APM Terminals Rotterdam, one of the busiest container terminals in Europe’s largest container port, was cited by the JOC Group as the productivity leader among Europe’s container facilities for the first half of 2014, with 102 crane moves per hour (as measured by total moves per hour with a vessel alongside).
The award for First Place in Productivity among European container terminals was presented at the JOC Europe Port Performance Conference during a special awards section of the two-day industry event. NTB North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven, also part of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network and in which APM Terminals holds a 50% ownership share, received the award for second place, with a productivity rating of 97 MPH during the first six months of the year.
“This achievement of APM Terminals Rotterdam as the most productive terminal of Europe is the result of a strong, dedicated partnership with our shipping line customers and a laser-focused, unrelenting campaign for continuous improvement in every aspect of our terminal activities,” said the facility’s Director of Operations, Rob Sponselee.
The JOC Group compiles productivity data representing vessel calls at 483 ports and 771 terminals worldwide for annual and semi-annual industry productivity rankings. APM Terminals Rotterdam’s productivity performance has improved from the 99 moves per hour recorded last July in the full-year 2013 JOC Productivity Study.
APM Terminals Rotterdam, in The Netherlands, handled 2.28 million TEUs in 2013, while NTB North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven, in Germany, handled 3.4 million TEUs. NTB North Sea Bremerhaven improved productivity as well from 90 MPH as determined by the 2013 JOC study. Also appearing in the European productivity rankings was APM Terminals Algeciras, which ranked 5th with 81 MPH, tied with ECT Rotterdam. APM Terminals Algeciras had a throughput of 3.1 million TEUs in 2013.
In terms of the highest productivity port in the world, the world’s productivity leader for the first half of 2014 remained APM Terminals Yokohama, registering 180 MPH. The Port of Salalah, which is operated by APM Terminals, in which APM Terminals holds a 30% minority share, ranked 4th in the Middle East with 99 MPH. Other members of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network included among the industry’s regional productivity leaders for the period include APM Terminals Port Elizabeth (New Jersey), which led all US terminals with 82 MPH, and APM Terminals Houston, ranking 3rd in the US with 68 MPH.
…begins 24/7 landside operations at Maasvlakte II
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II has begun landside operations in Rotterdam, capable of operating 24 hours a day.
The move brings new inland transportation capacity online in the form of 500m of dedicated, 10m-deep barge quay area, equipped with two dedicated quay cranes, in operation 24/7.
Transportation infrastructure also includes a dedicated on-dock railyard, designed to increase the volume of cargo carried inland by rail from the 15% handled currently across the whole port. Rail services from the port are set to increase from three to 10 in 2015.
The first main line vessel is due to arrive at Maasvlakte II in December, with a regular service beginning in February 2015. The terminal will be able to handle up to 2.7m teu with its 1,000 m of deepwater quay and eight super-post panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.
“With this new, advanced terminal design and operating concept, we believe the landside operation is as important to the terminal’s operations as the seaside; efficient, seamless movement across all modalities is a critical success factor for our customers”, said APM Terminals Maasvlakte II md Frank Tazelaar.
The new transportation infrastructure will be a boon for congestion-hit Rotterdam, which earlier in the year unveiled measures to free up quay wall at its biggest container terminals.
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