Unshakeable tenacity in uncertain times

Our Januar y/Februar y issue kicks off 2023 with a bang delving straight into the latest developments and insights from across the por t industr y - from the future of OCR to trends in the por ts of Benelux and Mexico.

After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth oppor tunities and that’s what operators and por t authorities are striving to provide This is the focus in our first por t construction round-up of the year provided by myself Turn to page 42 to find out more about the projects underway to expand and improve infrastructure and create brand new best-in-class facilities.

One por t in par ticular that is ‘moving up a gear ’ is the Por t of Manzanillo The Pacific’s biggest por t is leading the way in terms of expansion and redevelopment, as are many other Mexican por ts as Gordon Feller discovers on page 18.

The por ts of the Benelux are also under the microscope in our inaugural 2023 issue WPD brings readers an insight into how maritime facilities in this region have kept throughput performance stable despite difficulties of the war in Ukraine , sanctions against Russia, and the changes in global energ y flows

As always, the industr y must not only focus on how to get bigger, but how to do this in a manner which is environmentally-friendly Creating global momentum for sustainable shipping is a topic this month’s issue hones in on as we detail the highlights from WPC AP’s latest meeting of por ts for sustainable shipping on page 20.

As promised, as par t of our Jan/Feb offering, we proffer up the latest on the OCR market. We are delighted to welcome editorial on how to improve quayside KPIs from Visy Oy as well as an ar ticle from Cer tus Automation explaining how OCR is more than just data alone See pages 26, and 32, respectively

Email: info@worldportdevelopment.com

If you are interested in the latest in innovation then look no further than page 38 which offers up a detailed look at a proposed floating container transfer/offshore wind turbine fabrication and assembly terminal as delivered by Reece Shaw of Burns & McDonnell

In our market round-up section this edition of WPD delves into the future trends and challenges for the stacker/reclaimer industr y, while Thomas Francis examines the most recent news from the straddle carrier market

Claire Instone Editor

EUROGATE Group and Konecranes celebrate 53 years and 530 SCs

EUROGATE Group and Konecranes celebrate 53 years and 530 SCs

One sign of a successful human relationship is how long it lasts

The relationship between the EUROGATE Group and Konecranes goes back to 1970, when the Konecranes straddle carrier factor y in Germany delivered EUROGATE’s first straddle carriers to the Por t of Hamburg. Since then, 530 Konecranes Noell Straddle Carriers have been delivered to the EUROGATE Group, which has grown steadily over the years to become indispensable to European container traffic In 2022 many straddle carriers of the Konecranes Noell hybrid type NSC 644 EHY were delivered to EUROGATE’s German container terminals. This type stacks 1-over-3 with Konecranes Noell twin-lift spreaders NTS 62 F. For EUROGATE it was of paramount impor tance to advance decarbonisation in connection with efficiency goals With the new machines, emissions can be reduced by up to 30% or approximately 80 tons of CO2 per year compared to the CO2 emissions of the existing straddle carriers The hybrid Konecranes Noell Straddle Carrier NSC 644 EHY carries on the tradition of the diesel-electric straddle carrier with a downsized power train/genset. It uses a batter y pack instead of brake resistors, giving uncompromised performance in comparison with diesel-driven machines The relationship with EUROGATE is an excellent example of Ecolifting, Konecranes’ continuous work to decrease the carbon footprints of its customers

Imaginative solutions drive environmental goals

Imaginative initiatives will drive the Por t of Long Beach’s goal to become the world’s first zero-emissions seapor t, Executive Director Mario Cordero said during the first in-person State of the Port address since 2020 Cordero committed to supporting state and federal efforts to increase renewable energ y sources as he declared 2023 as the “Year of Imagination ” Among the innovative projects planned, Cordero announced the por t’s bid to assemble and manufacture offshore wind turbines that will increase the state’s supply of renewable energ y and reduce greenhouse gas emissions The por t is also establishing a Zero Emissions, Energy Resilient Operations Programme to invest in projects aimed at reducing the impacts of operations and improving air quality

NWSA has record-breaking year for breakbulk

At 342,351 metric tons, 2022 was a record-breaking year for breakbulk cargo handled at NWSA-operated breakbulk terminals. Across all facilities, breakbulk cargo volumes grew 30 7% for 478,455 metric tons in 2022 Auto volumes were 172,979 units, up 6 5% over 2021 In other news, Washington United Terminals (WUT) will be receiving two additional super post-Panamax cranes in the second quarter of 2023 These new ZPMC cranes will boast a 24-wide container row reach, a lift above crane rail of 175 feet, and a lift capacity of 65 long-tons using a spreader and 100 long-tons with a cargo beam The cranes are due to be operational in mid-July following a commissioning period This investment will fur ther expand WUT’s capability to handle larger vessels

CEDA releases new findings on energ y efficiency

The quest to improve the energ y efficiency of dredging projects and equipment has been a constant goal within the industr y, par ticularly as fuel prices rise and the IMO’s greenhouse gas emissions strategy comes under revision this year. The CEDA working group on energy efficiency (WGEE) has released an information paper about ‘ energ y efficiency considerations for dredging projects and equipment’ aimed at raising awareness and suppor ting informed decision-making by members. The paper promotes sustainable and cost-effective measures in suppor t of energ y efficiency Through the exploration of concepts such as the life-cycle of infrastructure projects, alternative fuels, and technical improvements, the paper determines that for energ y efficiency to be sustainable , it needs to factor in both environmental practices and the economy This creates a business case for owners of dredging equipment to be early adopters of new technologies for their fleet to keep pace with market trends The authors argue that investing in new technology to optimise energ y efficiency can help reduce inefficiencies within operational procedures, ensure regulator y compliance, and reduce costs by using less fuel Thus, dredging companies making these investments will see benefits The paper also highlights the impor tance of reducing a dredging project’s impact on air quality (local) and climate (global)

To implement this, managers must take into account the phases of life-cycle infrastructure projects to address energy efficiency of dredging campaigns

DP World repor ts ahead of market volume growth

DP World Limited handled 79 0 million TEUs across its global portfolio of container terminals in full year 2022, with gross container volumes increasing by 1 4% year-on-year on a repor ted basis and up 2 8% on a like-for-like basis On a Q4 2022 basis, DP World handled 19 5m TEUs, up 2.4% on a like-for-like basis. 2022 gross volume growth was broad based with Asia Pacific , Middle East & Africa, Australia, and Americas regions all delivering like-for-like growth At an asset level, Jebel Ali (UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Angola (Angola), Sokhna (Eg ypt), London Gateway (UK), Constanta (Romania), Caucedo (Dominican Republic), Posorja (Ecuador), DP World Santos (Brazil) and all DP’s por ts in Australia (Brisbane , Sydney, Fremantle and Melbourne) delivered a solid performance . Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, commented: “We are delighted to repor t another solid volume performance with like-for-like growth of 2 8% in 2022, which is once again ahead of industr y forecast of a marginal decline of -0 5% This outperformance continues to demonstrate that we are in the right locations and our strategy to offer integrated supply chain solutions to beneficial cargo owners is bearing fruit As expected, growth rates moderated in the final quar ter of 2022 due to the more challenging economic environment Looking ahead to 2023, we expect our por tfolio to continue to deliver growth, but the outlook remains somewhat uncer tain due to rising inflation, higher interest rates and geopolitical uncer tainty ”

Increased freight volumes at the Por t of Gothenburg

The strained situation in the global transport system that has prevailed over the year has been managed well at the Por t of Gothenburg

The por t has also increased the freight volume handled in total, and is also winning market shares in all segments. Container handling via the por t continues to increase The final quar ter of 2022 saw an increase of 8%, which means the por t is seeing growth in container volume for the ninth successive quar ter. Around 885,000 TEUs were handled at Gothenburg in the full year 2022, an increase of 7% Most of the port’s container volumes are handled by the terminal operator APM Terminals

ICTSI outlines its vision for Australia’s biggest por t

ICTSI has outlined a significant proposal for the expansion of the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), its 100 percent owned subsidiar y in the Por t of Melbourne , Australia. The proposal would increase efficiencies and pave the way for larger ships to ber th ICTSI could invest over AUD500 million (approx USD343m) in addition to the more than AUD700 million (approx. USD480m) it has already invested in Victoria since the establishment of VICT in 2014 Under the proposal, ICTSI would under take a phased development of the Webb Dock North Container Terminal and integrate its operations with VICT The development would increase VICT’s capacity to 3.7m TEUs.