Leading the way in container handling technology Eurogate

LEADING THE WAY IN CONTAINER-HANDLING

TECHNOLOGY Eurogate is Europe’s leading container terminal and logistics group. Philip Yorke reports on a company that continues to bring innovation and technology to the container industry and looks at its latest achievements.

IN association with Contship Italia, Eurogate operates major sea terminals in the North Sea, the Mediterranean region and the Atlantic. Along with container handling, the company provides a full range of ‘box-related’ operations, from cargo-model services, to container depot services, as well as container servicing and repair.

Other key services include intermodal transport and logistics management solutions for IT logistics and specialist engineering services.

Eurogate became a major player in the container industry when a traditional company based in Hamburg called Eurokai joined forces with BLG Logistics of Bremerhavem to form Eurogate. The new company established its head office in Bremen and dynamic growth followed the merger of the two companies.

However different Eurogate’s parent companies may be, they have both grown out of traditional port businesses whose history stretches back to the end of the nineteenth century. Bremer Lagerhaus Gesellschaft (BLG) was founded in 1877 by Bremen merchants for the purpose of importing cotton. Eurokai has always been a family business and is now in its fifth generation and was founded in 1865 in the port of Hamburg by Cordt Eckelmann as a sailing barge line. Together their combined experience and modern container facilities are put to work for the benefit of all Eurogate customers.

Today the company operates nine major terminal locations handling more than 12.6 million TEU’s, (Standard Containers) making it Europe’s largest terminal operator. Two new container terminals are currently under construction in Wilhelmshaven, Germany and in Ust–Luga, Russia.

Each of the companies in the Eurogate Group offers high productivity levels and optimal coordination of working processes, supported by the most modern terminal handling technology and are backed up with a dedicated team of more than 4,500 professionals.

New deepwater terminal on show in Asia

In February 2011, Eurogate presented its new deepwater container terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, to shipping and logistics companies in Tokyo, Japan. In August 2012 Germany’s only deepwater container terminal is scheduled to become fully operational. With no draught restrictions, the new terminal can accommodate the world’s biggest container vessels. Therefore this new Eurogate con-

tainer terminal creates significant added value for Northern Europe’s seaports.

Shortly Eurogate technology and logistics expertise will be presented throughout Asia via Tokyo to Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Singapore among other key locations. Since the world’s biggest container vessels operate mainly on the Far East – Europe trade routes, Asia is the key market for the new Eurogate container terminal.

The new terminal will appeal to shipping companies, Asian exporters and importers, as well as forwarders and logistics providers, all of which have been invited to participate. In addition, Russia’s leading container terminal operator NCC and Eurogate’s partner in the Ust-Luga project will also be involved. Eurogate has a 20 per cent stake in the UstLuga container terminal which is expected to start operating in the first quarter of 2012.

Strategic growth

An additional factor that relates directly to the success of the company is its flexibility and readiness to make strategic alliances whilst maintaining its long-standing client relationships. In Bremerhaven Eurogate is involved in two major joint ventures; the NTB North Sea Terminal, which is a business owned jointly with Maersk Line, the biggest shipping line in the world, and MSC Gate, which is another important joint venture that involves the world’s second biggest shipping line, the MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. Further-

more, the company is involved in a number of other key international projects including the new Wilhelmshaven deep water terminal and the Ust-Luga project near St Petersburg.

German ports visit South America

In April 2011 Eurogate participated for the first time in the ‘Intermodal South America Logistics Trade Fair’. The South American container market is growing rapidly with ever larger vessels calling at of European ports every day. The Eurogate container terminal Wilhelmshaven therefore offers an interesting alternative for all those companies that are operating the trade route from Europe to South America.

What’s more, Eurogate is the only container terminal operator that is active at all three German seaport locations. The company supports cooperation between the three German seaports in an effort to promote Germany as a business and an excellent port location. “Each of the seaports has its own strengths. Pooling this expertise and their container facilities is the only way to effectively counter competition from neighbouring countries. Joining forces to present these combined strengths under the umbrella brand of ‘German Ports’ is therefore a logical step forward” said a Eurogate company spokesman. n