, expected within the next two months. Benefits of the 4FOLD are space


saving in congested ports and terminals and reduced transport costs. Four empty 4-FOLDs can be stacked on top of each other and liſted on or off a vessel in a single move, as opposed to four separate ones, pointed out Bosschieter. It could also lead to more efficient use of road, rail and sea transport capacity – for example, boxes could be moved four at a time into areas where there was a shortage of empties or of capacity. The boxes can be easily


assembled, needing no more than a crane or forkliſt truck capable of liſting the roof section. The container walls are light enough to be manhandled into place. Bosschieter envisages that,


New look for Safmarine’s multipurpose services


Safmarine MPV has relaunched its


Europe/West Africa


multipurpose services under ‘Industry’ and ‘Energy’ banners. Catering to the needs of the oil and gas industry, the Energy service offers significantly shorter transit times and an 18- day frequency with direct calls at Aberdeen, Antwerp, Portugal and Onne (Nigeria), Luanda, Sonils, Soyo and Lobito (Angola). The Industry service – which


combines the ACE and OPEX services – will also offer a fast, direct liner service for industrial projects, conventional cargo and


containers between Europe and selected ports in West Africa. Safmarine claims the fastest transit times from Europe to Port Gentil (Gabon) and Equatorial Guinea and it will also call selected ports in Nigeria, the Congo and Cameroon. Vessels on both tservices have


heavy liſt capability of up to 160 tons (using ships own gear), full IMDG/IMO capability including acceptance of all classes of IMO including IMO 1 and IMO 7 traffic. Safmarine MPV vessels acan


also call at private jetties or make offshore ship to ship transfers.


Morocco route for Tilbury


Maersk’s Seago Line short-sea haul specialist launched a new service between Morocco and Tilbury from 1 May. The first vessel was the WES Carina with a cargo of fresh tomatoes and citrus fruits from Casablanca and Agadir marking the start of the service call which will see ships arriving at LCT weekly every Thursday. Perry Glading, chief operating


officer at Tilbury’s owners, Forth Ports, said: “Tilbury is a reefer handling specialist and coupled with our unrivalled infrastructure and connectivity to the UK market


this fresh seasonal produce will reach the market quickly.” Robert Clegg, UK and Ireland


general manager for Seago Line, added: “It’s important that fresh produce reaches the UK market as fast as possible. We’ve chosen Tilbury for its key location and efficiency in handling the specialist product.” Meanwhile, the joint SCS


Multiport-CWT service is to increase calls at Tilbury’s London Container Terminal to five a week to and from Amsterdam. It imports bulk building bricks and stone for the UK housing market, and exports large volumes of waste for Amsterdam power plants.


CWT will create a new depot for the service in Tilbury and the


increase in business brings the Fiorano vessel,


partnering the


existing Vantage. Director of SCS Multiport, Anton van Hattem, said: “We have seen an increase in demand for our service and this has led to this expansion from three to five calls each week to Tilbury. Tilbury is our ‘home port’ in the UK and we receive an excellent service from the team at London Container Terminal. The port offers us an additional advantage of warehousing space which allows us to centralise all of our activities in one convenient place.”


Issue 4 2014 - Freight Business Journal


///NEWS


once in volume production, the 4FOLD would cost around twice the price of standard container but that a shipping line would be able to recoup the extra expenditure within 1½ years, while for leasing companies the payback could be even more rapid through higher rental charges. Ultimately, HCI would consider


other versions of the 4FOLD including 53’ units for the North American domestic market, where imbalance is even more of an issue than in water-borne trades. A 20-foot unit is another possibility, although US-based Staxxon is currently working on a folding box in this category using a different system.


Harwich-Esbjerg


route falls victim to new sulphur rules


DFDS is to shut its historic freight and


passenger ferry route


between Harwich and Esbjerg on 29 September, blaming new IMO sulphur emission rules. It says that the service has been struggling for a long time with high costs and loss of traffic to the all-road route, along with the ending of duty free sales, competition from low-cost airlines and a decline in industrial cargo between the UK and Denmark. CEO Niels Smedegaard said


DFDS had tried to cut costs on the route to make it more competitive, including making it into a combined freight and passenger service, reducing crew numbers, slow steaming to save fuel and cutting the number of departures, combined with aggressive marketing. “But unfortunately we haven’t been able to reduce costs enough to enable the route to bear the very high additional costs of around £2m a year,” he said. “This is what the new environmental law and the requirement to use low-sulphur oil will cost based on current oil prices from 1 January 2015.” Sirena Seaways, the vessel


which has served the route since 2003, will be moved to other duties. However, the freight route between Esbjerg and Immingham


will continue, and DFDS would seek to ensure the future of this service, it said, with two big, modern vessels offering a daily departure each way with a crossing time of 18 hours. But, Smedegaard warned: “This


route will also be hit by the new sulphur rules. We therefore need to keep a tight focus on costs to prevent the transfer of freight to road transport. We will step up negotiations with employees, partners and other stakeholders to find solutions to reduce costs and increase flexibility.” DFDS Seaways also offers a daily


Newcastle-Amsterdam service and frequent cross Channel services from Dover to Dunkirk and Calais in France, along with daily services from Newhaven to Dieppe and Portsmouth to Le Havre.


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