Ukraine container traffic: considerable growth

During the first three quarters of the current year, Ukraine’s harbours increased their aggregate container handling volume by 20.7% year-on-year to 713,440 TEU

The figures come from Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority (USPA), a branch of the country’s Infrastructure Mministry.

For the first time in recent years, export container traffic, at 348,079 TEU (up 19.2%), exceeded imports of 339,034 TEU (up 22.4%). Transit container traffic was up by 18.6% to 26,327 TEU throughout the nine months period.

The so-called Big Odessa ports - Odessa proper, Pivdenny and Chornomorsk - handled most of the business, respectively 65.9%, 20.3% and 13.7% of total throughput.

Odessa’s volume went up by 10.8% to 470,857 TEU, including 232,110 TEU of imports (up 6.5%), 217,937 TEU of exports (up 15.4%) and 20,810 TEU in transit (up 14.4%).

Pivdenny’s throughput soared by 87.8% y/y to 144,985 TEU over the period, comprising 73,042 TEU of imports (up 83.2%), 66,426 TEU of exports (up 98.2%) and 5,517 TEU in transit (up 45.5%).

Chornomorsk handled 97,506 TEU (up 9.9%), including 54,613 TEU of exports (up 0.1%) and 42,893 TEU of imports (up 25.4%).

The traffic is represented by 400,404 containers (+ 19.2%), indicating a high 40ft propensity, while containerised tonnage increased 18.2% year on year to 9.133 Mt.

In 2018, all the Ukrainian seaports handled 846,485 TEU, up 18.7% on 2017.

A major factor behind the recent growth is the launch of new rail container services linking the ports with the country’s key regional centres. (The picture above shows the rail yard at CTO Container Terminal Odessa).

The overall CI is still relatively low, however. In the first three quarters of this year, overall general cargo traffic increased by 6.2% year-on-year to 21.393 Mt. Total (all cargoes) throughput was up by 19% to 114.52 Mt.

Source: WorldCargo News

1M TEU for Bharat Mumbai

PSA’s Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT) handled its one millionth TEU  - and a record number of moves per call (1,868) - during the call of CMA CGM’s BERMUDA on 18 October

A cake-eating ceremony was attended by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Chairman, Shri Sanjay Sethi, IAS; CMA CGM India Managing Director, Ugo Vincent; PSA India Managing Director, Mike Formoso; and management and staff from all three companies and port bodies.

The "million" landmark took place just 20 months since BMCT commenced operations in February 2018. BERMUDA plies the Swahili Express (SWAX) service together with service partners Emirates Shipping Line and Hapag Lloyd, linking Mumbai with East Africa and the Gulf.

BMCT says it has provided SWAX with 100% berth on arrival to date, allowing the service to catch up any delays in the schedule.

A second milestone was also achieved in the call: the highest number of moves of a SWAX call at BMCT to date, totally 1,868 moves. Given the nature of the tradelane, the service also handles large amounts of out-of-gauge and breakbulk cargo, a fast-growing market segment at BMCT, given the facilities and available room to grow for carriers.

Source: WorldCargo News

Antwerp and Zeebrugge in merger talks

Antwerp and Zeebrugge are embarking on formal negotiations for an amalgamation, possibly even a full merger

The two Belgian ports expect the outcome within two years. The merger process follows the positive advice from an audit by tax and accountancy consultants Deloitte Belgium and law firm Laga. Exploratory talks began in early 2018, it has been revealed.

“Their investigations clearly show that our two ports are highly complementary and that we share the same challenges,” Antwerp’s port alderman Annick De Ridder commented. “Together we can become the port of the future faster, by targeting domains like energy transition, innovation and digitisation. We believe that cargo handling, logistics and industry will be better rooted in a united port, making us more of a gateway to Europe than we are now."

Dirk De Fauw, chairman of Zeebrugge port authority (MBZ) noted: “It is the ambition of both port authorities to bring about a future proof A to Z mainport. Mutual trust has gradually grown and, combined with the positive outcome of the investigation, provides the right basis for formal talks.”

Dirk de Fauw. (KW)

Only a very far reaching integration of the two port authorities will deliver the win-win situation sought, Deloitte stressed. The outcome would at least need to feature a holding over the two ports - such as with North Sea Port (Ghent and the ZSP ports of Flushing and Terneuzen) - if not an all-out merger, it is suggested. Perhaps Zeebrugge and Antwerp see a threat from NSP, going forward?

A merger would further cement Antwerp’s position as Europe’s second biggest port, as its annual 235 Mt would be joined by Zeebrugge’s 40 Mt-plus figure. From its location directly on the North Sea, Zeebrugge has a similar nautical potential to Rotterdam’s two Maasvlaktes.

Annick de Ridder.(Gazet van Antwerpen)

Zeebrugge’s key markets include LNG, ro-ro and cars, of which it handles an impressive 2.8M units a year, and containers, with Cosco and CMA CGM as major customers at the 1 M TEU CSP Zeebrugge Terminal. Zeebrugge offers container ships in the 20,000 TEU-plus range even better accessibility than Flushing, where PSA had once planned its Westerschelde Container Terminal, or the Saeftinghedok that Antwerp aims for directly west of its Deurganckdok.

WorldCargo News has no knowledge of whether there are plans to increase Zeebrugge’s deep sea container capacity. Perhaps, in a merged port context, a merger could strengthen the environmental lobby against the plans for Saeftinghedok, which would bulldoze the "global counterculture village" of Doel. The bottom line, however, is that Zeebrugge cannot match Antwerp’s multimodal connectivity for hinterland access. It does not have the same rail infrastructure and barges would need to have sea-going capabilities, increasing the cost of inland waterway distribution along the Rhine Corridor.

Source: WorldCargo News