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WORLD PORT DEVELOPMENT International Journal for Port Management
Volume 21 Issue 11/12
November/December 2021
Nordic ports ready for expansion
Pandemic hastens digital transformation WWW.WORLDPORTDEVELOPMENT.COM
In this issue:
Port of Southampton Ports Funding
Mobile Harbour Cranes Port Congestion
Structural Life Assessment Nordic Ports US Corn Belt Ports Sideloaders Port Construction
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contents
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16 Southampton bright new future Patrick Boniface reports on the port of Southampton and their plans for the future...
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20 Nordic ports ready for expansion in years to come
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Major Nordic ports are continuing their expansion plans this year as Eugene Gerden reports...
22 Sideloader makers weather the global pandemic Manufacturers of sideloaders are reporting some interesting developments...
Viewpoint
News from around the globe
Port study reveals Canadian investments more than double of US West Coast ports funding
A recent study has revealed that Canadian ports have received more than double the federal funding levels compared to US West Coast ports...
Transportation industry coalesces against the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021
Claire Instone reports on the pending Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 and how it will impact the ongoing congestion issue across global ports...
Unprecedented year for port congestion
WPD presents the findings from Charlotte Cook’s ‘2021 Port Congestion Report’ published by VesselsValue …...
US Corn Belt Ports enabling waterborne commerce Gordon Feller reports on the US inland port infrastructure...
Port construction round-up
visit our website -- www.worldportdevelopment.com
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Structural life assessment
31 Pandemic hastens digital transformation
Bromma has been involved in a project that focused on lightweight welded steel structures for spreaders...
Has the pandemic given terminal operators the chance to consider electric instead of diesel engines?
41 World’s first fully emission-free container ship An electric and self-propelled container ship departed for its maiden voyage...
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Published by:
Editor: Sheila Moloney
sheila@worldportdevelopment.com
Reporter: Claire Instone
claire@worldportdevelopment.com
Editorial Consultants: Gordon Feller
gordon@worldportdevelopment.com
Eugene Gerden
info@worldportdevelopment.com
Editorial Director: Peter van Schie
peter@worldportdevelopment.com
Business Development: Selina Palmer
info@worldportdevelopment.com
Production Manager: Helen White
info@worldportdevelopment.com
Volume 21 Number 11/12 Claims for non receipt of issues must be made within 4 months of publication of the issue or they will not be honoured without charge.
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Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom. All views expressed in this magazine are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher, neither do the publishers endorse any of the claims made in the articles or the advertisements. © 2000-2021 World Port Development All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
Port congestion and its impact
This month’s edition addresses the major issue of congestion, not only at US West Coast ports, but those around the globe. In addition to levels of congestion remaining at record highs at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, backlogs have also been experienced due to the China/Australia coal trade war, the Suez Canal blockage, on-going Covid impacts and bad weather. Delays are being seen more recently in the UK also. In particular, the Port of Felixstowe, with some shipping lines diverting ships away from Britain’s busiest container port to other European ones to avoid the bottleneck.
However, it is not just the shipping sector that is having issues, congestion across the entire supply chain has reached unprecedented levels thanks to myriad obstacles, from driver shortages to shrinking warehouse space. Our editorial on page 34 delves deeper into the situation and examines port congestion impacts as we present a recent study published by VesselsValue.
So, what is the solution to this on-going, expensive and critical issue? The US House of Representatives believes the answer is to bring in the Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2021 (HR 4996) - a component of which aims to address terminal congestion by reducing beneficial cargo owners responsibility to collect cargo from marine terminals. However, there are many key stakeholders that have warned of unintended negative consequences with the transportation industry coalescing against the proposed bill. Turn to page 28 for Claire Instone’s report on the situation.
Despite constant challenges, the port sector is ever-evolving and forward-thinking, constantly advancing to keep up with rapid growth and change. Our November/December issue proffers up three articles that highlight advancements being made across various parts of the industry. In our container section we investigate whether the pandemic has hastened digital transformation as terminal operators consider electric driven equipment in preference to diesel engines as part of our mobile harbour crane feature, meanwhile Bromma talks us through the evolution of scientific methods for structural life assessment and its application on lightweight spreader design. Moreover, in our engineering section, we share details of the world’s first electric and self-propelled container ship which recently departed for its maiden voyage. Our end-of-year issue is also pleased to present Patrick Boniface’s editorial on the port of Southampton’s bright new future, Gordon Feller’s contribution on how the US Corn Belt Ports are enabling waterborne commerce, and Eugene Gerden’s report detailing how despite various challenges Nordic ports are continuing their expansion plans. As always, we include our regular port construction round-up. Turn to page 43 for the latest projects.
We hope you enjoy reading this month’s offering. All that’s left for 2021 is for us to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Claire Instone Reporter
World Port Development is a commercial (associate) member of the following associations:
Danish dredging company Rohde Nielsen A/S has introduced two new diesel-electric dredgers - Ask R and Embla R into the dredging market. The 2700m3 hybrid split trailing suction hopper dredgers are equipped with powerful battery packages of 600kW.
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PACECO Group contributes to expansion and capacity increase at Yilport Gavle and Yilport Liscont As part of the final expansion phase of the Yilport Gävle terminal, PACECO GROUP (MITSUI E&S Engineering, PACECO Corp. and PACECO MOMENTUM) recently delivered three highly efficient and environmentally-friendly STS Portainer® cranes. The state-of-the-art cranes, manufactured at MITSUI E&S Engineering’s Oita (Japan) facility, were delivered fully erected to Yilport Gävle Container Terminal (Sweden). Another four similar cranes, which will expand the production capacity of the Yilport Liscont Container Terminal (Portugal), recently departed fully erected from the facilities in Oita, with arrival scheduled for the end of the year.
SC Ports’ capacity benefits retailers during record October South Carolina Ports had a record October for containers, marking the eighth consecutive month of record volumes at the Port of Charleston. SC Ports moved 234,923 TEUs at Wando Welch, North Charleston and Hugh K. Leatherman terminals in October, a 9% increase year-over-year. Fiscal-year-to-date, SC Ports has handled 919,440 TEUs, up 15% from the same time a year ago. Retail imports continue to drive sustained cargo growth as consumers buy more home goods.
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Volumes creep up in September at Port of New York and New Jersey For the first time in more than 13 months, cargo volume at the Port of New York and New Jersey rose at a slower pace in September. Total volume for September accounted for 724,418 TEUs (400,179 lifts), a 0.5% increase from the previous September’s 720,969 TEUs (399,803 lifts), bringing the 2021 total through September to 6,659,082 TEUs (3,694,087 lifts). The port had been experiencing more than a year of unprecedented double-digit monthly growth in cargo activity. While the number of vessel calls in the month of September was consistent with previous months, there was a notable decrease in vessels with a capacity of 9,000 TEUs or more that called the port that month. Imports were 379,190 TEUs versus 374,649 TEUs (207,778 lifts) in September 2020, a 1.2% increase. Exports decreased 12.9% in September 2021 compared to September 2020, totaling 99,893 TEUs versus 114,690 TEUs (62,926 lifts) the previous year.
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Port of Felixstowe makes major decarbonisation investment Coinciding with COP26 in Glasgow, Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe has announced a major investment in new equipment to help decarbonise its operations. The UK’s largest container port has placed orders for 48 battery-powered terminal tractors and 17 zero-emission Remote controlled Electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry cranes (ReARTGs). The new two-wheel drive tractor units, to be supplied by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd (ZPMC), will be the first electric tractors at the UK’s largest container port. ZPMC are working with their partner Shacman to develop the battery-powered tractor units. The ReARTGs, which will be fitted with the latest semi-automation technology, will be supplied by Konecranes Finland. Commenting on the investment, Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe, said: “This order represents the latest part of our plan to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. In total, replacing 48 diesel-powered tractor units and 17 conventional RTGs with new electrical equipment will save 6,662 tonnes of CO2 and 59.38 tonnes of NOx emissions every year. We have reduced our carbon footprint by 30% since 2015. That has been achieved through a range of measures including the first phase of our programme to phase out diesel-powered yard cranes. These latest acquisitions will help drive further substantial reductions in the future and help us to reach our target of a further 20% reduction over the next 5 years.” Fuel switch cuts greenhouse gases at Port of Long Beach SSA Marine (SSA), which operates three container terminals at the Port of Long Beach, has become the first terminal operator at the port to transition its fossil-fuelled cargo-handling equipment fleet to renewable diesel fuel. The move is expected to achieve a 68% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across SSA’s Long Beach terminals. The change involves more than 230 pieces of equipment across the company’s Long Beach terminals. SSA voluntarily converted its fuelling to support the goals of the Clean Air Action Plan, which calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. “Cutting these emissions would not be possible without the leadership shown by partners like SSA Marine,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “SSA’s vision and hard work in making their operations cleaner shows the goods movement industry the way to a greener future.” “We know people look to the Port of Long Beach and our partners to set an example when it comes to sustainability,” said Long Beach Harbour Commission President Steven Neal. “This is what can be done immediately to reduce greenhouse gases while new technologies are developed to reach our ultimate goal of zero emissions. Thank you to SSA for this transformation.” Renewable diesel has the same chemical energy as traditional diesel fuel but is synthesised from sources such as animal fat from food wastes, used cooking oil and soybean oil. In addition to its portwide renewable fuel transition, SSA is working on other initiatives to transition its cargo-handling fleet to zero emissions by 2030. At Pier J, the company recently completed a demonstration of two battery-electric top handlers, and is converting nine rubber-tyred gantry cranes into fully electric. Six are already in operation. The remaining three will be converted by early 2022. In mid-2022, SSA’s terminal at Pier C will deploy 33 zero-emission yard tractors with supporting infrastructure. SSA also operates a terminal at Pier A.
AD Ports Group records strong revenue for YTD September 2021 AD Ports Group announced its financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, reporting revenue growth of 22% year-on-year to AED 2.791 billion (USD 760 million) compared with AED 2.295 billion (USD 625m) in the same period last year, driven by volume growth, business diversification and new partnerships.General cargo volumes rose to 37 million metric tonnes in year-to-date September 2021, up from 22 million metric tonnes in the same period in 2020 while industrial zones leased about 2.7 million sq. metres of land in this period, reflecting the wider global recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, although some supply chain issues remain. Container throughput grew to 2.47 million TEUs in the first nine months of 2021, up from 2.42 million TEUs in the same period in 2020, despite the ongoing supply constraints faced in the global shipping and container market.
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Market Intelligence Asia
* Shipping lines Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Hapag-Lloyd will suspended feeder services in the South of China until after Chinese New Year 2022. The suspension has been caused by the COVID-19 quarantine requirement for ship crews plying between South China and Hong Kong upon their return from the Chinese New Year 2022 holiday. “Due to the COVID-19 quarantine requirements for the crews of the coastal feeders running between South China and Hong Kong waters, feeder operators announced their services will be suspended for a minimum of six weeks prior to Lunar New Year 2022, which is 1-5 February 2022,” ONE stated in a recent customer advisory. * Busan New Container Terminal (BCNT) currently operates a fleet of 36 Konecranes Noell sprinter carriers and is ordering six more to support a growing business. Like their predecessors, the sprinter carriers on order will have a critical role in transporting containers between the quayside and the container yard. Five of the units on order were booked in June and one in September of 2021. The order will be delivered by June 2022. The carriers on order will be the first Stage V compliant container handling machines in the port of Busan. They will be equipped with eco-efficient, diesel-electric drives, fulfilling the EU Stage V emission standard, which will help BNCT meet its low-carbon operating targets. Mynung-gil Jeon, General Manager of BNCT, said: “We received our first carriers in 2012 and have come to appreciate their reliability, efficiency, and strong local service support. We look forward to receiving the new ones.” The six on order are of the type NSC 424 E, lifting containers 1-over-1 high. They are highly versatile, maneuverable, speedy machines.
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* International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) handled a consolidated volume of 8,266,621 TEUs in the first nine months of 2021, 11% more than the 7,426,307 TEUs handled in the same period in 2020. The rise in volume was primarily due to volume growth and improvement in trade activities as economies continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions, and new shipping lines and services at certain terminals. For the quarter ended September 30, 2021, total consolidated throughput was seven percent higher at 2,807,098 TEUs compared to 2,626,542 TEUs in 2020. * The giant cargo ship Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week in March has been repaired in east China’s coastal city of Qingdao. The ship loaded 5,147 TEUs resuming operations after over a month of repair in Qingdao. The ship will proceed to Shanghai and Ningbo to load goods before leaving for Europe, with a stopover in Malaysia. This journey will mark her first cargo voyage after repair. The Ever Given, with a length of nearly 400 meters, has a capacity of 20,388 TEUs. She is owned by a Japanese company and operated by Evergreen Marine Corp. based in China’s Taiwan. The ship ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23 and jammed global shipping traffic until refloated on March 29. She was sent to Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. for repair on Oct. 4.
Middle East
* MICCO Logistics, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group, has acquired 31 tipper trucks as part of their effort to offer broader integrated logistics support to the UAE’s construction and metals manufacturing sectors. The trucks
World Port Development November/December 2021
will join MICCO’s existing ground fleet of 400 plus vehicles that currently service a number of different industry sectors. The new tipper fleet has a combined transport capacity of over 2,300 metric tonnes and is capable of moving material and supplies between ports, factories, and different development sites across Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE. The latest acquisition aims to further diversify the range of services offered by AD Ports Group and enables MICCO to support increased customer demand. * ZIM has generated its highest ever quarterly net income of USD1.46 billion and adjusted EBITDA of USD2.08 billion. Eli Glickman, ZIM President & CEO, stated, “We are very proud of ZIM’s significant accomplishments since our IPO earlier this year. The company’s continued outstanding performance is a direct result of our team’s strong execution and success proactively capitalising on both the highly attractive market and our differentiated approach. The exceptional results we generated in the third quarter, reflect our highest ever quarterly revenues, adjusted EBITDA, net profit and operating cash flow. Importantly, we have once again delivered industry-leading margins, outperforming the sector’s average.”
Europe
* Terminal San Giorgio S.r.l. (TSG) has ordered an eco-efficient Konecranes Gottwald ESP.8 mobile harbour crane for its terminal in Genoa, Italy. Booked recently in November 2021, it is the very first Generation 6 crane to go to Italy. It will be delivered in June 2022. Established in 2006, TSG has become the largest multipurpose terminal in Genoa, the busiest port in Italy. It is equipped to handle all kinds of freight including containers, breakbulk, project cargo, yachts,
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port & terminal steel, and Ro-Ro. Part of the Autosped/Gavio Group, a leading Italian logistics company, the terminal includes a number of intermodal rail and road connections to destinations around the country. “We already operate two Generation 5 Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour cranes in Genoa, and they’ve always performed above and beyond our expectations, so we’re proud to be the first customer in Italy to order a new Generation 6. With its improved performance and additional features, we can’t wait to see how it handles containers and project cargo at our terminal,” * A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) has omitted the Port of Felixstowe from its AE7 service due to “exceptional” waiting times. The move comes as the shipping line aims to improve schedule reliability on its Far East Asia to North Europe network. The omission will last up until March 2022 and affected Felixstowe volumes will be routed on a shuttle service from Wilhelmshaven. “As the situation evolves daily, we are working closely with all involved stakeholders in the local supply chain to help mitigate the situation. Ongoing contingency plans will always be made with the objective of minimising supply chain delays and alleviating the impact on our customers’ businesses,” said Maersk in a statement. * ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has announced the launch of ZIM Indian Subcontinent - East Mediterranean Service (ZMI), a new and improved service connecting the Indian subcontinent and the East Mediterranean. ZMI will deploy 4X4,250 TEU vessels on this new line on the following route: Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Colombo Haifa - Mersin - Istanbul - Mundra. ZMI is due to commence operations in January 2022, replacing the current ZIE and ZII services. Eli Glickman, ZIM President & CEO noted: “We continue to expand the scope of our services and use our agility to provide new and improved solutions that will benefit our customers for the long run, while strengthening our position in this important trade.” * Liebherr will be supplying Euroports Germany with an all-electric portal crane next year. All crane movements of the pioneering machine will be carried out by means of emission-free electric motors. With this sustainable investment, Euroports is increasing the handling capacity of its bulk terminal at Rostock’s overseas port. In the summer of 2022, Liebherr will deliver an all-electric LPS 420 E. “We want to further strengthen the handling performance at our bulk terminal. In the coming year, we are not only investing in a new crane to be even
more efficient, but we also want to make our contribution to sustainability,” says Karsten Lentz Managing Director of the Euroports Germany Group. The all-electric gantry crane is designed for ports and terminals with electric infrastructure. All crane movements such as luffing, lifting, slewing and travelling movements are carried out by means of emission-free electric motors and are therefore not hydraulic. With an outreach of up to 48 metres, ships up to Post-Panamax class can be served. The LPS 420 E has a maximum lifting capacity of up to 124 tonnes and impresses with several decisive technical advantages. Euroports is one of the largest port infrastructure companies in Europe. Every year, it handles more than 60 million tonnes of bulk goods, general cargo, containers and liquid goods. This is made possible by over 32 terminals and logistics platforms strategically located on the most important trade routes in Europe and China.
North America
* Congress has passed a bipartisan Infrastructure Bill with USD11.6 billion in additional funding for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The funds will be for construction projects, including USD2.55 billion for storm damage reduction projects, flood risk management projects, and shore protection projects, and USD2.5 billion for inland waterway projects. The bill also gives the Army Corps USD4 billion for operation and maintenance projects spread from FY22-24, with USD626 million required to be spent within 90 days of bill enactment to dredge federal navigation projects and repair damages to projects caused by natural disasters. * The Northwest Seaport Alliance handled a total of 313,430 TEUs, an increase of 5.6% compared to October 2020. Full imports grew 7.2%, while full exports decreased 9.8%. Year-to-date volumes improved 14.7% to 3,116,785 TEUs, with full imports growing 20.7% and full exports declining 11.2%. Domestic volumes grew 9% vs.YTD 2020. Alaska volumes saw a 5.6% increase while Hawaii volumes grew 25.1%. With regards breakbulk, YTD October 2021 cargo volumes grew 30.5% to 305,805 metric tonnes. Auto volumes were 135,973 units, up 11.7%. * SSA Marine announced its subsidiary, SSA Atlantic, LLC, has been recognised as the 2021 JAXUSA International Company of the Year Award for its container terminal operations enhancements to the Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT) in Florida. The award is presented by PNC Bank and honours global businesses
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that have made a significant impact on the international front in the Northeast Florida economy. “SSA Marine is honoured to receive the JAXUSA International Company of the Year Award, recognising our contributions to support the growth of the Jacksonville community,” said Frank McBride,Vice President of Florida operations at SSA Marine. “Florida is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, and Jacksonville is Florida’s fastest-growing city. As such, we acknowledge the importance of revamping the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal as a state-of-the-art facility that can scale operations and accommodate the port’s future needs.” Working together with JAXPORT, SSA Marine has been a pivotal business leader in the region. Most notably, its contributions to the expansion of the port and the ongoing modernisation of the marine terminal on Blount Island have helped reinforce Northeast Florida as an international business hub. * Cargo volumes are surging this autumn at The Port of Virginia as the port processed more than 318,000 TEUs in October and in doing so set a new single- month volume record. October was the third consecutive month of TEU volumes in excess of 305,000 units. “This is a strong run of volume and our operation, the team behind it and our labour partners are performing at a very high level,” said Stephen Edwards, Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We are handling record volumes with no congestion issues. The productivity at our berths, gates and rail ramps is exceptional right now and we are delivering real value to our customers and the cargo owners choosing The Port of Virginia.” Loaded imports and exports are helping drive the surge. Since August, the port has processed 444,600-loaded import TEUs, which is an increase of 19% when compared with last year; export loads totalled 254,600 TEUs, an increase of nearly 9%. With two reporting months left in 2021, the port’s TEU volume is 2.9 million TEUs, an increase of 633,403 units (+28%) vs. the same period last year. * “The US Army Corps of Engineers will receive USD11.6 billion for construction projects, including USD2.55 billion for storm damage reduction projects, flood risk management projects, and shore protection projects, and USD2.5 billion for inland waterway projects. The bill also gives the Army Corps USD4 billion for operation and maintenance projects spread from FY22-24, with USD626 million required to be spent within 90 days of bill enactment to dredge federal navigation projects and repair damages to projects caused by natural disasters.”
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For the first time in its history, the Port of Montreal, Canada, recently welcomed a container ship straight from China, without cargo trans-shipment in the Mediterranean. Chartered by freight forwarder Fracht FWO, the Happy Rover docked on 14 November at Racine Terminal, operated by Montreal Gateways Terminal Partnership (MGTP), to unload its containers. Connected worldwide to over 140 countries, the Port of Montreal has a growing trade relationship with Asia, which now accounts for more than 30% of its cargo volumes, usually handled through trans-shipment in the Mediterranean. This is great news for consumers and businesses, who in recent months have gone through a number of unforeseen events in global supply chains, and are seriously concerned about shortages over the holiday season. A direct, non-stop link between Asia and Montreal provides an optimal solution in terms of supply chain fluidity and efficiency, benefitting from quick access to the Port of Montreal’s infrastructure and the performance of its intermodal network directly connected to the rail and road networks.
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1. It is full steam ahead for freight handling at Port of Kapellskär. The figures for the first nine months of this year show a freight rise of 18% compared to the same period last year. 2. Henry Kearns, from Baltimore in the US, celebrated Halloween by dressing up as Mr Trash Wheel - a water wheel that collects trash from Baltimore’s Inner Harbour which was installed in May 2014. 3. On 9th November, Port of Gdańsk won the ESPO Award 2021 in recognition of its role in the recovery of the city and the local community. The award was handed out by Walter Goetz, Head of Cabinet of Adina Vălean, the Commissioner for Transport, during the traditional ceremony and dinner.
4. ICTSI has been helping the Philippine government in its pandemic recovery efforts. In collaboration with the government and private sector, the company has purchased vaccines and facilitated rollouts, built quarantine and testing facilities, supported programmes on hunger alleviation, and assisted health care workers. 5. At the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) on climate change, the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Montreal signed a cooperation agreement to support the creation of the first green shipping corridor in the North Atlantic. 6. Hapag-Lloyd’s AL3 European container service recently made its first call at JAXPORT. It is temporarily calling Jacksonville to avoid congestion.
SPOTTED SOMETHING OF INTEREST?
First non-stop trip between China and Port of Montreal
If you have seen something unusual or something of interest for inclusion in this column make a photograph of it and send it by email to: info@worldportdevelopment.com
Record volumes for PortMiami
PortMiami, USA, posted a record fiscal year 2021 with throughput up 17.6% compared to the same period in the previous financial year to 1.25 million TEUs making calendar year 2021 the busiest in its history. Despite strong growth, the port did not have any detained vessels, delays or congestion. The terminal has kept critical cargo flowing even with ongoing supply chain disruptions and the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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Oakland bucks congestion trend on West Coast The Port of Oakland has revealed that total cargo volume declined 20% in October 2021 compared to the same period the year prior. During the month, import volumes dropped 14% while exports were down 27% compared to same period in 2020. For the first ten months of 2021, total cargo volume at the port is up nearly 2%, while import volume has increased 8%. Oakland cites the large reduction in volumes in October on declining vessel traffic, as 43% fewer ships stopped at the port than in the same period in 2020. This is demonstrated as some carriers have diverted many ships to Asia due to severe delays in Southern Californian ports, in turn bypassing Oakland as well. The port has highlighted that it has no congestion and said additional service calls would be more than welcomed by exporters. Previously, Danny Wan, Executive Director of the port called for increased collaboration and solutions from all levels of government to repair the US supply chain. He also suggested more federal funding is needed in California as ports along the West Coast were underfunded by comparison relative to their degree of national economic importance and jobs generation. Port of Portland expects to set record for shipping containers The container port of Portland is operating smoothly even as supply chain disruptions cause cargo ships to back up at other US harbours. The port is set for a record-breaking year with at least 36,700 containers expected to cross the docks at the International Marine Terminal across 2021. That’s a fivefold increase from 2013 when Icelandic shipping company Eimskip opened its headquarters in Portland. “We came here with a vision and mission that was shared by the state. It has exceeded all expectations throughout the organisation,” stated Andrew Haines, Executive Vice President of Eimskip’s North America division. Eimskip, the port’s only container company, intends to boost trade further by increasing the size of cargo vessels traveling to Portland. The company’s ships call on Portland once a week, the end of a line that includes stops in Atlantic Canada and Iceland, and connections to northern Europe and Asia. As Oregon’s largest port, the facility ships over 11 million tonnes of cargo a year, including grain, minerals, forest products and autos. Everything from agricultural products to household goods can be shipped by container. Cargo from the Pacific Northwest is often bound for Asia, while incoming goods are moved by truck and rail to customers across the region.
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Second-busiest October achieved at Long Beach Limited capacity at marine terminals hampered imports at the Port of Long Beach recently, although volumes were still strong enough to mark the port’s second-busiest October amid an ongoing transition to extended operating hours. Long Beach moved 789,716 TEUs, down 2.1% from the port’s strongest October on record, achieved in 2020. Imports decreased 4.3% to 385,000 TEUs, while exports increased 6.6% to 122,214 TEUs. The port has moved 7,884,565 TEUs during the first 10 months of 2021, up 21% from the same period in 2020.
Konecranes delivers 10,000th lift truck In November, The Absolut Company accepted delivery of a Flow Drive Konecranes reachstacker for their operations in the south of Sweden. This particular machine is a milestone in Konecranes history, as it is the ten thousandth lift truck to roll off the production line. The ten thousandth truck is a SMV 4632 TC5, a sturdy 46-tonne machine able to stack up to 5 containers high. It features the OPTIMA cabin and a range of safety features.
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COSCO signs Tianjin Container Terminal JV agreement
COSCO Shipping Ports Limited (COSCO) and China Shipping Terminal Development Co. (CSTD) have signed the Tianjin Container Terminal (TCT) Joint Venture (JV) Agreement. Located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Economic Circle, TCT holds a favourable geographical advantage and is highly competitive in the Bohai Rim area. The agreements will see TCT perform the business registration procedures for the JV Agreement and Articles as soon as possible in order to complete all conditions precedent of the acquisition. The acquisition will see COSCO hold 45% of the equity interests in TCT, while CSTD will hold 6%.
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Cargo continues to move at Port Houston The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority have acknowledged the unprecedented challenges that increased demand in the supply chain has created, but “people show up every day working together to keep cargo moving.” In a report to the Port Commission, Executive Director Roger Guenther said that Houston is not immune to the challenges that ports across the nation are experiencing, as retailers rebuild their inventory to meet high demand. He noted that Houston docks are full, and the average ship waits about 60 hours before calling the port. However, Port Houston has been able to mitigate significant impacts on truck-turn times despite the increase in historic cargo volumes. Guenther said that since January, the International Longshoremen’s Association has been able to increase the numbers of people working ships on both the day and night shifts. Guenther said he expects “the inherent continued growth of cargo at a rapid pace after the pandemic,” and plans are to sustain the accelerated investment in infrastructure. The Port Commission has approved a more than USD2 million purchase of 16 energy-efficient yard tractors for the container yards, and up to USD400 million bond issuance to support the Houston Ship Channel widening and deepening programme.
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news
port & terminal
Smart Ports: Piers of the Future 2021: sparks innovation through collaboration Smart Ports: Piers of the Future 2021 returned to the Port of Barcelona for the third consecutive year, bringing together ports and stakeholders to answer pressing topics facing ports and cities and to address how ports can become smarter, faster, and reduce their carbon footprint. The two-day event tackled innovation in ports through the SMART (Sustainability, Multimodal, Agility, Resilience, and Transparency) philosophy. Through SMART, the seven ports and partnering stakeholders highlighted best practice use cases from their teams, as well as participated in challenging discussion on a wealth of topics. Emerging technologies including 5G, AI and machine learning, drone technology, and HyperPort technology programmes were just a small section of the incredible number of solutions demonstrated by the ports. A continuous theme throughout the event highlighted how port-city collaboration was crucial to answer key questions on the energy transition, creating a sustainable Blue Economy for the future, and digitalising processes to improve operations and reduce the sector’s carbon footprint.
Chinese firms selected for Sri Lanka Colombo Port terminal expansion The Sri Lankan national cabinet has chosen a Chinese construction firm for development of the second phase of the container terminal at Colombo Port. The contract was awarded to the Sri Lankan-based Access Engineering and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for construction of the second phase of the East Container Terminal (ECT). In 2019 the governments of Sri Lanka, India, and Japan had previously struck a deal to develop the ECT at the container hub; however the deal was scrapped in February following disagreement on terms of the deal.The national cabinet meeting held on 23 November approved the proposal from CHEC for Phase II of the ECT out of three bids. Eurotransit orders Konecranes RMGs for new intermodal terminal in Kazakhstan Eurotransit Group of Companies (Eurotransit) in Kazakhstan has ordered two Konecranes rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes for its new intermodal terminal under construction in Dostyk, near the border with China. The order was booked in August and the cranes will be delivered in Q4 2022.
The machines will have a railspan of 32m and serve 6 train tracks, lifting containers 1-over-2. They will be equipped with an intuitive GUI, with extra visibility provided by video cameras on the spreader and under the trolley.They will also be equipped with the Konecranes DGPS Skew Control System, and the smart features Autopositioning and Auto-TOS Reporting.
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World Port Development November/December 2021
Port of Hamburg sees good seaborne cargo handling result for first nine months In the first nine months of 2021, at 95.8 million tonnes the Port of Hamburg, Germany, achieved a 2.9% increase in seaborne cargo throughput. Bulk cargo advanced especially strongly, being 6.1% ahead at 29.7 million tonnes. Totalling 66.1 million tonnes, in the first three quarters general cargo throughput was a modest 1.6% ahead. The upward trend was also maintained on container handling. A total of 6.5 million TEUs were hoisted across the quay walls of Hamburg’s container terminals, a 2.4% gain. Despite this positive throughput trend, the Port of Hamburg was not yet able to fully overhaul last year’s downturn caused by the COVID pandemic. Axel Mattern and Ingo Egloff, HHM Port of Hamburg Marketing’s Joint CEOs, are therefore especially pleased that pre- and post-voyage railborne container transport set a new record at 2.1 million TEUs which represents an 8.3% increase at 709,000 TEUs compared to the same period in the previous year.
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port & terminal
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port & terminal
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World Port Development November/December 2021
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port & terminal
news
ZPMC ship-to-shore cranes delivered to Wando Welch Terminal South Carolina Ports has welcomed two ship-to-shore cranes to Wando Welch Terminal, completing its fleet of 15 new ship-to-shore cranes with 155 feet of lift height. “Our new fleet of impressive ship-to-shore cranes enables SC Ports to handle three 14,000-TEU container ships at one time at Wando Welch Terminal,” SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome said. “Combined with the additional berth at the new Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, SC Ports can now seamlessly handle four 14,000-TEU container ships simultaneously.” SC Ports has invested more than USD2 billion in port infrastructure in recent years, including USD500 million to modernise Wando Welch. Enhancements include: 15 ship-to-shore cranes and a stronger wharf to handle the biggest ships calling the US East Coast; 65 rubber-tyred gantry cranes to efficiently work the expansive container yard; and a total of 2.4 million TEUs of annual throughput capacity to handle growing volumes. The STS cranes, produced by ZPMC, arrived in Charleston Harbour recently aboard Zhen Hua 35. The cranes offer 155 feet of lift height above the wharf deck and 212 feet of outreach, capable of extending over 24 boxes wide on a container ship. “After years of planning by our engineering and maintenance teams, we are very excited to welcome the final cranes that complete our new fleet at Wando Welch,” SC Ports COO Barbara Melvin. Stockholm fairway smart buoy powered by solar energy A unique solar-powered smart buoy is being tested in the Stockholm fairway. As part of the Intelligent Sea EU project, Ports of Stockholm is testing smart navigational markers, among other things for improved efficiency of service and maintenance. The navigational markers will be more sustainable and also withstand severe icy weather conditions. The new buoy is the fifth smart navigational marker in a series, and the last to be tested by Ports of Stockholm as part of the project - run by Finnish company Arctia-Meritaito together with Ports of Stockholm and the Port of Naantali as project partners. Arctia-Meritaito has developed the fairway buoy, and similar buoys have previously been installed at Stockholm Norvik Port. The difference is that the buoy in the Stockholm fairway has been equipped with solar cells for charging the buoy’s batteries. Together with its twin at Naantali, the buoy is currently unique. Its construction and technology are designed to withstand severe weather conditions. The solar cells are integrated into the buoy and the batteries are specially constructed to be resilient to icy winters. The rechargeable batteries are more sustainable, with an operational lifetime of between 7-10 years, in comparison to the current normal one-year lifetime. The batteries therefore need to be replaced much less frequently. The buoy is equipped for remote monitoring of its batteries, solar panel, light signal and position. This makes both service and maintenance more efficient, as the number of times a service vessel needs to be sent out are fewer, which also reduces emissions. The EU Intelligent Sea Project runs until 2022 and is funded by an EU grant from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme.
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port survey
southampton
SOUTHAMPTON’S BRIGHT NEW FUTURE
Main photo and inset: Aerial shots of Port of Southampton Headshot: Alastair Welch, Regional Director, ABP (Photos courtesy ABP)
Patrick Boniface reports for WPD...
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he Port of Southampton is booming according to Alastair Welch, Regional Director, Associated British Ports (ABP). “The port is critical for the UK both today and increasingly into the future”. The port is the UK’s second biggest import port for containers with a throughput of 1.5million TEUs annually, but crucially it is considered to be the most productive and effective. Southampton is Europe’s biggest cruise turnaround port. “We are dominant in the cruise sector and our aim is to continue to invest to maintain our position as ships change,” boasts Welch. With Fawley Refinery, the UK’s biggest oil refinery and chemical processing plant and the UK’s centre for multi-purpose vehicles that are made in the UK and distributed worldwide through the hub in the port, it seems the Port of Southampton is in rude health. During the worst of the global
pandemic the Port of Southampton, unlike many others, stayed open and kept going 24/7 throughout the Covid crisis. At one point in 2020 Southampton was the only port in the world that was accepting all ships and turned nobody away. “I think it is something that is right to recognise the work we did with Port Health, Public Health England, NHS and the wider port community”, says Welch. In common with virtually all ports globally the Port of Southampton needs more facilities and infrastructure improvements but to accommodate these, extra space is needed. “Space is a challenge. Ships are growing, particularly cruise ships including P&Os Iona (184,089 gross tons) which started operations in June 2021 from Southampton. “The challenge we have as ships get bigger is that larger ships means more passengers, more passengers means more stores, more stores means more space. As ships get larger the port ultimately needs to find more space and space, right now, is finite.”
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Alastair Welch has also seen a corresponding growth in the size of container shipping using the port. “Container ships are also growing larger, on average 24,000 TEU capacity, or roughly, twice the size of the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. In the old days you may have taken 500 - 1000 boxes off a ship, what we see going forward is the possibilty of taking 4, 5 or 6000 boxes off a ship which in turn again means we need more space.” Globally pre-pandemic export in the automotive market was a growth sector for ABP Southampton as Alastair Welch explains: “Capacity in the port is roughly 56,000 units on the port at any one time. Right now, we’re at capacity because manufacturers are working hard to export, and we’ve got a good volume going out the port, and we’re slightly ahead of where we were pre-pandemic.” The Port of Southampton is not about to rest on its laurels and enjoys the status as the United Kingdom’s second busiest port. The future
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southampton Welch also announced that a new fleet of pilot boats will be arriving within the next 18 months which will use about 25% less fuel. “The port own and operate the UK’s inland rail terminal near Birmingham to help support pushing more boxes by rail and we look after that from Southampton. We have the highest proportion of boxes that leave the port via rail of any port in the UK. We’re increasingly turning our fleet to electric whether they’re straddle carriers or forklifts.Then there is shore power. One of the units will cost the Port of Southampton around £8.5million to install and will be operational by the end of 2021.” Southampton has a clear vision of what it expects the port to look like in 2050. Welch states that from a container point of view, they see an increasing number of containers coming into the UK and are not sure if there will be a leveling out - but Welch says “certainly we’ll see the average number of boxes per ship continue to increase.” ABP Southampton have a fairly straightforward plan for the immediate future. With regard to containers Welch confirms there will be support for the continued ability of the port to serve the largest and most efficient container ships in the world. He sees capacity as being critical, but believes the current site will see container growth.
plans for the development of the port have several key elements to consider, one of the most important being the sustainability of the business, environment and a corresponding reduction in pollution and emission of carbon. “We live in a city, we work in the city, and we want to make sure things improve. The challenge is now how we improve. The challenge is now how we accelerate air quality improvements. By the end of 2021 the majority of the power we consume in the port will be generated within the port with solar panels. The vast majority of our port fleet are now all electric and my hope is that by the end of the year all the fleet will be. We also have around 70 power points for our staff within the port to make sure they can charge their cars for free because we want to help them to have electric vehicles. We have invested strongly in new port vessels which are much more fuel efficient.”
“We currently have two cruise terminals in the Eastern Docks and two in the Western Docks. We’re building a new cruise terminal in the Western Docks, and we see future growth concentrating on the Western Docks which is closer to the Railway Station and main arterial roads. If we have more space being taken up by containers, around the Container Terminal and more space being taken up by cruise in the Western Dock, we need to plan very carefully for what we can do with automotive. There’s a finite amount of space we can create with multi-deck car parks. For the long term we’re looking to see if we can move some of our automotive capacity across the water - we have around 700 acres
port survey
of port land within the current port and about 1000 acres of land across the water. Nothing will happen in the near future, what we are doing is looking at the case for and the logic for migrating some activity aggressively across the water over time.” Freeport Status Southampton ABP’s successful Freeport bid has freed up financial, political and societal capital that will be crucial in future developments within the port. “Within the Freeport this is early days and the Chancellor announced that the Solent Freeport bid had been successful. In fact, that means we’ve got through the first gateway. There’s now a lot of work to do to get that formally confirmed, hopefully later in 2021.” The Port of Southampton is working with partners including Fawley Waterside, Exxon, Solent Gateway Team, Portsmouth Port and all the local authorities to look at the case for exploring how the port can accelerate planned activity and planned investment in the Freeport area to see how if can bring benefits but not just for the organisations that work within it, but to the wider area. “One of the areas we’re going to focus on is the near future, relevant to us, in Southampton is the Redbridge Site. We have around £100 million of capital spend inflight which we’ll complete in 2021. We’re heavily investing in infrastructure because we have a strong view and we’re recruiting heavily too.We’re committed to investing in our people too from apprentice graduate trainees.We are a growth organisation.” Going forward into the second quarter of the 21st century Alastair Welch believes the port will be well placed to deal with future storms on the horizon. His viewpoint is buoyed by the community support the Port of Southampton garners from local residents. “The city supports the port, and the port supports the city, but we have to really understand the port is the UK’s gateway to the world - but it needs more space,” concludes Welch.
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north america
port survey
Port study reveals Canadian investments more than double US West Coast ports funding A recent study executed by Davies Transportation Consulting, in collaboration with Hatch Consultants Associates, has revealed that Canadian ports have received more than double the federal funding levels compared to US West Coast ports...
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he study, commissioned by ports in Washington and California, highlights the need to increase US port infrastructure funding in order to strengthen US ports’ competitiveness along the West Coast. Current federal levels of investment in infrastructure are insufficient to build the freight system the US needs today and in the coming decades. Improving the efficiency of existing infrastructure requires strategic investments that enable ports to handle current volumes and grow capacity to remain competitive with ports in British Columbia (BC). From 2016-2020, BC ports received USD372 million in Direct Port project funding compared with USD45 million for Washington State ports and USD179 million for California ports. This funding differential leads to a competitive disadvantage for US west coast ports. Beyond port-specific projects, the road and rail infrastructure that supports the efficient movement of goods throughout the supply chain are also receiving significantly fewer federal dollars than BC investments. The study reports that from 2005-2020 federal contributions to port-related projects total USD1.332 billion in BC compared to US USD457 million for Washington projects. These dollars support critical infrastructure such as road, rail, highway and bridge upgrades. “The Northwest Seaport Alliance has worked diligently to remain competitive despite inequitable distributions of the Harbour Maintenance Tax and growing competition with BC ports. The Canadian government has made their British Columbia ports a national priority and unfortunately US west coast ports have seen market share slowly shift north to Canada,” stated NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commissioner President Dick Marzano.
“More infrastructure funding from the US federal government means that we can move more cargo and support more family-wage jobs across our region.” US west coast ports compete directly with ports in Canada such as Prince Rupert and the Vancouver-Fraser Port Authority for cargo volumes in the Transpacific trade. As the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Port of Long Beach, and other ports in California aim to maximise US trade opportunities, accessing federal and non-federal funds for port-related investments is a fundamental challenge.
“The Northwest Seaport Alliance is making strategic investments in infrastructure to increase the efficiency of Seattle and Tacoma ports and remain competitive, but we can’t do it alone,” stated NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Seattle Commissioner President Fred Felleman. “Investments in port infrastructure not only benefit our economy but also reduce impacts on our neighbouring port communities and the environment. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act fully recognise these benefits.”
Key takeaways from the study include: * Ports in British Columbia have successfully competed against Washington and California ports for container traffic. * Canada has treated West Coast Ports as a national priority. * Canadian federal contributions to BC port projects have substantially exceeded US grants to Washington and California ports over the past five years.
Ports play an integral role in the health of the US economy. By facilitating import goods for businesses and providing a key gateway to international markets for exports, ports support the country’s GDP and create millions of family-wage jobs across the country.
“The important role seaports play in the nation’s economy has never been more visible than it is today, during the global pandemic,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, known as the San Pedro Bay port complex, handle 40% of the nation’s container cargo imports. The West Coast is the gateway to Asia and the country’s most prominent trade partners. A more equitable distribution of federal funding would make all our operations faster and more efficient, with tremendous benefits up and down the supply chain.”
The Northwest Seaport Alliance has stated it is committed to maintaining a thriving gateway for US trade in the Pacific Northwest and is making substantial investments to modernise its marine terminals and improve freight mobility through the port. The NWSA is already implementing many of the study’s recommendations including modernising Terminal 5 to handle larger container ships, partnering with local governments to advocate for improved landside infrastructure, and investing in zero-emission cargo handling equipment in the gateway.
Beyond funding, the study identifies ways to increase US West Coast port competitiveness including prioritising investments to accommodate larger vessels, upgrading landside infrastructure, and improving the environmental sustainability of port operations.
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port survey
nordic
Nordic ports ready for expansion in years to come Despite the COVID pandemic and its negative consequences for international economies and trade, major Nordic ports are continuing their expansion plans this year as Eugene Gerden reports…
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hese expansion plans are primarily in the form of the construction of new infrastructure and modernisation of existing ones. For example, in Sweden, the largest country in the region, local government together with private investors and stevedores, plan to speed up the implementation of at least two large-scale projects in the port sector. One of them will be implemented in the Port of Gothenburg, Scandinavia’s largest port, that will be turned into a major hydrogen hub in the region. As part of this project, a new hydrogen production facility with the capacity to produce
up to two tonnes of hydrogen per day will be built within the port area. This implementation is part of Sweden’s goal to reduce emissions from domestic transport by 70% by 2030. In the meantime, the Gothenburg project (scheduled for implementation in the near future) is not the only major investment in the Swedish port sector. Another major Swedish seaport, Helsingborg, is also expanding with the building of a large-scale container terminal within its port area. Under the terms of this project, a 750m-long berth will be built to accommodate three deepsea 225m vessels. In addition, there are also plans to build an intermodal terminal that will connect southern Sweden’s logistics clusters. The project is expected to be completed by 2028.
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At present, ports play an important role in the development of the Swedish economy, with almost 90% of the country's international trade being moved by maritime transportation. Most local analysts expect the same situation will continue within the next several decades. In the meantime, the development of the port sector is also ongoing in neighbouring Norway - another major country in the Nordic region. According to some Norwegian media reports, probably one of most important projects in the port sector for several years will be implemented in the port of Bergen. Plans include the building of a new cargo terminal within the port area that will function as a hub for zero-emission distribution of goods and services. It is planned that the EUR25 million
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nordic needed for the project could be funded by the EU in the form of a grant - as part of the EU Green Deal political project where the goal is to reduce emissions from the transport sector. In the meantime, the Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Erikson Sereide, has confimed that Norway has no plans to invest in the development of its ports located along the Northern Sea Route, and in particular the port of Svalbard. This is in stark contrast to neighbouring Russia, which considers the Northern Sea Route as a full-scale alternative to the Suez Canal and make numerous investments in the development of its port infrastructure. In Denmark, Copenhagen Malmö Port AB (CMP) - the company operating both the ports in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen and in Sweden’s third largest city, Malmö - has recently confirmed its plans to build a new container terminal in Copenhagen’s Ydre Nordhavn seaport.
port survey
The planned terminal will be completed by 2023 and has an estimated budget of USD130 million. It will have a 165,000 square meter large port area, a quay length of 550m and two new ship-to-shore container cranes. The new facility will be part of a 1 square km land refill which will also accommodate a nature park. The project also aligns with the aim of the European Union to cut down emissions rates from such industrial activities. According to some local analysts, the new container terminal plan promises potential growth in business and sustainable development to the Nordhavn region of Copenhagen.
Finally, in Iceland, the country’s government, together with private investors, are considering to resume the Finnafjord Port project, a proposed deepwater port and industrial site. The pandemic led to its suspension, however the planned construction will now start between 2022 and will continue until 2040. The deepwater port of Finnafjord will mainly serve as a transit hub for traffic entering and exiting Russia’s Northern Sea Route. In addition, the port may also serve as a search and rescue base as traffic volume throughout the region increases.
Whilst building the new terminal, CMP will continue to operate the container terminal in Levantkaj, Copenhagen, in order to welcome any additional container traffic to the port. The port of Copenhagen, one of Denmark’s largest seaports, saw container volumes significantly drop in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the global pandemic.
The joint-venture project will be implemented by Bremenports, which owns 66% of the port, EFLA owns 26%, and the nearby municipalities of Vopnafjaroarhreppur and Langanesbyggo own 8%. Once completed the new port could also become a distribution hub for offshore arctic oil and mineral resources for Greenland and Iceland.
Above: Finnafjord project in Iceland. Main photo: Port of Helsingborg.
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container
sideloader
Hammar has introduced an electric power pack for their sideloader.
Sideloader makers weather the global pandemic Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic manufacturers of sideloaders are reporting some interesting developments. World Port Development reports…
F
or those that have not seen a sideloader (also known as sidelifter or self-loading trailer) in action perhaps a simple explanation how such a system works is appropriate. A hydraulic system is mounted on a truck or trailer to safely handle shipping containers and other cargo from/to other trailers, trucks or trains, or directly on ground level, where the container/cargo can safely and efficiently be packed or unpacked. A major benefit of a sideloader is that it can operate with minimal manpower and without any additional equipment, minimising waiting time, planning as well as making it possible to deliver a seamless, competitive service. It also offers a versatile cost-effective way of loading, transporting and unloading containers and other cargo.
The sideloader is often used where other container handling equipment is not available, or non-existent. Just like any other cargo handling equipment to fullfil customer expectations and requirements, manufacturers constantly improve their equipment in order to increase their handling capacity, efficiency and performance. Steelbro The engineers and design team at New Zealand-based Steelbro recently launched their SB303 30 tonnes lifting capacity sideloader. The SB303 provides the user with fast movement of containers from trailer-to-ground and
ground-to-trailer with its ability to quickly deploy and stow stabilisers. The key to increased speed is a new HYDRAlift hydraulic system technology. The new inline crane design is also light with tare weights starting from just 7 tonnes. “Our research and insight programme identified a need for a fast, light sidelifter for use within an urban environment to deliver and pick up 20’ and 40’ containers. To deliver this to the market, the team designed the SB303,” explains Richard Brown, Research and Development Manager at Steelbro.
improved since its release in 2005. SMARTlift II provides users with the additional benefits of a colour display with high resolution screen, clearer messaging, simpler diagnostics and maintenance as well as environmental protection. The SB303 has a large outreach of 3.64m from the trailer lifting side and is optimised to perform pick up and delivery of containers from ground-to-trailer and trailer-to-ground only. It can lift both single 20’, 40’ containers and 2x 20ft containers.
According to Brown, the HYDRAlift is a fundamental rethink of the sideloader control combined with the latest in hydraulic piston pump technology and a new advanced proportional control valve. The single central control valve halves the number of proportional valve sections per sideloader, minimising servicing costs. In addition, intelligent use of available oil flow allows for better engine and pump utilisation.
Hammar At Sweden-based Hammar, customer requirements forced them to look at different options for increasing handling capacity, including the possibility of placing the container in a second row. Technically, many factors decide how much you can lift with a sideloader. This includes for example, the reach of the support legs, the weight of the sideloader, the strength of the extension construction, hydraulic pressure and cylinder sizes. As a result, the Hammar designers came up with two new options for their Hammar 110 model - a 40 tonnes Safe Working Load (SWL) for extra heavy duty, and a new support leg option “WideLeg”.
Brown told WPD that the SB303 is also cost effective to run, as horsepower utilisation has been optimised by enabling the efficient use of engine power. In addition, machine controllability has been optimised via proportional joystick control with multi-function operations and improved flow sharing technology which enables precision control throughout the lift. This functionality also ensures containers can be delivered safely at speed. The new model is also equipped with an enhanced SMARTlift II next generation load monitoring system. This is the latest evolution of Steelbro’s load monitoring system that has been continuously
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The new 40 tonnes SWL option is available with both the new WideLeg option and the standard support legs on the Hammar 110. Reinforcements at vital points have been made on the crane module, with the goal to minimise extra weight and maintain maximum safety. With 40 tonnes SWL the Hammar 110 is tested with 50 tonnes before delivery.
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sideloader The new WideLeg option is a new support leg design available to the Hammar 110 model. Very similar in function, the WideLeg option differs by giving an additional 500mm reach, meaning it will reach approximately 3.65m measured from the trailer lifting side. This will give even more stability, make transfer operations easier while also allowing the transfer from rare special wide vehicles. Another solution on offer is the ‘MegaReach’ crane extension allowing sideloaders to stack two containers high in second row. The new MegaReach extension will be a new milestone for sideloaders allowing a longer reach and an increased SWL of 15 tonnes at maximum reach. It can stack containers in second row weighing up to 17 tonnes. “This is the first crane extension for sideloaders in the world to reach anywhere near these capabilities. Sideloader operators often face less than ideal situations, and the added versatility of these extensions will make many jobs much easier. Stacking containers will be more viable, and we believe it could open up completely new markets for Sideloaders,” says Bengt-Olof Hammar, CEO and owner of Hammar Group. In terms of safety, Hammar tells us that operators don’t have to worry about their operations as they are monitored by their Safety+ system (although this depends on what model you choose). Forced by customers to go ‘green’ Hammar has also introduced an electric power pack for their sideloaders. The electric power pack (ePP) lasts around 20 consecutive lifts with a 35 tonnes weight. It can be charged by the truck while driving or by plugging it in the mains.
Hammar’s wideleg sideloader.
Compared to the traditional diesel power pack the ePP has many advantages, including less environmental impact, a healthier working environment, lower operating costs, a lower weight and significantly lower noise levels. Zero emission and lower noise levels are particularly useful in the increasingly dense urban areas, where this otherwise can be a problem. Ancotrans, one of the largest sideloader operators in Denmark, was the first company outside Australia to receive the electric sideloader. With a long-term focus on greener container transports the electric power pack was an obvious choice. Bengt-Olof Hammar told WPD that such technology is in constant motion and Hammar is already developing the next generation of electric power packs for sideloaders. “We will continue to look at and develop greener alternatives and be at the frontline of electric sideloaders,” he said. Fallout of COVID The pandemic saw an increase in spare parts sales as customers sought to optimise their current fleet of sideloaders. In order to simplify this process for all global customers, Steelbro launched an online parts shop this year. It is accessed via their website and customers can use the shop to identify parts and receive a quote in a currency of their choice.
container
expect this to continue into the future,” said Peter Dobbs, General Manager at Steelbro. “Steelbro is already seeing a rebound in demand in key markets such as New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia.” In 2019, Steelbro expanded their footprint in New Zealand to incorporate a workshop facility that was primarily focussed on new product design and development. Their strategy is to support customers by working directly with them and the purchase of a larger workshop in Christchurch in 2020 demonstrated the company’s commitment to this strategy. According to Dobbs, the new premises enabled Steelbro to create a specialised sideloader site. All functions are located at one site: service and repairs, research and development, sales, assembly and fabrication, technical support, spare parts and administration. This new premise means Steelbro can offer a wider range of services to customers. Earlier this year, Steelbro also expanded its footprint in Australia with the opening of a new sales and workshop facility in Brisbane. This facility supports customers across the east coast of Australia for both Steelbro Sidelifter sales and parent company Howard Porter trailer sales.
“Steelbro had experienced growth over the last 2 years, although at times customers have been cautious about committing to capital expenditure in the uncertain economic environment. Interest in sidelifters is still strong and the benefits the product brings have been vital during the pandemic and we
Courtesy of Steelbro
Steelbro’s SB303 has a large outreach of 3.64m.
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adverts
The three point seatbelt, invented in Sweden.
Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt for Volvo in Sweden, with it eventually being fitted in most cars globally, helping protect drivers and save lives. Bromma has continued this proud Swedish heritage of innovation by introducing the first spreader Twin Twenty Detection System to the market, helping to detect dangerous situations when lifting two 20ft containers at once. Innovation, quality and reliability is what you can expect from Bromma, as it is what we expect from ourselves. Bromma, leading through innovation.
bromma.com
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spreader design
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Evolution of scientific methods for structural life assessment and its application on lightweight spreader design Bromma has been engaged in many industry-supported academic research projects, one of which has focused on lightweight welded steel structures including the design, manufacturing and life length assessment methods used.
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arlier this year, Sweden-based spreader manufacturer Bromma released a white paper on how the life length assessment of complex steel structures used in crane spreaders are applied and how the application relates in the real world. Although Bromma wants to make it clear that there are no reasons to suspect that manufacturers of steel structures are not conforming to the standards specified, the key question of the white paper is whether the standards are up-to-date with reality. According to Bromma, the studies performed have already influenced the design of steel structures and are expected to play an even more important role in the future, as the industry realises the discrepancy between reality and the standards applied.
The white paper, written by Dr Mansoor Khurshid, Head of Structural Science and Lars Meurling, VP EMEA & Marketing, reveals that different kinds of fatigue strength assessment methods show very different results. More advanced methods reveal sensitive stress zones in the steel structures more precisely. The results from assessments using ’simpler’ methods indicate a longer life length compared to the more advanced methods. The ‘simpler’ methods as specified in existing standards, show in addition a significant deviation to experimental tests performed depending on the location in the spreader under investigation. The outcome of calculation methods called for in current industry standards will likely lead to results deviating from reality. Bromma conforms to current industry standards but are, in addition, using significantly more advanced methods for fatigue life length assessment. The result is optimised steel structures with improved durability.
Lightweight spreaders Structural integrity is an important aspect in spreaders where steel is the primary material and welding is a primary technique used for joining them together. Welded joints are usually critical sections prone to mechanical failures, which involve extremely complex interaction of load, time, material, manufacturing processes, and environment. Environment includes operation temperatures, and corrosive environment such as experienced in ports. Loads may be monotonic e.g. maximum safe working load limits, steady or variable e.g. lifting constant container weights all the time or lifting up variable container weights (Q class classification in EN13001). The duration of these loads can vary from a few seconds to minutes e.g. overloads can occur for a shorter interval of time or a load due to normal container weight can occur on the structure for the whole working cycle. One of the goals of Bromma is to develop spreaders with low weight. Lighter spreaders reduces crane power consumption and CO2 emissions. Bromma utilises high strength steel in spreaders to achieve these goals. To successfully implement such steel qualities in spreaders it is important to understand the material characteristics as well as how to join parts of the material together and where to place the welds. Spreader structural strength There are thirteen common failure modes identified in metals. Two of the common failure modes are ductile failure and fatigue failure. A particular welded structure such as a spreader is usually designed primarily against these failures to ensure sufficient structural strength. Around 50 to 90 percent of all mechanical failures (not limited to spreaders) are related to fatigue. Fatigue is a wide area which is influenced by various factors such as selection of fatigue strength design methodology, type of residual stresses, type of loading, welding processes, and post weld improvement methods (see Figure 1).
The life span of a spreader is defined by the fatigue calculation methodologies and the materials used in the design process. It is important to define correct capacity of the welds in spreaders and know the load spectrum of the customer, i.e. Q class and average container weight handled. Design curves in the standards such as EN13001 available today have been developed for simple uniaxial stress states and the use of global fatigue strength assessment methodologies is recommended. However, the welds in spreaders might be subjected to complex stress states and simple fatigue strength assessment methods may not be applicable. To design welds against these complex stress states, the choice of the appropriate analysis method and definition of the loading plays a vital role. It is important to understand the interaction of stresses resulting from hoisting, slewing, trolley, gantry and landing operations etc and their effect on the spreader structure. Better understanding of the safe working load limits, working cycles, average container weights and fatigue strength will make it possible to manufacture spreaders with an even higher grade of high strength steels such as those with a yield strength greater than 1000MPa. Box welded structure assessment Several years ago, Bromma established an R&D collaboration with KTH - Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden, through a joint appointment and ventures, with focus on further development of novel and advanced design methods for accurate strength and life estimation of Bromma’s products. One such project within the collaboration is project Varilight (Reduced VARIation in the manufacturing processes enabling LIGHTweight welded structures). This project was a joint effort between industrial (HIAB, Swedish Steel AB, Swedish Welding Commission, Cargotec Sweden AB, Bromma Conquip and Volvo Construction Equipment) and academic partners (Chalmer Tekniska Högskolan, and KTH-Royal Institute of Technology).
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spreader design
Among other things, a box-welded structure has been investigated within the project. The life span of box-welded structure is influenced by the definition of working cycle, choice of fatigue strength assessment methodology, load spectrum and welding residual stresses. The most common design specification for crane spreaders today is 2 million working cycles but a specification for 4 million working cycles is starting to appear. Information about the definition of working cycle, choice of fatigue strength assessment methodology, understanding of load spectrum and behaviour of spreader components subjected to fatigue loading sets the basis. Working cycle A typical spreader move or working cycle comprises of various movements. According to Bromma a working cycle is defined as a spreader landing on the load, hoisting the load, trolley movement, spreader landing and leaving the load, and the empty spreader travelling back to lift another container. This definition is in line with the working cycle definition in EN13001 and BS2573. During a typical working cycle there are stresses generated at various sections of the spreader. A typical working cycle for a spreader can result in three stress blocks as seen in Figure 2. Some of the stress blocks can be more damaging to the life of a spreader than others.
Fatigue strength assessment methodologies Design methodologies play a vital role in the construction of lightweight structures especially when deciding their life span or fatigue strength. For welded structures, stress based methods such as nominal stress, hotspot stress, and effective notch stress exists to design for
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high cycle fatigue such as 2 million or 4 million working cycles. Other methods e.g. strain life approaches and linear elastic fracture mechanics are also used. In the design of Bromma spreaders, a combination of these methods following guidelines in EN13001 and other scientific literature is used.
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Figure 3 provides an overview about the accuracy and required effort to use these methods. It can be observed that as we move from designing simple welded joints to complex welded structures, the accuracy of most of these methods decre¬ases. Furthermore, if we move from using global methods (nominal stress method) and start using local methods (effective notch stress method) the accuracy of estimating fatigue strength increases. In EN13001, nominal stress method is included. The designers are free to use more advanced methods. So which methods are applicable for the assessment of complex structures like spreaders? Can all the critical areas such as box welded structure be analysed with the methods recommended in the standards or should we use more complex fatigue strength assessment methods? Fatigue strength of box welded structure - testing and results In project Varilight, box welded structure was analysed using various fatigue strength assessment methodologies. (Figure 4).
whereas advanced complex fatigue strength assessment methodologies such as effective notch stress and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) are conservative to estimate the life span. In the above assessment, the effect of residual stresses was also considered. Residual stresses at the weld toe and weld root were studied experimentally and by using computational weld mechanics techniques. Based on the observations in Figure 5, more advanced methods are conservative and safe to use while care has to be taken when using nominal stress method. Conclusions Based on the analysis the following conclusion can be drawn:
- There is a significant difference in the precision of different fatigue strength evaluation methodologies, when applied on complex welded joints in crane spreaders. - The methodologies specified in the applicable design standards are relatively ‘simple’ methods, which in cases of complex weld details overestimates the life length of a steel structure. - When more advanced calculation methods are used, the outcome is more in line with reality. - By applying the more advanced methods in the design process - even though the standards are less stringent - manufacturers of lifting equipment can lead the development towards more durable and also potentially safer steel structures and products.
A round robin study for evaluating various fatigue strength assessment methodologies and studying scatter in the results was conducted in Sweden within the project. In this study, the same problem was sent to various engineers (from different organisations) for calculations and they were asked to use nominal stress method for calculations and one other method of their choice. It was observed that even though the same problem was assessed by various engineers, there was a clear scatter between the life estimates by the engineers for the box structure. In Figure 5, it can be observed that simple calculation methods, which are recommended by the standards, were over-estimating the fatigue strength for this particular component
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Transportation industry coalesces against the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 Claire Instone reports on the pending Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 and how it will impact the ongoing congestion issue across global ports.
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ongestion in the supply chain has reached remarkable levels. Increased consumer demand, rising shipping costs, driver shortages and shrinking warehouse space are all contributing factors leading to bottlenecks at every point along the chain especially at ports.
For example, from 2011 - 2019, the average annual container TEU volume increase for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach combined was 3.9%. However, when looking at the TEU growth for the first eight months of 2019 vs. 2021 (using 2019, as 2020 was artificially impacted by COVID), the increase is 20%. In recent weeks, both the aforementioned ports announced they would be testing extended operating hours at truck gates to try to mitigate congestion. However, the lack of available labour and truck drivers would jeopardise the efficacy of this approach. So, what other measures can be taken? According to the lower house of the United States Congress, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2021 (HR 4996) is needed…
The bill On August 10th 2021, two members of the US House of Representatives introduced the Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2021 (HR 4996). A component of the bill aims to address terminal congestion by reducing beneficial cargo owners (BCOs’) responsibility to collect cargo from marine terminals. Before one container can come into a space, another has to be removed. When containers are unloaded from ships, they are allowed a period of “free time” on the terminal. However, when containers are not picked up within the agreed-upon time, the BCOs are charged. These charges demurrage and detention - are critical incentives for BCOs to pick up cargo. In essence, the legislation - if passed - would undermine financial incentives for BCOs to move their cargo from terminals in a timely manner. This presents issues to an already hurting supply chain that has witnessed remarkable growth and is currently facing a labour shortage. Negative unintentional consequences Stakeholders have warned that key components of the proposed Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (HR 4996) would have unintended negative consequences. As a result, more than two dozen prominent transportation entities have joined together to oppose the proposed
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legislation, citing that removing the ability for terminals to charge BCOs for extended demurrage and detention will only lead to more congestion. Furthermore, with the current growth and labour shortages the supply chain and surrounding economy will struggle. The legislation would undermine the demurrage and detention charges BCOs and importers would be required to pay, which as a result, would encourage these organisations to store containers on the terminal, further clogging ports and impacting the ability to keep freight moving. Without these charges incentivising retailers and importers to pick up cargo, the supply chain would suffer additional setbacks from delays in inbound shipments and exports. When discussing the potential of increasing storage of containers across terminals, it is essential to note that at ports on the West and East Coasts of the United States, terminals are considered full when filled to 80% capacity. Many terminals on the West Coast have been at 95% capacity in 2021. Increased consumer demands, shortages of labour and equipment, and complex global trade and travel constraints resulting from the pandemic have caused record-breaking container volumes and “dwell times” at ports - the time a container sits on the terminal. For example, the local
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congestion This data indicates that container volume is still rising, warehouse space is at capacity, and BCOs are not removing their cargo from terminals. Disincentivising import cargo from being picked up from terminals, as the legislation would do, would increase container dwell time and congestion without enhancing proper resources, such as space, or labour to handle shipments.
Leaders at the National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) also share concerns about the amendment. “This signal from Congress - that the US is seeking unrestricted regulation of its ocean commerce without regard to regulatory costs or international shipping practices - would be extremely concerning for the MTO community,” said Lauren Brand, President of NAWE.
The legislation announced by Congress is concerning and does not address the multifaceted nature of congestion as a complete supply chain issue. If enacted, it would provide a temporary financial relief to importers and BCOs, but impose tariffs for ocean carriers, worsen operating conditions for marine terminal operators and other transportation stakeholders, and hinder the capacity to solve the true supply-demand problem at hand.
The way forward Moving forward, the National Association of Waterfront Employers has offered to have discussions with members of the US House of Representatives to develop solutions that aid supply chain healing and address critical needs facing US ports. The editorial team at World Port Development will keep abreast of the on-going situation and bring readers updates in due course.
Shared concerns John Martin, a leading maritime economist, commented on the activities in the early days of pandemic- related port congestion across terminals, stating, “Labour responded dramatically well during this time period. What we really started to see was the constraints were building up outside the terminals. The constraints built up at the warehouses, and the constraints built up at the rail, with respect to intermodal rail.”
The World Shipping Council (WSC) shares this concern. John Butler, President and CEO, said, “HR 4996 will not solve supply chain congestion because it focuses solely on marine terminal operators and ocean carriers, but the congestion problems are supply-chain wide. Carriers have deployed every available ship and container, but our ships are waiting to get into port and our containers are sitting at our customers’ facilities waiting to be unloaded because of landside bottlenecks.”
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This is not the right time to formulate and impose new regulations. Given current economic and trade trends, government agency intervention in the port and terminal industry outside of helping improve communication is ill-advised. The existing global trade logistics system was not built to handle simultaneous surges in demand and shortages of labour. Intervention could result in negative unintentional consequences that could worsen the situation for all shippers as well as transportation service providers.
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Extending working hours to increase capacity at terminals has been discussed but is ill-advised. For a 24/7 operation model to be effective, other transport groups, including truckers and warehouse operators, would also need to commit to working those hours. Numerous sources cite the lack of available drivers needed to handle the current volumes of freight. For example, Bloomberg reported the trucking crisis is creating demand for drivers from other countries.
Ed DeNike, President, SSA Containers
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delivery dwell time for containers on the West Coast has doubled in the past year; the on-dock rail dwell times have quadrupled, now averaging eleven days, and the on-terminal container count has increased by 43% resulting in congestion and slower velocity. Further, warehouse vacancy rates are at an all-time low of 1.2%, with many at capacity, prolonging container and truck chassis dwell time outside the terminal. The culmination of these events has led to cumulative of the entire logistics supply chain.
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Walter Kemmsies, Chief Economist, The Kemmsies Group
Organisations opposed to the proposed The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (HR 4996): (at the time of print) * Ambassador Services International * APM Terminals * Charleston Stevedoring Company * Cooper/Ports America, LLC * Enstructures Refrigerated Terminals * Gateway Terminal * Global Container Terminals (GCT) USA * International Transportation Service LLC * Long Beach Container Terminal * Luis A. Ayala Colon Sucrs., Inc. * Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ * Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay * Nautilus International Holding Corporation / Metroports * New York Shipping Association * Pacific Maritime Association * Pacific Merchant Shipping Association * Port Houston * Ports America * Ports of the Delaware River Marine Trade Association (PMTA) * South Carolina Stevedores Association * SSA Marine * The National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) * TranSystems * The United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) * West Gulf Maritime Association * World Shipping Council * West Coast MTO Agreement
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mobile harbour cranes
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Pandemic hastens digital transformation Has the COVID-19 pandemic given terminal operators the chance to sit back and consider electric driven equipment in preference to diesel engines in order to reduce emissions? World Port Development investigates…
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ver the years, terminal operators have been moving towards ‘going green’ in their operations. By applying eco-friendly solutions they were able to reduce (or completely eliminate) not only exhaust emissions of their equipment but also, in some cases, noise emissions. Equally, cargo handling equipment manufacturers are offering environmental-friendly solutions, and in the context of this article, Mobile Harbour Cranes with different configurations reducing diesel consumption and lowering emissions. Manufacturers also looked at offering an electric Mobile Harbour Crane (MHC), which can be achieved on a diesel-hydraulic configuration, with the installation of an electric motor in the engine room, powered by a cable reel that draws the power supply from the berth (for those that have electrified quays).
The use of electric MHCs compared to hydraulic MHCs is often based on the operator’s experience in the type of cranes owned and the capability of the maintenance people. In addition, terminal operators can be ‘forced’ into making such a decision by local politics due to environmental concerns (as electric cranes are perceived as cleaner and somehow less noisy compared to hydraulic ones). Going electric In 2021, across the board manufacturers are reporting to have seen an increase of orders in more environmental friendly mobile harbour cranes and in particular electric driven ones.
According to a statement by Germany-based Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock, in 2021 demand for Liebherr mobile harbour cranes with an e-drive has risen sharply. Compared to 2019, the number of units equipped with an electric motor has even doubled. “Liebherr has been successfully using a hybrid drive concept consisting of a diesel engine and an electric drive for the mobile harbour cranes product segment for over 20 years,” states Philipp Helberg, Marketing Manager. “In addition to emission-free handling, the benefits of e-drive include cost savings and less maintenance.” It is obvious that a significant shift in focus for electrified cranes can be observed in the port industry from the more traditional ‘hybrid drive concept’. Electrification is entering a new market phase - something we have seen happening in the car industry. There is no secret about the hybrid drive concept offered by all manufacturers it connsists of a diesel engine and an electric motor - something that Liebherr has been offering for well over 20 years for its maritime mobile harbour cranes.
Italgru has six MHCs heading towards India.
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mobile harbour cranes
The diesel engine is used exclusively for moving the crane along the quayside. As soon as the crane has reached the desired position, the machine is connected to the local power grid by cable. The actual handling of goods is thus possible without emissions. If required, during operation with an electric drive, the energy recovered from the lowering can be fed into the local power grid. In this way, the operational cost of electrically driven cargo handling can be reduced even further. “It is noticeable that the demand for electric motors with power from the local electricity grid has increased enormously in the last two years,” said Helberg. “More than a third of all Liebherr mobile harbour crane orders have an e-drive installed and the trend is rising. Retrofitting electric drives is also possible and is increasingly being used by mobile harbour crane customers.” For emission-free operation of the MHC, it can be connected to a low-voltage network from 400 volts or a high-voltage network up to 20 kV. In the case of a high-voltage supply, this is converted into low voltage via a transformer mounted on the undercarriage, so that only low voltage is present in the crane itself. Liebherr offers the option of a cable-reeling drum for the safe movement of the crane with the cable. Cable lengths of between 70m and 200m can be accommodated, depending on the voltage present at the feed point. This ensures emission-free electrical travel of the crane along the quayside, as well as e-powered lifting.
The accumulator is something we have also seen installed on the Liebherr MHC - they name it the hydrostatic drive concept. The principle (of the accumulator and hydrostatic drive) is based on a main drive that supplies power to pumps and a hydraulic transfer gearbox.The main drive can be a diesel engine or an electric motor. All energy-consuming movements are connected to a closed hydraulic circuit and are fed by it when required. Closed hydraulic loops are used for all main functions such as hoisting, slewing and luffing. The benefits of all this are extremely precise control, a minimum number and size of components and reduced fuel consumption thanks to the standard use of reverse power. Such innovative drive systems generally saves diesel or energy during crane operation and enables sustainable and efficient operation.
Hydrostatic drive Similar stories are coming from Italy-based Italgru who report that in order to meet customer expectations the company is able to supply both diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric cranes. By choosing sub-vendors that can supply low-emission engine motors and eco-friendly components, the company can offer energy saving features on their MHCs, such as an accumulator that stores energy during the lowering phase to be redistributed to other movements available.
According to Mauro Cacciatore at the Commercial Department at Italgru, the company has introduced a new design for all models, with electric drives on both hoisting and slewing movements, dedicated to customers focused on eco-friendly solutions. In August, Italgru delivered one diesel-electric IMHC 2120 E to Volos Port in Greece. The MHC is a single winch with a maximum capacity of 125 tonnes and is equipped with a cable reel in order to plug-in to the electricity supply on the berth.
Such accumulators can be installed on the diesel-hydraulic configuration of an MHC, whilst on the diesel-electric configuration, a series of regenerative inverters can be installed, which are able to redistribute the energy stored during the lowering phase to the electrical grid of the berth.
Despite the global pandemic, Italgru is running at full capacity and has recently completed some interesting projects. A total of six MHCs were heading towards India - four of these were diesel-hydraulic and electric IMHC 2120 with a maximum of 100 tonnes capacity under hook. Just like the unit for Volos Port
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Above: Liebherr’s LHM 550 at Toledo-Lucas County Port. Below: Liebherr’s e-drive.
they are equipped with a cable reel to draw electricity from berth. In addition, two MHCs will have a maximum capacity of 140 tonnes under hook. Currently, they are working on a dieselhydraulic IHMC 1580 (maximum 80 tonnes capacity) for Azov port in Russia and one diesel-hydraulic IMHC 2120 (125 tonnes capacity) for Barletta port in Italy. Italgru is also completing work on three dieselhydraulic IMHC 1580 units for the ports of Ravenna and Oristano for delivery towards the end of 2021 - early 2022. In early 2022 the company will also start commissioning one IMHC 2120 for Durres port in Albania and one IMHC 1580 (with a maximum capacity of 63 tonnes) to the port of Rijeka in Croatia.
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mobile harbour cranes At the beginning of November 2021, Konecranes announced it received an order from North American terminal operator Logistec USA Inc. Logistec ordered two new electric drive eco-efficient Generation 6 Konecranes Gottwald MHCs for their terminal at the Port of Manatee in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. The order was placed in August 2021 and the MHCs are expected to be handed over in February 2022. “This is great news for our customers, our community and the environment in Port Manatee,” said Rodney Corrigan, President of Logistec USA Inc. “These new additions to our fleet of cargo handling equipment are well aligned with our focus on reducing our marine carbon footprint in support of our Green Marine initiatives.” The two new Generation 6 cranes with new electric drives will be the Konecranes Gottwald ESP.7 MHCs, with a working radius of up to 51m and a lifting capacity of 125 tonnes.They will be the natural successors of the two Generation 5 cranes already on-site. They feature a higher tower cab for a better view of the vessels in port and stronger lifting capacity curves for improved handling performance and a higher classification, which doubles their service life in container handling operations.Their on-board drive follows the strict EPA Tier 4 final standards. It’s a smart hybrid drive combining a diesel engine with optimised fuel consumption and an ultracap. This allows for both eco-efficient operation and peak performance when necessary. In September 2021, Konecranes announced that Italy-based Terminal Flavio Gioia SpA. (TFG) exercised their option for a second eco-efficient MHC in August 2021 - the first order was placed in March 2021. The first crane is already in operation and the second will start in early 2022. TFG is the main terminal of Gruppo Bucci, specialists in international logistics based in Naples. In September, Liebherr delivered a LHM 550 to Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (TLCPA) in the US. Since 2010, two Liebherr HMC 280s have been in operation at the port of Toledo and primarily used for bulk handling. The new crane is equipped with a 4.8m tower extension and a 54m boom for best reach. It has a maximum lifting capacity of up to 144 tonnes able to use much larger grabs and thus handle more bulk material in a shorter time. The new machine was transported in a disassembled state from Rostock (Germany) to Toledo. At the port of Toledo, the crane was then assembled, tested, and handed over by experienced Liebherr service engineers.
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The Konecranes Gottwald ESP.7 MHC.
Liebherr also announced in October that following a period of rental, Mukran Port Terminals GmbH at the German port of Sassnitz has purchased its third Liebherr mobile harbour crane, type LHM 550. Mukran Port Terminals is a crucial link in the New Silk Road and acts as an interface for international transport chains for rail, sea, and road for goods to and from China. Mukran Port Terminals has been operating two LHM 400 mobile harbour cranes for many years. The new normal.. The global pandemic and travel restrictions has forced manufacturers to come up with new ideas when it comes down to after-sales and maintenance. In our previous article we highlighted the fact that some manufacturers even assembled and commissioned their mobile harbour cranes, through a qualified third party, for their customers through the internet. The use of the internet for remote maintenance as well as for collaboration with local technicians is now standard practice for all manufacturers and will become a new norm as cranes can be monitored through telemaintenance. “This is an effective tool that allowed us to oversee operations from our HQ,” said Cacciatore.
“The crane is connected, through the internet, to our offices in Italy or a local maintenance station, for a real time monitoring and troubleshooting of the crane.” Cacciatore told us that remote support has always been a tool used by Italgru to help their customers. “The global pandemic and the restriction imposed to travelling has certainly increased the number of requests to operate directly from our headquarters.” Apart from keeping an eye on the crane in operations it also serves as an excellent tool to keep in contact with existing customers and with potential ones, providing the opportunity to connect from your home or office thus avoiding a slowdown in negotiations or project management. At Liebherr the coronavirus pandemic has given the digital transformation extraordinary impetus over the last year, demonstrating that there most certainly are solutions for performing work without being present on site. The company has been working for many years on various remote products, now allowing the company to make use of these and to further expand its innovative technologies. Such remote applications have many benefits and are currently experiencing a veritable boom.
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port congestion
Unprecedented year for port congestion A recent study shows vessel and port congestion levels across 2021 have been unprecedented, significantly impacting capacity in the container and bulk sectors and disrupting global supply chains. Herein, WPD presents the findings from Charlotte Cook’s ‘2021 Port Congestion Report’ published by VesselsValue.
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lobal shipping congestion in 2021 has been profound in many ways. From Covid related port disruptions, the continuation of the China/Australia Trade war causing long term delays off Chinese ports, to the ramifications of the Suez Canal blockage in March.
Port congestion is yet to let up as we approach the middle of the fourth quarter in the lead up to Christmas. It is no surprise that shipowners and operators are anxious at the prospect of a vessel being caught in congestion, as delays to the movements of goods can often be costly and disruptive. With a total of 2,366,401 TEUs (10% of the live Container fleet) and 181,635,500 DWT (20% of the live Bulker fleet) currently waiting globally, congestion is a major factor influencing vessel availability and rates, as global economies continue to recover this year in the wake of the pandemic. VesselsValue Trade and AIS data allows us to examine some of the major congestion events that have happened so far in 2021 and assess the potential impact as 2022 fast approaches.
Bulker congestion in China (2020/2021) China/Australia coal ban creates long term congestion off China A Chinese ban on importing Australian coal was first rumoured around July 2020, as China began to promote using domestic coal and alternative sources, as opposed to Australian exports. This caused hundreds of Bulkers from Australia to sit waiting off Chinese ports in a bid to unload their cargo. As a result, during the first six months of 2021, Capesize and Post Panamax vessels performed 17% less Australia to China journeys, carrying 14% less in cargo volume, compared to the same period in 2020. Despite a reduction in trade between Australia and China, many vessels continued their voyages to China, and this resulted in significant numbers of laden Bulkers stranded off Chinese ports, waiting to discharge their cargoes. Figure 1 shows a daily count of vessels en route from Australia, waiting off Chinese ports. As displayed on the chart, there was a significant hike in vessels waiting off China that were likely to be carrying Australian coal between April and August 2020. Capesize, Post Panamax and Panamax types made up most of the vessels waiting, and vessel delays remained significant right into Q2 2021 when they began to fall.
Since May this year, the number of Capesize waiting off China has begun to increase again, reaching similar highs to this time last year. Many vessels ended up diverting away from the congested areas in China, to locations such as Japan, India and South Korea, with some performing necessary crew changes after months of waiting. The Topas (92,700 DWT Post Panamax) was one of the longest waiting laden vessels carrying coal from Hay Point (see Figure 2). The vessel spent a total of over 8 months waiting off Jingtang, with a short crew change in South Korea in between anchorage stoppages.
The ban also increased journey cargo miles in the bulk sector, as China sought to source coal from more distant locations, such as South Africa. A year on, the number of bulkers from Australia waiting off China has reduced by around 50% as China turned to accept some of the cargoes, due to their high demand for coal power generation. The China/Australia coal ban is a good reminder of how volatile shipping markets are in relation to geopolitical differences and demand for commodities. When vessels are waiting like this it can be costly for charterers and owners; sale and purchase contracts may already be in place with buyers and the vessel is not accruing maximum earnings whilst sat idle.
Suez Canal congestion (March 2021)
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port congestion
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The Suez Canal blockage lasted nearly a week and caused high levels of congestion as ships queued, waiting to pass the major transit The Suez Canal blockage happened back in March 2021, causing global disruption, when the Ever Given ULCV became wedged and vessels were not able to pass through one of the world’s key shipping transit zones. The blockage caused a tailback of vessels waiting to traverse at both the Southern entrance (Red Sea) and the Northern entrance (Mediterranean) of the Suez Canal, lasting 6 days in total, but the ramifications of the congestion carried on well into the second quarter of 2021. On the 26th March, three days after the vessel first became stuck, the count of vessels waiting already totalled 169. Figure 3 (overleaf) shows the count of vessels waiting, split by sector and location. Out of these vessels waiting, bulkers and containers were most affected. On 29th March, when salvage teams finally managed to free the vessel, the count of vessels waiting rose 77%, to more than 300 vessels in total. When comparing the average number of vessels waiting per day in 2020 with vessels waiting on the 29th March 2021, the increase was a significant 253%.
Figure 1: Daily count of vessels en route from Australia, waiting off Chinese ports.
Figure 2: Topas (Post Panamax BC) recent stoppages.
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port congestion
There was global disruption when the Ever Given became wedged in the Suez Canal.
Figure 3: Count of vessels waiting to Transit the Suez Canal on 26th March 2021, split by location.
Figure 4: Daily Container vessels waiting off Chinese ports.
Figure 5: Vessels anchored off LB/LA (yellow) and vessels drifting off LB/LA (white) on 25th October 2021.
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This weeklong bottleneck caused vessels to seek alternative routes and divert around the Cape of Good Hope, taking an additional 8 days on average for a ULCV Container, costing extra time and fuel. Despite this, many vessels continued to travel towards the blockage, increasing the time it took for the canal to clear once the Ever Given was freed. On 31st March, two days after vessels started to move through the canal again, over 50% of the original congestion had cleared. The queues for the Suez Canal at this time caused knock on effects at destination ports, as congestion shifted from the canal to the onward destination ports such as Rotterdam in Northwest Europe. Container congestion (2021 and ongoing) Ongoing Covid impacts and bad weather intensifies container congestion in China The containership market has been under immense pressure over the past year. Bad weather and increasing spending, due to Covid-19 related pent up consumer demand, have contributed to Chinese terminal lockdowns and logistical port challenges. This has resulted in the record high levels of container congestion, from manufacturing hubs in China to import gateways in the US and Northwest Europe. Figure 4 shows a year-on-year comparison of container vessels waiting off Chinese ports, back to pre Covid-19 2019 levels. When comparing levels of container congestion across China, 2021 started at similar levels to the previous two years, with the count of vessels waiting averaging just 88 per day between January and April. However, over the past six months, there has been a significant increase in the count of vessels waiting and numbers are still higher than they were at the beginning of the year. Congestion began to worsen this year in May at Yantian port, following a rise in Covid-19 cases, resulting in China taking extra precautionary measures in ports. Further Covid-19 related terminal closures happened in China as the Ningbo container terminal was closed for a full two weeks after an outbreak in August. Levels of congestion in China peaked at the end of July at 361 vessels, as typhoon In-Fa struck East China, restricting access into major ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo. With vessels unable to safely enter a port, queues built up and caused further disruptions to schedules. Since then, over the past three months, we have seen container congestion gradually decrease in China, but there are still
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US West Coast ports: levels of congestion at Long Beach and Los Angeles remain at record highs Levels of congestion have also risen at import destination ports, especially off the Californian ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, as Containers waiting have continued to rise significantly since July 2021. Record high vessel counts are still waiting to unload, from Handy Containers up to ULCVs, and with the anchorages full, vessels are forced to drift further off port. There are currently around 75 vessels (see Figure 5) still delayed, which is almost 20% more than were waiting one month ago, and over 100% more than were waiting two months ago. Congestion off the port is yet to show any signs of easing and is contributing to the lack of vessel capacity that we are currently seeing globally, putting pressure on ever tightening rates. In October, Post Panamax rates have reached a staggering USD130,000 per day, over a 300% increase compared to this time last year. Most vessels waiting have travelled on the Transpacific leg from Asian manufacturing ports, with some having left over a month ago. The Zhong Gu Jiang Su (4,860 TEUs) is the longest waiting vessel (25 Oct 2021), having arrived on 13th September after leaving Qingdao, China, on 29th August this year. The average waiting time that was just over 6 days a month ago, has now risen to over 8 days. During periods of high congestion, ports are utilising as many terminals and berths as possible to maximise throughput, but this can often add further pressure on port operations and increase port call durations, causing waiting times to increase further. The ports are still struggling to keep up with the throughput, forcing them to operate 24 hours a day to clear backlogs of container boxes. Ports are also de prioritising returning empty containers back to Asia, with many import ports having storage yards full of empties. This means origin ports are lacking containers to refill with goods, causing further delays and increased costs.
Onward supply chain issues are also contributing to the port congestion, with truck drivers unable to clear the sheer number of containers in the port and delays in moving containers from storage yards. With 40% of containerised goods entering the US through Long Beach/Los Angeles, these hold ups are significant to US imports. This congestion is expected to remain for a while, with 46 more container vessels currently en route to reach Long Beach/Los Angeles in the next two weeks. UK: Felixstowe port starts to feel the pressure Delays are being seen more recently in the UK as well, as retailers aim to fill shelves in time for Christmas. Much like US West Coast ports, the majority of containerships into the UK are transporting manufactured goods from export hubs in China, ranging from toys, fitness equipment, electricals and clothing to frozen food, with 40% of the UK’s containerised imports moving through Felixstowe alone.
“
Felixstowe has received around 45% less containerships this month compared to the same period in 2020, and around 50% less than the same period in 2019.
This suggests the port is struggling with turnaround times, as a severe shortage of HGV drivers and terminal congestion means containerised goods are not leaving port quickly enough to clear space for a steady flow of new containers.
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around 180 vessels, a total of 936,073 TEUs, waiting off China (22 Oct 2021). Half of which are concentrated in the East China Sea, around Shanghai/Ningbo, the other half concentrated in the South China Sea, off Hong Kong/Shenzhen.
Some shipping lines are diverting ships to other European ports to avoid the Felixstowe bottleneck and keep vessels moving. Marchen Maersk (18,340 TEUs) was sailing en route from Tanger Med, changing course from Felixstowe to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on the 13th October in a bid for a faster discharge. Things that take longer tend to cost more, so being forced to make decisions to change vessel itineraries and getting held up in congested ports can be costly for shipping lines.
container
These factors are causing more and more issues for retailers and consumers, with multiple reports of goods being held up in later stages of supply chains, threatening Christmas and Thanksgiving deliveries during the busiest period of the year. Retailers make the biggest proportion of the sales at this time of year, so if retailers struggle to source enough stock and profit margins lessen, we could see the price trickle back to the consumer. We may also see an increase in the use of alternative modes of transport to get products in stores, such as rail and air freight, although distribution issues are simultaneously impacting most parts of the supply chain. Summary There have been several standout events so far this year that have resulted in shipping sectors becoming subject to congestion. Some were relatively short lived, such as the disruption from the Suez Canal blockage, others have been more prolonged, such as the China/Australia coal ban which has spanned over a year. As with many industries, Covid-19 has also had pronounced impacts on shipping congestion globally so far this year. After the container sector came to almost a standstill last summer, pent up consumer demand and stimulus spending implemented in some economies caused a resurgence in the need for container shipping globally, at a fast pace. Asian Container terminals have battled with ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, limiting the flow of exports at times, and import hubs have been forced to quickly react to levels of congestion never seen before. Port congestion has not only played a part in influencing vessel rates but has also had knock on impacts further down supply chains, as transportation links struggle to keep up with bottlenecks and throughput. It may be that we see a lull in demand in the New Year, with the Christmas period ending and Chinese New Year. This could ease congestion slightly, although with the high number of vessels still waiting, it’s likely the backlog of vessels will extend at least into the second quarter of 2022. With a reduction in available capacity on the water and staggering numbers of newbuild orders this year (570% higher than orders back in 2019), we have seen container rates climb to record highs, with current congestion supporting the incline. We wait with bated breath to see how the situation plays out...
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bulk
inland waterways
US Corn Belt Ports enabling waterborne commerce Gordon Feller reports...
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he US inland waterways system includes 12,000 miles of commercially navigable channels and some 240 lock sites. America’s inland marine highways move commerce to and from 28 states, serve industrial and agricultural centres, and facilitate imports and exports at gateway ports. This extensive infrastructure helps barge transportation move the products used every day - the underpinnings of the US economy. Barges are ideal for hauling bulk commodities and oversized or overweight equipment, including grain, steel, iron, chemicals, cement, petroleum, coal, aggregates, project cargoes, and containers. In 2019, 514.9 million tonnes of waterborne cargo transited America’s inland waterways, a volume equal to roughly 14% of all intercity freight and valued at USD134.1 billion. The national economy benefits from the cost efficiencies barge transport provides over transport by truck or rail. More than 60% of
the nation’s grain exports move by barge, helping agricultural exports stay competitive in global markets. In fact, more than 22% of domestic petroleum and petroleum products and 20% of the coal used in electricity generation transit inland waterways. All that, at the lowest cost, safest way, and lowest carbon footprint, as barge transport limits road traffic congestion. New inland ports It is therefore no surprise that the US inland ports community has welcomed three new members to their team and each of them are located right in the middle of the country. These three ports are important for many reasons, including two simple facts: the vast region which these ports serve has always had a major impact on US exports, and that region has been one of the important parts of the national economy for many decades. More than 600 miles of inland waterways in this region have been a virtual port shadow zone where no federally recognised ports have existed before. The US Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center recently approved
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three adjacent Principal US Ports in the Tri-State (IL, MO and IA) area above Locks and Dam 26 in the Heart of the Corn Belt. The Illinois Waterway (ILWW) Ports and Terminals, the Mid-America Port Commission (MAPC), and the Mississippi River Ports of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (MRPEIWI) port statistical areas are referred to collectively as the Corn Belt Ports. Together, the three ports include the core of the largest grainproducing and exporting region in the nation. “This approval elevated the visibility of our region as a global origin for waterborne commerce,” says Ray Lees, Planning Programme Manager at the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission based in Peoria, Illinois. These new Federally designated ports on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers will likely individually rank each year as a Top 50 Principal US Port, and collectively they will be the equivalent of the largest inland port in the nation, based on freight tonnage handled, which is anticipated to be at well over 40 million tonnes annually.
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inland waterways
New Orleans barge in operation.
As a result, functioning ports have evolved into extended infrastructure operations, sometimes reaching 200 miles in length. Each of the three Corn Belt Ports are roughly 200 miles long, include roughly 12-15 counties, on US Marine Highway segments (M35 and M55). They are serviced by a series of locks and dams. They are also aligned with existing Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) that are responsible for designing road, rail and barge terminal infrastructure and facilities to maximise the value of this integrated transportation network over large areas. Environment In 1986, Congress designated the Upper Mississippi River System (which consists of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and several important tributaries) as both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant navigation system. It is the only inland river system in the United States to have such a designation. As a result, the Corn Belt Ports have a major environmental component. Ecosystem maintenance and restoration, as well as preserving and improving water quality are an important, routine focus of the Corn Belt Ports. These ports are one of the few ports in the US that have a dedicated Conservation Director in environmental science supporting the effort.
Different kind of port These Corn Belt Ports are a different kind of inland port. First, they are extremely long, linear, narrow multi-modal transportation features; and second, they are both a nationally significant transportation system, and a nationally significant ecosystem. US policy has traditionally defined an inland port as a geographic location, usually identified with a river town or city. Occasionally, a port could also refer to a natural harbour or side channel, or even a wide section of a river with a natural bank or shoreline that was well-suited for loading and unloading ships and boats. In recent years, this traditional way of viewing ports has begun to change. * First, roads and rail lines increasingly intersect with narrow inland rivers and waterways. * Second, large industrial and agricultural terminals, particularly in the US Midwest, are increasingly being built and distributed along narrow waterways outside of cities and towns.
The Corn Belt Ports recruited an experienced environmental scientist that had a strong agriculture background, solid water quality credentials, and someone recognised as a leader in large watersheds and ecosystems to serve as Conservation Director. Dr Anshu Singh plays an important role in ensuring that the Corn Belt Ports support the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of the vital Upper Mississippi River Basin ecosystem. “Interagency integrated water resources management is simply a way of life in the Corn Belt Ports and it is my job to help implement it,” said Dr Singh. Each of the 3 Corn Belt Ports have many similarities, but they also have their unique characteristics. Illinois is often referred to as the “Freight Hub of North America”. The state moves 1.2 billion tonnes of freight valued at USD3 trillion dollars annually. Around 90 million tonnes of freight is moved on 1,118 miles of waterways serving the state. ILWW handles over a third of that (34.4 million tonnes of
bulk
freight in 2019), which is more than is handled at the nearby Port of St Louis. The ILWW Ports and Terminals serve the Illinois River Watershed, which includes nearly half of the state’s agricultural land, and 90% of the state’s population. The ILWW Ports and Terminals are centred on the notable Illinois River cities of Peoria and Ottawa. The ILWW Waterway Ports and Terminals are a critical component of the transportation infrastructure supporting and servicing the nation’s third largest city, Chicago. Illinois accounts for 6% of all US exports and is a top 5 exporting state. Illinois is the top producer and exporter of soybeans in the US and is second only to Iowa in corn production. “We bring in a tremendous amount of fertiliser, and we also ship out a tremendous amount of corn and soybeans,” said Sally Hanley, the Business Assistance Manager at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council. Dan Silverthorn, the Chairman of the Board for Heart of Illinois Regional Port District, says that before the Corn Belt Port was formed, “they don’t know who we are. They don’t know we exist.” This summarises the situation that all three Corn Belt Ports faced prior to Federal approval and ranking in the fall of 2020. MAPC was created largely in response to the devastating 1993 Midwest Flood to support regional economic development and is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It is one of the largest inland ports on the Mississippi River, second only to St Louis, and is the northern most all-season port on the Mississippi. It handled 12 million tonnes of freight in 2019 and is associated with the historic Mississippi River cities of Quincy, IL and Hannibal, MO. According to Kyle Moore, the President of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, MAPC “gives our region huge economic advantages, and is the fundamental cornerstone of the economy in the MAPC area.” MRPEIWI is centered on the Quad Cities (Davenport is the largest city) and includes the Upper Mississippi River Port City of Dubuque in the northeastern part of the state. The Iowa side of the river alone routinely handles over 10 million tonnes of freight each year. Corn has been the top crop in Iowa for more than 150 years running and the state is regarded as the best place on the planet to grow corn. Iowa is first in the nation
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inland waterways New construction will be needed for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Programme (NESP). The programme was authorised for construction by Congress in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). But, the programme has stalled, and after 14 years, construction still has not begun. NESP includes construction of seven 1,200-foot locks at the most congested locations. Congress further authorised smaller-scale navigation efficiency improvements that will provide immediate benefits upon their implementation. NESP’s authorisation includes USD1.948 billion for seven new locks and USD256 million for small-scale navigation efficiency measures. NESP’s authorisation also includes USD1.717 billion for a 15-year effort to restore the river’s ecological integrity and ability to support fish and wildlife, plus USD10.42 million annually for aquatic habitat monitoring.
US inland waterways system (courtesy USACE).
in corn exports (USD1.58 billion) and feed grain exports (USD1.22 billion). The state is second to Illinois in soybean exports (USD3.05 billion) and, in an average year, Iowa produces more corn than most counties and three times as much corn as the country of Mexico. All indications are that the Corn Belt Ports will continue to grow in value to both US waterborne commerce, and to the national and global economies. A recent Illinois Marine Transportation System Planning Study points to steady increases in freight tonnage in the Tri-State (IL, MO and IA) area above Locks and Dam 26 in the Heart of the Corn Belt. The regional identity and unity of the Corn Belt and its ports and terminals will be very important to effectively compete as a regional entity for Federal recognition and resources, and market the region to a wide range of investors, businesses, and trading partners. The State of Louisiana is the Corn Belt Ports’ largest trading partner, and that relationship will be a very important one moving forward. The Corn Belt Ports consist of 40 riverfront counties, a dozen regional planning agencies, 11 city and county ports, and parts of 3 states. These were roughly equally divided into three 200-mile port statistical areas without creating any new governance bodies. A Corn Belt Ports coordinating team was formed, with a focus on attracting direct and indirect investment, promoting and marketing commercial use, economic development, and ensuring environmental sustainability of the region.
Chris Smith, the Operations Director for the Corn Belt Ports, who grew up in Chillicothe on the Illinois River stated, “My primary focus is keeping the Corn Belt Ports team together as a single regional, economic and resource identity. That is what will be needed for the Corn Belt Ports to achieve full regional multi-modal transportation infrastructure potential.” Port investments Robert Sinkler, Senior Advisor at environmental permitting firm Dawson & Associates, the Water Resources Infrastructure Director for the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District, and the Executive Coordinating Director for the Corn Belt Ports, said at the very start of this initiative: “You can’t invest in a port that doesn’t exist. We have no choice but to create the Corn Belt Ports.” Investment opportunities generally fall within two major categories for the Corn Belt Ports. First is the waterway itself, involving the navigation channel and locks and dams; and second, the literally hundreds of micro multi-modal transportation facilities serviced by road, rail, waterways and frequently by air along the narrow river corridors. The Corn Belt Ports existing infrastructure is well beyond its 50-year design life. Aggressive annual operations and maintenance for the existing infrastructure, routine rehabilitation of exiting locks and dams every 10-15 years to keep them operational, and new construction will all be required to ensure the Corn Belt Ports have reliable access to global markets.
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Andrew Goodall is the NESP Regional Programme Manager working out of the US Army Corps of Engineers office in Rock Island, Illinois. He says that upon receipt of the construction new start, NESP is ready to move into the construction phase focusing on Lock 25 in the MPAC area, a project that will modify the existing lock wall to prepare it for the future and will take 3-5 years to construct. Additional projects include the Lock 14 mooring cell in the MRPEIWI area, and Moore’s Towhead systemic mitigation the MAPC area. Investing in the hundreds of micro multi-modal transportation facilities serviced by road, rail, waterways and frequently by air along the narrow river corridors of the Corn Belt Ports, has traditionally fallen upon private businesses, the counties, and the cities and small towns along the waterway. The recent Illinois Marine Transportation System Planning Study found that nearly one third of the terminals fell outside of a state recognised county or city port district. The Corn Belt Ports help correct that, and will work to provide opportunities for additional investment to these micro multi-modal transportation facilities. In the Spring of 2019, the “Rebuild Illinois Capital Bill” appropriated USD150 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation for the Illinois Port Capital Investment Grant Programme which is a great start to meeting the needs of the Corn Belt Ports.
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emission-free shipping
engineering
Copyright Yara International ASA
World’s first fully emission-free container ship Sheila Moloney reports…
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he world’s first electric and self-propelled container ship - Yara Birkeland - recently departed for its maiden voyage in the Oslo fjord. The vessel, which has already received wide coverage in Norwegian and international media, has been developed in collaboration with the Kongsberg Group (KONGSBERG). The ship was built by VARD with financial support from Enova, and will be in commercial operation from 2022. “We are proud to be able to showcase the world’s first fully electric and self-propelled container ship. It will cut 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40,000 trips by diesel-powered trucks a year, exclaims Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara. In recent weeks the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Bjørnar Skjæran were welcomed aboard Yara Birkeland, after the ship had completed its maiden voyage to Oslo.
“We have been looking forward to this day for a long time. The Yara Birkeland will transport mineral fertiliser between Porsgrunn and Brevik and will contribute to significant emission cuts during transport. This an excellent example of green transition in practice, and we hope this ship will be the start of a new type of emission-free container ships. There are a lot of places in the world with congested roads that will benefit from a high-tech solution like this,” said Holsether. Now begins a two-year testing period of the technology that will make the ship self-propelled, and finally certified as an autonomous, all-electric container ship.
A shared ambition Yara Birkeland is a collaborative project between several partners, where KONGSBERG is responsible for the development and delivery of all newly developed technology on the ship including the sensors and integration required for remote and autonomous ship operations, in addition to the electric drive, battery and propulsion control systems. The ship will be operated from Maasterlys’ monitoring and operation’s center in Horten. Massterly is a joint venture between KONGSBERG and Wilhelmsen.
Green shipping is the future In parallel with the construction of Yara Birkeland, Yara has initiated the development of green ammonia as an emission-free fuel for shipping, through the newly started Yara Clean Ammonia. “Renewable energy was our starting point in 1905. Now, ammonia can bring us back to our roots. Our large shipping network and existing infrastructure means that ammonia has the potential to become the leading fuel for long-distance shipping globally,” said Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia.
“Norway is a major maritime nation, and other countries look to Norway for green solutions at sea. Yara Birkeland is the result of the extensive knowledge and experience we have available in the Norwegian maritime cluster and industry. The project demonstrates how we have developed world-leading innovation that contributes to the green transition and provides great export opportunities for Norwegian technology and industry,” said Geir Håøy, CEO of the Kongsberg Group.
As the world’s largest producer of fertilisers, Yara relies on ammonia for manufacture, and to help feed an ever-growing population. At the same time, current ammonia production represents 2% of the world’s fossil energy consumption. This corresponds to about 1.2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. “As the world’s largest producer of ammonia, Yara has launched an aggressive plan of international scale, both to remove current emissions and to establish the production of new, clean ammonia,” said Ankarstrand.
Enova, a government enterprise responsible for promotion of renewable energy, has allocated up to NOK 133.5 million to build the world’s first electric and autonomous container ship. “On the way to a low-emission society, transport emissions must come down to almost zero. To achieve that, we need projects that can transform the market - projects that have the potential to pave the way for others and increase the pace of change in their sector. This is exactly what we believe the world’s first autonomous and all-electric container ship will do,” said Nils Kristian Nakstad, CEO, Enova.
Yara Birkeland is a 120 TEU open top autonomous container ship which will sail within 12 nautical miles from the coast, between three ports in southern Norway. This is an exciting step towards the shipping industry’s ambition to become fully environmentally sustainable and achieve net-zero pollution. As stated by Yara on their website: “To deliver on the climate objectives by 2030, we need to do more, faster.” It is encouraging to see the sector making its way towards a green future.
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Worldwide Performance
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port construction
Claire Instone delivers this month’s port construction editorial…
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rom dredging to capital improvement plans, our final port construction article of 2021 gives readers an overview of recent activity relating to port expansion and growth, not just in terms of construction of major new terminals but investments across the supply chain.
Port expansion * Dublin Port has announced the launch of a €400m (approx. £336m) expansion. The 3FM Project will deliver 20% of the port capacity required by 2040 as well as a new bridge across the Liffey. Works will kick off in 2026 with completion cited between 2030 and 2035. The project, which is currently at the pre-planning stage, includes a number of elements such as a new private road to link the north and south port areas (taking HGVs off the public road via a new bridge across the River Liffey), construction of the largest container terminal in the country with an annual capacity of 612,000 TEUs, redevelopment of the existing blue container terminal to create a new Ro-Ro freight terminal in its place, and creation of a 325m-diameter ship turning circle. Dublin Port will have invested around €1.6 billion over a 30-year period from 2010 to 2040. * With the aim of supporting the UK’s supply chain, manufacturing, and renewable energy sectors, Associated British Ports (ABP) plans to develop over 1,000 acres of land. A total of 14 sites at ports including Cardiff, Immingham, Newport, Port Talbot, Southampton, and Hull will be developed for a range of business uses. The company has committed to spending more than £5 million over the next year and a half in order to make the sites ready for development, from obtaining the relevant planning consents to carrying out essential land preparation. “Our ports - with their superb connectivity both domestic and internationally, together with established infrastructure - already play a key role in the UK manufacturing, supply chain and energy sectors,” said Henrik L. Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer for ABP. “This initiative will enable a growing number of businesses to leverage our land, property partnering expertise and power capacity. We believe this can make a significant contribution to the country’s economic vibrancy and supply chain efficiency.”
engineering
Port construction round-up
GES NorthEast render.
Funding and budgets * The Port of Seattle Commission has passed its 2022 Budget and 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan. “Our budget and capital improvement plan reflect a rising recovery from increased activity,” said Steve Metruck, Port of Seattle Executive Director. “More than 80% of the port’s funds come from operating revenue and fees, which began to improve midway through last year. Despite some continued uncertainty, we are in a better position to begin investing in our own capacity after two years of steep cuts and to look more expansively at opportunities we can support in the region.” The port marked major capital milestones in 2021, in particular with the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s planned completion of Terminal 5. In 2022, the port will begin preparing for its next period of record growth for capital projects. The total capital budget for 2022 is USD559.5 million and the five-year Capital Improvement Programme increases to USD4.4 billion. Projects include Terminal 46 North Pier structure replacement, Terminal 91 Berths 6 & 8 redevelopment, Pier 66 shore power, and Terminal 91 uplands development. New facilities * Plaquemines Port - the 13th largest tonnage port in the US - and APM Terminals have announced an operating agreement following a six-month terminal review process setting the stage for a new state-of-the-art deep-water port and supply chain network. A recently released Letter of Intent states APM Terminals will become the operator of the newly planned container and intermodal rail facility. Plaquemines Port and their partners
will manage the financial activities associated with the infrastructure development, investment, and ownership of the port. Located on the Mississippi River just 50 nautical miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the gateway port will enable exporters and importers to utilise the multimodal routing options of rail, truck, inland marine and air. Phase One is expected to last two years and will deliver the capability to accommodate 22,000-TEU class vessels. * Maersk Saudi Arabia is in line to set up the first integrated logistics park at Jeddah Islamic Port. At 205,000sqm, the greenfield facility will offer customers an extensive infrastructure for warehousing and distribution, cold storage, e-commerce and serve as a hub for trans-shipments, petrochemical consolidation, air freight and less than container load cargo. The initiative involves a commitment of USD136 million over a period of 25 years. Maersk will also be investing heavily in renewable energy to power the new facility and eventually achieve carbon-neutrality. “The strategic partnership between the port authority and Maersk is an important step to achieve our ambition for Jeddah Islamic Port to become among the top ten ports in the world by 2030, with the volume of container handling reaching 18 million TEUs,” stated Omar bin Talal Hariri, President, Saudi Ports. * The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has stated that the Lekki Deep Sea Port is due to become operational in the third quarter of 2023. When completed, the facility is cited to be the most modern port in West Africa. The Governor has called upon
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engineering investors to take advantage of the economic incentives attached to the Lekki axis of the state saying: “Multi-billion dollar investments, both foreign and local, are springing up within the zone and axis. The Lekki axis is on the verge of being home to Africa’s biggest oil refinery and it is expected to be operational soon.” * AD Ports Group (ADP) and the Egyptian Group for Multipurpose Terminals (the commercial arm of the Egyptian Ministry of Transportation) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a multipurpose terminal in Safaga Port. Under the agreement, ADP will look into investment opportunities and conduct feasibility and local market studies related to developing and operating the facility, with both parties benefitting from the exchange of expertise and best practices. The MoU aims to support the growth of the Middle East’s industrial and logistics sectors, as well as assist in opening new markets for Egyptian exports via direct maritime routes across the Arabian Gulf, East Asia, and Africa regions. It will also facilitate commercial activities operating within the Golden Triangle and Upper Egypt and will elevate the country’s ability to compete with other nations that manufacture similar industrial products. The strategic location of Safaga Port on the Red Sea holds great potential to create a significant role within the global supply chain. * Global Energy Storage (GES) has announced its first major investment at Europoort in the Port of Rotterdam. Launched in May of this year, GES is buying an interest in part of the assets of the Stargate Terminal from Gunvor Group and will develop more than 20 hectares. The site includes significant waterfront with deep water access, brownfield development opportunities and potential greenfield development sites. The company’s plans include the development of a new multi-purpose seagoing jetty, as well as developing myriad other infrastructure. The deal has been formally approved by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Dredging news * Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has been awarded a USD92.5 million dredging contract for the Houston ship channel expansion dubbed “Project 11”. This is the first phase of the extensive billion-dollar widening and deepening initiative. Dredging is set to start in the first quarter of 2022 with completion due by the end of the year. The works will
port construction involve dredging 11½-miles of the channel and widening a major portion of the Galveston Bay reach from 530 to 700 feet. The project will enable the port to accommodate bigger vessels which will be crucial going forward based on the fact that although the amount of ships that traversed the waterway from 2013 to 2019 only grew 1%, the size of the vessels grew a staggering 27%. Back in August, Port Houston signed an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers for the project with a faster timeline than is typical for such major work so that it could be finished by 2025. * The newest and largest dredger of the Suez Canal Authority, the Hussein Tantawy, has joined the project to expand and deepen the southern area of the Suez Canal from 132km to 162km. So far, nearly five million cubic meters of water saturated sand has been removed since the beginning of work in mid-May. The Hussein Tantawy will be joined by dredger Mohab Mameesh after she completes work assigned to her in one of the major national projects in East Port Said Port. * Klaipeda Seaport is set to benefit from an additional 10 million euros of EU funds for dredging works for both its external and internal navigation channel. Once the project is implemented, the depth of the external channel will be increased to 16m (currently 15.5m), while the internal navigation channel will be made 15.5m. “In the context of the current geopolitical challenges, it is extremely important to increase the competitiveness of Klaipeda Seaport and continue its expansion,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis.The project is estimated to cost around 46.8 million euros. The channel dredging works should be complete in the spring of 2023. Intermodal and rail * The Port of Barcelona and the city councils of Barcelona and El Prat have released a progress report on the Urban Master Plan (UMP) for the new Intermodal Logistics Terminal. The document will guide the upcoming rail expansion in the southern area of the Port of Barcelona which boasts a ferroutage terminal, a reception and shipment terminal and a loading and unloading terminal, all located in the former bed of the Llobregat River, as well as the Nou Llobregat Terminal, a reception and shipment terminal parallel to the current course of the river. The Port of Barcelona is investing in rail due to its efficiency
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and competitiveness. In the last 10 years, the port's intermodal strategy has meant 2.8 million fewer truck journeys. In 2020, rail traffic in the port area kept 175,000 trucks off the road, meaning 42,700 fewer tonnes of CO2 were released and 14 million fewer litres of fuel burned. The infrastructure envisioned in the UMP, together with existing infrastructure nearby, will form a very powerful, 68 ha six-terminal rail node to serve the Port of Barcelona and the surrounding area. The new intermodal hub is expected to make it possible to move around 400,000 containers and 46,000 semi-trailers from road to rail every year. * The Port of Virginia is investing in an expansion of its double-stack, on-dock rail operation. When complete the additional capacity will allow the port to handle 1.1 million containers a year via rail - doubling the size of the Central Rail Yard at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). The Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the project’s USD61.5 million construction bid with the work to be carried out by Allan Myers Virginia, the same company that handled the optimisation projects at NIT and Virginia International Gateway. The work begins in February 2022 and will be complete in late 2023. Moreover, the board approved the go-ahead on a USD18 million contract with Konecranes for up to three cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes and their support systems. The completion of the rail expansion project is timed to support opening of the port’s deeper and wider commercial ship channel. Opting out * India’s Adani Ports has announced it will divest from the Ahlone container port project stating it will complete withdrawal by June of next year despite having already made a USD90 million payment. The Indian port management company is making the move in response to sanctions imposed on junta-controlled companies by the US and UK governments, taking the decision following a review of the situation by its risk management committee. The project to build a container port in Yangon Ahlone Township was a joint-venture with military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). According to reports, the contract to build the port under a Build, Operate, and Transfer agreement was signed back in May 2019, since which a total of around USD151 million has been invested.
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