PORT GUIDE 2012
DRY BULK Coal makes up some 40% of the annual 46 million tons of dry bulk transhipped in Amsterdam Seaports. The closure of German coal mines in recent years has enabled the dry bulk terminals to expand from 14.7 million tons in 2007 to an estimated 24 million tons by the year 2020. A relatively new mooring facility west of the IJmuiden locks will discharge deep drafting bulk carriers directly to inland barges or coastal bulkers. As soon as a carrier’s draft falls below the 14-metre mark it is allowed to pass the IJmuiden sea locks and head for one of the two major Amsterdam coal terminals, OBA Bulk Terminal and Rietlanden Terminals.
LIQUID BULK Liquid bulk is nearing the 40 million tons per year mark, 90% of which is refined oil products (fuels). Vopak’s new 1.2 million cbm tank farm in the Afrikahaven (Africa harbour) port basin means the total Amsterdam oil product turnover figures will rise in the coming years. December 2011 saw the opening ceremony for the new Hydrocarbon Hotel tank terminal in the port of Amsterdam, a joint project by the Netherlands’ based North Sea Group and UK company Blue Ocean Associates Ltd. With a total capacity of 140,000 cbm, the eleven tanks will be used for exporting and blending petrol and petrol components and biofuels.
OFFSHORE The ports of IJmuiden and Beverwijk serve as a base port for offshore oil and gas production activities in the North Sea. A number of drilling rigs and production platforms are operating offshore. Crude oil produced from the North Sea is moved ashore by a 80 km pipeline to storage tanks in Amsterdam where it is dehydrated and desalinated prior to transportation to the refineries. Jet A1 fuel arrives by inland tanker to Oiltanking Amsterdam, which operates a twenty-kilometre underground pipeline to transport kerosene to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (a clean alternative to barging the jet fuel to the airport through populated areas). Zeehaven IJmuiden NV (the IJmuiden Port Authority) has ample deep water quay space available to accommodate offshore rigs.
different types of fuels that are made from organic (plant and animal) matter. The plant will convert organic waste into 100,000 tons (115 million litres) of sustainable biodiesel and 25 million cbm of biogas. In 2010 the green light was given for a new 200,000 tons biodiesel plant for Vesta Biofuels Amsterdam, which is due to go into production by 2012. Vesta Biofuels will process a wide variety of feedstock, including rape seed oil, processed frying fat and used oil residue from kitchens.
WIND FOR POWER With its abundance of wind, the Netherlands – which has employed windmills for centuries – now uses a steadily growing proportion of wind power to generate electricity. A fine example is the wind turbines in the Port of Amsterdam with an installed capacity of 65 megawatt, equivalent to the electricity needs of 40,000 households.
The number of companies generating sustainable energy in Amsterdam Seaports is growing rapidly. Waste and Energy Company (AEB) generates energy by incinerating waste, 68% of which is biomass. This provides electricity for some 320,000 households.
Two wind energy parks have been built in the North Sea in the vicinity of IJmuiden with a total capacity of 120 megawatts over the last decade. During construction, the IJmondhaven (IJmond harbour) in the port of IJmuiden was used as a supply base for the masts, generator units and rotor blades awaiting shipment to the offshore windmill park location. More offshore wind energy parks are projected and the IJmuiden port will remain an important offshore supply base for this sector.
The new Greenmills plant produces sustainable biofuels and green energy from organic waste products such as frying oil. Biofuels is the collective name for
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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
The 218-metre bulk carrier F.D. Vittorio Raiola at OBA Bulk Terminal in the port of Amsterdam. Photo: Dick van den Berg.
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D e c e m ber 2011
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