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Issue 5 2017 - FBJNA


///EUROPE


Big Ships for Europe By Karen E. Thuermer


Europe’s ports are welcoming today’s huge containerships. In May, the MOL Triumph, the new flagship of MOL Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, made its rounds to key northern European seaports that have been working for years to prepare for the arrival of such enormous container vessels. On May 15, it birthed at the Port of Hamburg’s HHLA Container Terminal Buchardkai (CTB), then called at the Port of Rotterdam’s Rotterdam World Gateway at Maasvlakte 2 on May 17, and Le Havre on May 22 before resuming its return voyage to East Asia. A joint HAROPA – Port of Le


Havre and MOL Mitsui O.S.K. Lines press release states that the new shipping service directly connects the Port of Le Havre to the ports in the north of China, especially for very competitive transit times both on import and export. The ports of call when sailing from HAROPA ports are Jebel Ali, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Xingang, Dalian, Shanghai and Ningbo. “The best ports are needed to


accommodate the largest vessels,” says Baptiste Maurand, Deputy CEO of the Port of Le Havre Authority (HAROPA). “Port 2000 was designed to berth the largest vessels in operation today and tomorrow, 24/7, with no limitation of tides or draught. This advantage is essential for La Havre, which, so far, is one of the few major North European ports to be able to provide berthing for fully loaded ships.” The MOL Triumph has a


capacity of 20,170 TEU and measures over 1,312 feet long and nearly 194 feet wide. The ship is the first in a class of six 20,000-


TEU vessels ordered by MOL and is deployed on the FE2 service operated by ‘The Alliance’ that links China and Southeast Asia with Northern Europe. Mega-vessels of this type pose


a challenge and not solely on account of their size. The immense cargo volumes needing to be handled and received/dispatched within a minimum time frame demand superhuman efforts from terminal operators. All three European seaports at which the MOL Triumph called are capable of handling such mega vessels. The Port of Rotterdam’s


Rotterdam World Gateway terminal features a 66-foot deep sea quay with a length of 6,232 feet, a 1,804-foot quay for inland vessels and feeders and its own rail terminal with a connection to the Betuweroute. The terminal has a capacity of some 4 million TEU.. The MOL Triumph is only the


first of the Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS’s) calling at the Port of Rotterdam this year. On June 10, Rotterdam’s APM Terminal welcomed the Maersk Madrid, which has a cargo capacity of 20,568 TEU. And on June 23-24, the OOCL Hong Kong, with its capacity of 21,100 TEU, will moor at Euromax. The OOCL Hong Kong is currently the world’s largest container vessel. The APMT operation includes 13 Super Post Panamax Cranes, 1 Barge Crane, 70 straddle carriers and 2,250 reefer connections on 247+ acres of land and 5,248 feet of quay wall with an annual capacity of 3.3 million TEU. The Euromax Terminal


Rotterdam is designed for the fast, safe and efficient handling of the very largest container ships.


The depth along its quay is nearly 55 feet. Its website indicates that as the size of container vessels increases, its port basin can easily be further deepened to over 64 feet. The cranes at the Euromax Terminal Rotterdam have a reach of 23 containers wide. As is the case also at ECT Delta Terminal, ULCS’s are not hindered by locks or tides; they are moored alongside the quay within an hour of entering the port. Rotterdam’s ECT DeltaTerminal


at the Maasvlakte -- regarded the most advanced container terminal operator in Europe, has cranes with a liſting height of over 164 feet under the spreader and a reach of 24 containers wide, more than sufficient to handle the very largest container ships of 20,000 TEU and more. Its fleet of 265 Automated


Guided Vehicles (AGVs) transports containers between quay and stack where work is carried out by almost 140 Automated Stacking Cranes (ASCs). The stack has 3250 connections for reefer containers. CEO Axel Mattern, Port of


Hamburg Marketing, explains that wider turning basins and bigger cranes at the Port of Hamburg’s container terminals allow mega- ships to operate and load and discharge cargo in the port. “The HHLA container terminal CTB has two high-performance berths for clearing the new 20,000 TEU containerships,” Mattern says. “Meanwhile HHLA has 13 container gantry cranes in operation, whose booms extend over the entire beam of mega-ship with up to 24 rows.” Terminal operator HHLA runs


an automated block-storage system to increase capacity and efficiency, making it possible to handle up to 14,500 boxes on each mega-ship call. Another advantage is optimized


MOL Triumph at Port of Hamburg. (Port of Hamburg photo)


with over 100 countries on six continents. “Not only do liner services for intercontinental shipping call Hamburg, it is the biggest feeder port on the Northern European range of seaports and a hub port for the Baltic Sea region,” reports Mattern. He asserts that changes of


truck clearance


with pre-registration, automatic container data capture, and self- service terminals.


In addition,


“If we look at East-West trade, which is the most important container


plans finally call for Hamburg’s Elbe River to be deepened to make it easier for these big ships to come to the north Germany city. The Port of Hamburg maintains more than 100 liner services


shipping line alliances will not change Hamburg’s role and position as a Northern European hub port.


“Some carriers may


change terminals within the port or change the size and frequency of their ships and services,” he says. “But, in the end, carriers will call at ports with attractive volumes of cargo and excellent hinterland connections. Hamburg offers these advantages.” Around one third of its seaborne


trade route for Hamburg, we see that Hamburg will be included in the port rotation of ten Far East container


services belonging to the new alliances THE and OCEAN.”


-- Axel Mattern, Port of Hamburg


cargo comes from or goes to the greater Hamburg region. Another third is transshipment, mainly for the Baltic Sea region, and the rest is hinterland traffic. “If we look at East-West trade, which is the most important container trade route for Hamburg, we see that Hamburg will be included in the port rotation of ten Far East container services belonging to the new alliances


THE and OCEAN,” Mattern says. “In addition, two further container services operated by the 2M alliance will call at Hamburg.”


Hinterland Connections


Hinterland connections are critical to moving cargoes to population centers in Europe. Roadway congestion in the


Netherlands and around the Port of Rotterdam is well documented, but rail transport to and from the port is short. Cargo can reach the German border by rail within three hours, and many destinations in Europe can be reached within a day. More than 250 weekly intermodal rail services start and end at the port of Rotterdam. The Rail Service Center Rotterdam (RSC) is also located in the port, which focuses fully on handling shuttle trains and combined transport. The Betuwe Route is a dedicated railway line for cargo transport. It connects the Maasvlakte and Port of Rotterdam directly to the German railway network. Given that


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