Resumption of grain shipments from Ukraine to Euro-Silo at North Sea Port

Resumption of grain and seed shipments from Ukraine to Euro-Silo at North Sea Port

After months of blockades, on Friday 9 September a grain ship from Ukraine arrived at North Sea Port. The vessel moored at Euro-Silo at Sifferdok in Ghent.

The ship, Zhe Hai 505 left the port of Odessa with 30,000 tonnes of rapeseed on board. More ships are scheduled for mid and late September, which will help restart the transshipment of grain from Ukraine. During the first eight months of this year, the amount of grain shipped from Ukraine to North Sea Port fell by 60% compared to the same period in 2021.

In a normal year, some 1.5mt [million tonnes] (2021) are imported, rising to as much as 2.1mt (2019).

Euro-Silo receives 4.5mt of grain, seeds and derivatives annually, of which 25–30% comes from Ukraine, depending on the harvests.

Under the auspices of the United Nations, a corridor for grain ships has been created in the Black Sea to allow the export of grain from Ukraine. Euro-Silo and North Sea Port are helping to establish this grain corridor.

From the very start of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, North Sea Port has been supporting companies and organizations that are seeking to mitigate these terrible events.

ABOUT NORTH SEA PORT North Sea Port is a West European port that extends for more than 60 kilometres, 9,100 hectares, and across two countries: Belgium and the Netherlands. Because of its location at the North Sea, the port is directly accessible by sea-going vessels, benefiting global trade.

Its central location in Europe makes North Sea Port a logistics hub through which goods flow smoothly to all corners of Europe and even China. North Sea Port is also part of the Rhine-Alps, North SeaMediterranean, and North Sea-Baltic transport corridors, which ensure that goods can be delivered quickly and efficiently by rail, road, and/or inland shipping to their final destination.

Its location, multimodality, and diversification in goods make North Sea Port an important European port: the third most important in terms of added value and ninth in terms of freight traffic.

ABOUT EURO-SILO Euro-Silo Sifferdok was founded in 1968 and started with two pneumatic unloaders and a silo storage capacity of 18,000 tonnes. This capacity was gradually increased to 240,000 tonnes.

Euro-Silo Rodenhuize was founded in 1978 as ‘Ghent Grain Terminal’. From 1978 until 1994 the storage capacity of this terminal was raised up to 410,000 tonnes. In January 1992 Euro-Silo Sifferdok took over Ghent Grain Terminal and renamed this installation Euro-Silo Rodenhuizedok.

Today Euro-Silo has a total storage capacity of 650,000 tonnes at two sites in the port of Ghent: Euro-Silo Sifferdok and Euro-Silo Rodenhuizedok.

Associated British Ports (ABP) welcomes long-term customer ADM’s fertilizer division to the Humber in a new contract.

ADM Agriculture, one of the largest fertilizer suppliers in the UK, has signed a three-year extension agreement with ABP for the import, handling, bagging, and processing of fertilizer at ABP’s Bulk Park at the Port of Immingham. It will see extensive fertilizer volumes come through the UK’s largest port by volume of tonnage.

Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber ports said: “We’re delighted to welcome ADM’s fertilizer division to the ABP family at the port of Immingham. ADM are a long-term customer of ours, a premier global human and animal nutrition company and one of the world’s largest agricultural processors.

“This new partnership highlights the port’s key location in global trading and that we remain the port of choice for many.”

Calum Findlay, Head of Fertiliser for ADM, said: “The Port of Immingham is key to the on-going development of our UK fertilizer business, and we are delighted to be in partnership with ABP.”

ADM Agriculture supplies an extensive range of fertilizer products. ABP’s Immingham Bulk Park offers more than 1.3 million square metres of undercover storage. In 2018 it won ‘Best Dry Bulk Port’ at the International Bulk Journal awards.

ABOUT ABP HUMBER ABP Humber Ports complex form the UK’s busiest trading gateway. The four ports of Immingham, Grimsby, Goole, and Hull handle more than 58mt (million tonnes) of cargo between them each year worth approximately £75 billion. Across the Humber, the ports support 34,900 jobs and contribute £2.5 billion to the UK economy.

ABP Humber’s major investment programme ensures the ports offer state-of the-art cargo handling infrastructure and equipment, alongside a highly skilled team who can handle a vast array of cargo safely, efficiently and sustainably.

ABP Humber works collaboratively to build long-term partnerships and deliver the right supply chain solutions for customers, including value-added services and new facilities tailored to suit their business needs.

Its Port Operations are complemented by the Pilotage Service and Vessel Traffic Service which ensure vessels are safely navigated through the Humber Estuary.

ABP Humber offers 364 hectares of development land across its port locations capable of attracting investment and delivering transformational benefits for the economy both locally and nationally.

The ports are all part of the new Humber Freeport, which offers three tax sites with an exceptionally business-friendly tax and regulatory environment for potential manufacturing investors.

ABP Humber supports its local communities. The ABP Humber Coastal Half Marathon and 5k is now in its sixth year and complements ABP’s race sponsorship across the country.

Simon Bird, Regional Director with Calum Findlay, Head of Fertiliser for ADM.

ABOUT ABP

ABP, the UK’s leading ports group is Keeping Britain Trading with 21 ports and other transport-related businesses, creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo.

ABP is driving growth, contributing £7.5 billion to the UK economy every year and supporting over 119,000 jobs. Its current investment programme promises to further increase its contribution to regional economies around the UK.

ABP is also an essential partner for the Offshore Wind industry, providing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for over 50% of the sector’s activity, as well as investing in infrastructure to realize future renewable energy generation.

ABP in numbers: v ~ 90mt of cargo handled each year; v 5,000 hectares of port estate owned v 1,000 hectares of open storage; v 1.4 million square metres of covered storage; v 87km of quay; v > 1.5 million vehicles every year; v a quarter of the UK’s rail freight generated; and v > £55 million investment made in low emission and renewable energy generation technologies.

Under the name ESI Noise, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will be giving vessels a financial discount if — on the basis of an internationally accepted standard — the amount of noise produced by the vessel when moored has been made transparent.

The incentive is in line with the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s policy to develop the port sustainably in harmony with the environment. Seagoing vessels are currently only subject to noise require ments in terms of working conditions on board, but not in terms of noise production impacting the residential area and the environment. With the incentive based on ESI noise, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is drawing attention to the noise produced by vessels with regard to the surroundings.

NEPTUNES The noise report must be drawn up according to the international Neptunes protocol. The resulting score is adopted by the Environmental Ship Index (ESI). In Rotterdam, vessels can now receive a discount of €312.50 per visit up to a maximum of €1,250 per year for having an ESI noise report. This discount scheme will be valid in any event until the end of 2023.

REGIONAL MEASUREMENT PROGRAMME In addition to the incentive scheme for individual ships based on ESI noise, the Port Authority, in collaboration with the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Province of Zuid-Holland and DCMR Rijnmond Environmental Service, will soon be starting a regional measurement programme regarding the noise of moored vessels in general. ESI noise and the regional measurement programme are both contributing to increasing knowledge about the noise of moored vessels and to increasing national and international attention for this problem.

ENVIRONMENTAL SHIP INDEX This is an internationally accepted measure that, until now, has focused only on the air quality and climate-related emissions of seagoing vessels. The new ESI noise index also reflects the performance of vessels in terms of noise.

The ESI is a global index. By mid2022, nearly 7,000 seagoing vessels had an ESI score that allows them to receive a discount in nearly 60 ports. Rotterdam is the second port after Hamburg to draw attention in this way to quieter vessels.