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WorldCargo
PORT NEWS
news
DPW reassesses expansion plans
Bahrain Gateway
DP World is negotiating with the postponed. “We have fallen behind
Egyptian government to finalise with the container terminal but it
the terms of a new container ter- makes sense to postpone because
handed over
minal concession at the Red Sea of the economic crisis,” he said.
The Bahrain government has first container vessel is planned
port of Sokhna, but has postponed DP World also said it is re-
handed over the new Khalifa Bin to call within the second half
expansion plans for Fujairah as it viewing all new port projects and
Salman Port (KBSP-Bahrain of the month,” said Steen
reassesses costs in the wake of glo- trimming costs as it expects the
Gateway) to APM Terminals Davidsen, managing director of
bal economic downturn. grim economic picture to affect
Bahrain (APMTB), the 80:20 APMTB. “With the move to
The new 35-year concession volume growth this year. The
joint venture between APMT the new, purpose-built facility,
at Sokhna, where DP World took company has 13 new port
and Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo we intend to build on the
over container terminal operations projects under development, in-
Holdings that won a 25 year progress we have already made
in early 2008, would require DP cluding in the UK, India, China,
concession to operate the facil- and which the market in Bah-
World to significantly boost han- Peru and the Netherlands.
ity in 2006 (see WorldCargo News rain has come to expect as a
dling capacity to 3.5M TEU/year In 2008, the company handled
September 2006, p11) minimum standard of service.
and to expand industrial facilities 46.8M TEU at its 46 terminals, an
Under the concession “With the much larger and
at the port to allow increased vol- increase of 8%, against a total an-
agreement, APMTB has been more modern port at Khalifa
umes of liquid bulk cargo to be nual capacity of 54M TEU.
operating the existing container Bin Salman, we are in detailed
handled. Construction of a new CEO Mohammad Sharaf said
facilities at Mina Salman port discussions with a number of
import-export facility for petro- the company is taking a fresh look
for the past two years. Commer- carriers about opportunities to
chemicals has also been discussed.
DP World is discussing a new 35-year concession at the port of Sokhna
at its capital expenditure and has
cial operations will begin at harness Bahrain’s strategic loca-
Corne Hulst, DP World’s gen- frozen new recruitment as it ad-
KBSP-Bahrain Gateway on tion as a hub for transhipment
eral manager at Sokhna, said vari- bal economy. We expect the agree- which was to be followed by a sec- justs its plans to match new mar-
April 1 following the commis- services for the Upper Gulf,” he
ous models for the deal are under ment to be signed soon.” ond phase, taking capacity to 3M ket conditions.
sioning of the terminal’s four added.
discussion. “We are still establish- Around 90% of Sokhna’s traf- TEU. However, Tamer Masoud, “Each and every project is be-
post-Panamax ship-to-shore The new terminal features
ing a timeline to build the 3.5M fic is imported goods, although the harbour master for the Fujairah ing reviewed. The whole dynam-
cranes and 10 RTGs. 1,800m of quay with a depth
TEU capacity,” he said. “We can port is also a key gateway for Port Authority, said the downturn ics of global trade have changed
“The first commercial ves- alongside of 15m together with
build the capacity without any Egyptian exports to Saudi Arabia. has forced the operator and the suddenly,” Sharaf said, adding that
sel call is anticipated approxi- ro-ro facilities and a general
problem but we need some flex- At Fujairah, DP World had in- port to focus on its primary func- the company wants to “preserve
mately one week later and the cargo berth.
ibility in the arrangement to ac- tended to start expanding annual tion as an oil export terminal, with cash as much as possible” by re-
count for fluctuations in the glo- capacity to 1.5M TEU this year, work on the container terminal ducing capital spending.
Guam cranes arrive
Three refurbished Hitachi ship-to The three cranes are seen passing under
shore container cranes, purchased
the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los
from the Port of Los Angeles last
Angeles en route to Guam
year, are due to arrive this month
at the Jose Guerrero Commercial drives, modern diesel generator
Port in Guam. power packs and disc brakes and
The cranes were purchased equipped with new spreaders ca-
jointly by Jones Act carriers Matson pable of handling 45ft containers.
Navigation and Horizon Lines af- The two carriers, which domi-
ter attempts by the Port of Guam nate the US-Guam trade, have
to obtain new cranes to replace two asked the Port Authority of Guam
30-year-old gantries currently in (PAG) to reduce port charges in
use were unsuccessful. order to reimburse them for the
The cranes are being trans- purchase. Matson has already an-
ported fully erect across the Pa- nounced that it will begin collect-
cific by a third Jones Act carrier, ing a US$125 per container sur-
Crowley Maritime, on a 400ft charge in March to recoup the
long x 100ft wide deck barge cost of the cranes.
towed by the tug MARS. The cranes are needed as the
Matson and Horizon spent US military plans to begin shift-
around US$15M to purchase, re- ing personnel from Okinawa to
furbish, transport and install the Guam in mid-2010. According to
cranes, which have been retrofit- PAG, the move could result in
ted with state-of-the-art electronic cargo increases of up to 600%.
Charleston digs in
The South Carolina State Ports biggest customer, Maersk Line,
Authority (SCSPA) has called for has announced it is pulling out
bids for the first stage of construc- of the port, the SCSPA maintains
tion of a new terminal at the that the Navy Base terminal is “an
former Navy Base in the Port of essential next step to ensure that
Charleston. The SCSPA is seek- the terminal’s first phase stays on
ing bids for a 5000ft containment schedule for a 2014 completion,
structure built out 850ft from the which also coincides with the
:
existing channel to contain the opening of the new, larger locks
Vi
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iut

sa

t
0-5
30
ac
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dredge spoil that will be used as at the Panama Canal.”
T
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Mr
infill for the new 280 acre con- “This signals to our custom-
A
20
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9
tainer terminal. ers that, while we’re being mind-
I
The project is expected to cost ful of the current state of trade,
A
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US$60M. It is not known whether we are focused on the long term
Sz
hen
it will be eligible for funding un- success of the Port of Charleston,”
der President Obama’s new infra- said John F Hassell III, interim
structure stimulus package. In a president and CEO of the
statement the SCSPA said the SCSPA.
project will be funded internally “With port expansion at the
STEMMANN-TECHNIK GMBH
by the SCSP “without entering Navy Base, along with other ca-
Fandstan Electric Group
the credit market at this time.” pacity enhancements, Charleston
www.stemmann.de
Although volumes at Char- will be able to handle growth for
leston have been falling and its many years to come,” he said.
10 February 2009
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