Tag: logistics|ports|shipping

Imperial Logistics, owned by DP World, has marked 50 years of logistics services and transport operations at the port of Fürth in Germany. The port is a handling centre for construction materials and agricultural goods for well-known companies in the region. Imperial is set to continue its role that started with the arrival of the first goods via the Main-Danube canal, north-west of Fürth, 50 years ago, on 15 July 1972.

The port of Fürth is mainly a handling centre for construction materials and agricultural goods such as granite, sheet metal, timber and fertilisers.

Mohammed Akoojee, Group Chief Operating Officer, Logistics at DP World and Group CEO at Imperial, said: “I would like to congratulate the Imperial team at the port of Fürth on this significant milestone anniversary. The port and our business location have been a reliable partner for 50 years when it comes to handling bulk commodities and steel products on inland waterway vessels, railway wagons and trucks.”

Rashid Abdulla, CEO of DP World Europe, said: “With 50 years of experience in the logistics industry in Europe, it’s clear that Imperial Logistics not only has the skills but also the tenure and track record of being a supply chain leader. As a key part of the DP World Logistics business, Imperial provides comprehensive infrastructure that helps us to create the supply chain solutions that make it faster, cheaper and easier for businesses to get their products to their customers. I congratulate the business and all my colleagues on reaching 50 years at Fürth, and look forward to the next 50 together.”

The business site in Fürth is part of the industrial business, in which Imperial, an integrated provider of logistics and market access services, has combined its services for sectors such as the steel and construction industries as well as engineering and plant construction.

Imperial handled some 160,000 tonnes of different bulk commodities at the port of Fürth last year. Inland waterway services accounted for about 46,000 tonnes of this figure, trucks for more than 95,500 tonnes and the warehouse building, which measures 8,000 sq m, handled more than 18,000 tonnes.

The Port of Tyne has extended its commercial partnership with Nissan to facilitate the import and export of new vehicles for a further five years.

As one of the port’s largest customers and of economic importance to the region, this agreement marks the dawn of a new era for both parties as the move to net zero transportation accelerates.

The Port of Tyne handles 600,000 vehicles per year, making it the country’s second largest car handling port.

Nissan first began producing cars in Sunderland in 1986. Since 1994, the Port of Tyne has played an integral part in transporting Sunderland-built models to over 130 worldwide markets.

The new deal follows Nissan’s EV36Zero announcement last year. Nissan EV36Zero will supercharge Nissan’s drive to carbon neutrality and establish a new 360° solution for zero-emission motoring. The transformational project is comprised of three interconnected initiatives, electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production with Nissan’s battery partner Envision AESC.

This development is closely aligned with the Port of Tyne’s sustainability vision to be net zero by 2030 and all-electric by 2040.

“The Port of Tyne has been an integral part of our supply chain for many years. As it continues to grow as a clean energy and green distribution hub it will continue to play a vital role in Nissan’s vision for a carbon neutral future,” says Michael Simpson, Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Nissan.

“We are incredibly proud to be supporting one of the UK’s biggest car manufacturer and having the opportunity to make a major contribution to the adoption of electric vehicles globally,” commented Matt Beeton, CEO at the Port of Tyne. “This agreement demonstrates Nissan’s long-term commitment to the port and its importance to the wider region.”

 

Neustädter Hafen remains an important hub for breakbulk transports to North America: Norlat Shipping Ltd. AS, headquartered in Sarpsborg, Norway, has announced the launch of a regular service from Bremen to ports on the US East coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. The new service will focus on large breakbulk goods such as forestry and steel products. In its recently published timetable, Norlat Shipping revealed that the first departure from Bremen is scheduled for the beginning of June.

The company, with roots going back to 1907, has been operating for some 30 years with its own and chartered ships mainly from Scandinavia to North Africa and the USA. Apart from its headquarters, the company also has branches in Bergen, Norway and in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For BLG LOGISTICS and Neustädter Hafen, the start of this new service sets an important signal: “Transports to North America have always been the backbone of Bremen’s port operations. We’re delighted with Norlat’s decision to regularly use Neustädter Hafen and offer our established customers a new option. It will massively strengthen our position in this operating area,” says Sven Riekers, Head of Sales for the breakbulk activities of the BLG Group.

Commenting on the move, Thomas Johansen, Senior Chartering Manager at Norlat Shipping, says “Many years of personal experience with the terminal, its workforce and the customers served made this an easy decision. We know the structures at the port and value BLG’s operational competence. These are the best conditions to ensure we’ll be able to offer customers an attractive new service.”

 

DP World will begin work in October 2021 on a new fourth berth at its London Gateway logistics hub to increase supply chain resilience and create more capacity for the world’s largest vessels.

The £300m sum – which builds on the £2bn investment DP World has made in Britain over the last decade – represents the next step by the provider of smart logistics in delivering integrated supply chain solutions for customers.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “I am delighted to announce that we will go ahead with our latest major investment in the UK, which will give London Gateway more capacity to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country.

“As a central pillar of Thames Freeport, London Gateway’s new fourth berth will allow even more customers to benefit from world-class ports and logistics, with unrivalled global connectivity, on the doorstep of Europe’s largest consumer market. DP World plans to be at the heart of Britain’s trading future and this investment shows that we have the ambition and the resources to boost growth, support businesses, create jobs and improve living standards.”

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, was guest of honour at the commercial launch of Thames Freeport at the Savoy Hotel in London. He added: “Our new freeports will create national hubs of trade, innovation and commerce, and attract more investment to regenerate communities and level up the UK.

“Bringing ports and business together to invest in their regions is crucial to the Freeports success story – that’s why I’m thrilled that DP World is investing £300 million to support Thames Freeport – creating new opportunities, boosting growth and supporting local jobs.”

In the first six months of 2021 London Gateway saw record throughput of 888,000 TEU, a more than 23% increase on the previous best performance for the first half of a year. The new fourth berth will raise capacity by one-third and completion will coincide with the delivery of a new wave of 24,000 TEU vessels in 2023/2024, which will all be operated between Asia and Europe.

Along with the Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham plant, DP World London Gateway will form Thames Freeport after being awarded freeport status by the Government earlier this year, with the partners currently progressing the business case with a view to receiving formal accreditation. DP World Southampton has also been awarded freeport status as part of Solent Freeport, further cementing the critical role of both logistics hubs in the UK’s international trade.

The Ever Ace, the world’s largest container ship, has made its maiden call at Port of Felixstowe. Operated by Taiwanese line Evergreen Marine, the 24,000TEU capacity vessel arrived at the UK’s largest container port from Hamburg, having commenced its voyage at Qingdao, China in July.

Commenting on the arrival, Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Ever Ace on its maiden call at the Port of Felixstowe. Our relationship with Evergreen dates back to 1979 when Evergreen launched its first Asia-Europe service. The scale of growth since then has been nothing short of staggering; those first ships had a capacity of just 1,200TEU, one-twentieth of the number the Ever Ace can carry.

“It is particularly fitting that the arrival coincides with the start of London International Shipping Week which promotes the best of the UK maritime sector. The Port of Felixstowe has long been the country’s No.1 container port and we are continuing to invest to secure that position long into the future.”

Work is due to commence in the autumn to increase the depth of the main approach channel into the port. Undertaken by Harwich Haven Authority and due for completion in 18 months, the £120m scheme will increase the depth of the channel from 14.5m to 16.0m below chart datum.

The channel deepening will give Felixstowe unrivalled access for the largest container ships and complements work completed in July to deepen Berth 7 at the port to 16.5m. Further work to deepen Berths 6, 8 & 9 is scheduled for 2022.

The Ever Ace is the first of 12 24,000-teu class container ships ordered by Evergreen. The A-type vessel is 400m in length and 61.5m wide, has a design draft of 14.5m and can cruise at speeds up to 22.6 knots. With a nominal carrying capacity of 23,992 TEU, Ever Ace is one of the largest container ships in the world.

During the first six months of 2021, 120 million tonnes were transhipped through the Port of Antwerp, an increase of 5% compared with the same period last year, despite the impact of the ongoing pandemic. Transhipments with the UK and Ireland also show positive figures; the expanded shortsea connections in response to Brexit are proving effective.

Containers are the only cargo type that has continuously grown since 2014, up by 4.3% in the first half of the year compared to 2020, and by 3.9% compared to 2019 (in tonnes). Conventional breakbulk has grown by 41.2% compared to 2020 and equals the throughput of the first 6 months of 2019. The throughput of iron and steel, the main goods group in this segment, increased by 37.8% due to a peak in the supply of steel. RoRo also did very well in 2021 and increased by 22% compared to the first half of 2020.

Dry bulk transhipment increased by 7.5% but there are fluctuations because some products, such as fertilisers, are seasonal. Liquid bulk grew slightly by 1.2% compared to 2020 but decreased by 6.1% compared to 2019. In May, the volume of fuels was the highest since October last year, while the transhipment of chemicals increased by 8.9% compared to 2020. Demand for chemicals is booming globally due to the recovery in industrial production and is exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

Brexit: growth in declining market

With an annual cargo flow of around 15 million tonnes, the UK is the third-largest maritime trading partner for the Port of Antwerp. The start of Brexit at the beginning of this year therefore created major challenges due to increased administrative complexities and more controls, which resulted in congestion, longer transit times and higher costs. As a result, the flow of goods between the EU and the UK is decreasing. Despite these difficult conditions, however, the Port of Antwerp recorded growth in total throughput of 11.1% with the UK and 12.1% with Ireland in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2020.

In preparation for Brexit, Port of Antwerp put all its efforts into further expanding short sea connections with the UK and Ireland in order to achieve the modal shift from ferry to container transport. Five years after the Brexit referendum, the port of Antwerp is now connected with 12 British and Irish ports. In fact, Irish importers and exporters are increasingly abandoning the land bridge over the UK and are instead opting for a direct maritime connection. This way, cargo remains within the European Union and British customs formalities and duties are bypassed. For example, Eucon, an Irish shipper, has expanded its shortsea sailings from Antwerp to Ireland with an additional ship, mainly between Antwerp and Dublin.

Step towards CO2 reduction

The Antwerp@C consortium is taking important steps forward in the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon port. The feasibility studies have been completed and the consortium is preparing to enter the design phase. The project, an initiative by Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, TotalEnergies, Fluxys and Port of Antwerp, has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the Port of Antwerp by half by 2030. It will do this by capturing CO2 and using it or storing it permanently.

Serge Amorgaste, Sales Manager at Eucon, said: “The strategic location of Antwerp and the reliability and flexibility of the network offered from and to Antwerp, ensure the right transit time to meet the growing demand of our customers. Multimodal transport is the right tool for this door-to-door concept.”

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp: “We knew that Brexit would have major consequences for the transport of goods between Europe and the UK. By preparing ourselves well and focusing on short sea connections and LoLo cargo, we can convert the challenges into opportunities. The positive half-year figures for transhipment with the UK and Ireland confirm this. After Brexit, Antwerp wants more than ever to be the gateway between Europe and the UK and Ireland.”

Annick De Ridder, Port Alderman: “Despite the difficult circumstances in which we started 2021, we can show that the port is holding its own and is once again even recording growth in container handling. The economic urgency for extra container capacity is clearly demonstrated, more than ever. The figures are a confirmation of the resilience of our port and of the flexibility of all employees who ensure that everything keeps running.”