A step forward for Contrecoeur

Montreal’s new box terminal takes a step forward with an MOU with Canada’s infrastructure funding agency.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has announced that it will work with the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) to advance the development of a new container terminal in Contrecoeur, Montreal.

The CIB was set up by the Canadian federal government as an independent Crown corporation to focus on “transformational projects that are revenue-generating and in the public interest”. Its stated priorities include public transit, trade and transportation, green infrastructure and broadband.

The CIB is mandated to use C$35 billion in federal funding to attract private sector and institutional investment. It was not intended to fund whole projects itself, but provide federal support to initiatives that would not proceed if left fully to the market.

A new box terminal at Contrecoeur near Montreal is such a project. The MPA has already announced that it will “work in priority” with its terminal operators, Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership (MGTP) and Termont Montreal Inc., to develop Contrecoeur. However, the project is unlikely to proceed with out significant government funding.

At the same time the Quebec Port Authority (QPA) is pushing to develop a deep water terminal at Quebec City, and is also seeking public funds.

The MOU does not guarantee that federal funding will be forthcoming for Contrecoeur. The MPA’s announcement said that the MOU “confirms that CIB and MPA will work on the financial structuring of the proposed terminal" and that this "could lead to an investment in the project, subject to all standard due diligence and decision making”.

Nevertheless the MPA sees the announcement as a key step in progressing Contrecoeur. "This commitment by the Canada Infrastructure Bank is a key milestone in the progress of our project towards its completion,” said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority. “This collaboration with this new partner confirms the national importance of our project, whose purpose is to support the growth of international trade for Canada."

The Québec Port Authority (QPA), however, believes “that there is a need for a deepwater container terminal in the St.Lawrence to service Québec, Ontario and the Midwest,” and it has partnered with Hutchison Ports and CN rail to develop a new terminal called Laurentia at Quebec City. When that announcement was made the QPA said it was engaged in “ongoing discussions with the federal and provincial governments to complete the financing”, but no details have been made public at this stage.

Both ports will be lobbying for financial funds, and it is unlikely the CIB would invest in two terminals competing for the same business. A terminal at Quebec City would have the advantage of being able to handle significantly bigger vessels as the site has a water depth of 16m, compared to the 11.3m depth in the St Lawrence river channel. However, Montreal is some 200km further inland, closer to the markets Laurentia wants to serve.

From left to right: Rachel Bendayan, member of parliament for Outremont, Pierre Lavallée, President and CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority at the announcement in Montreal.

Source: WorldCargo News

Port of Tallinn opts for automated vacuum mooring

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has been awarded a contract to install its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, at the Old City Harbour at the Port of Tallinn

This is the second contract for automated mooring awarded by the port. Last month Cavotec announced that it has a contract to supply, install and commission two multi-unit MoorMaster automated mooring systems at two ro-pax ferry berths in Tallinn used by vessels operating on the busy route between Tallinn and Helsinki. Cavotec MoorMaster systems have been in use in Helsinki West Harbour since 2016 and in June Cavotec announced a contract for a similar installation from the Port of Turku.

With ferries making frequent and relatively short crossings, minimising mooring time with vacuum mooring technology saves valuable time and makes a major contribution to safety in the ports.

The contracts concern the quays in the Old City Harbour. Cavotec’s contract concerns quays 5 and 8 and Trelleborg’s is at the Quay 13 cruise ferry wharf.

Trelleborg will be installing its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm design. This features two mooring arms that can operate in synch or independently to provide flexible mooring of vessels with varying hull profiles, thus enabling ports to accept a greater range of vessel types. It also has a compact footprint, allowing for installation in limited spaces including between gantry rails and the wharf edge.

Commenting on the Trelleborg award, Peeter Nogu, Chief Infrastructure Development Officer at the Port of Tallinn, said: “Berth 13 will service large cruise ferries from Finnish shipping companies including Viking Line and Eckero Line, on the Tallinn to Helsinki route across the Gulf of Finland, our busiest route. As a result, it was vital that we upgraded the berth to ensure a high vessel throughput. With that in mind, it was essential that the upgrade saw the adoption of automated mooring systems to facilitate quick, safe and reliable mooring operations."

Nogu made another very interesting point. He explained that while the port has opted for vacuum-pad based systems, it also considered newer types of magnetic mooring systems, but concluded that they are still at an early stage of development and usage. "For this reason, the full impact of the electromagnetic waves on either a ship’s electronics or the surrounding environment isn’t yet fully known."

Commenting on the award, Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation, said: “Along with Port of Langnas, Finland, where multiple AutoMoor units are to be installed across two berths, it’s great to see that forward-thinking port operators across the globe are acknowledging the operating benefits of the low power passive damping technology and innovative flexible mooring options that AutoMoor offers end users."

Trelleborg’s AutoMoor solution falls under the Trelleborg’s SmartPort portfolio. SmartPort connects port operations, allowing operators to analyze performance and use data to improve decision making. The system integrates assets like fenders, mooring equipment, ship performance monitoring, and navigation systems, underpinned by cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

The new automated mooring systems from Cavotec and Trelleborg will all be installed by the end of 2020. Each quay will be equipped with six vacuum pads. As the first vessel, Viking Line’s VIKING XPRS will start using the new system in spring 2020, while Tallink’s shuttle ships and Eckerö Line’s vessel can utilise the automated system by the end of the year.

The projects at all three berths come under the TWIN-PORT 3 project, a collaboration between Tallink, Viking Line and Eckerö Line, the ports of Tallinn and Helsinki and the City of Helsinki. It is being co-financed by the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). According to the Port of Tallinn, the total budget for the years 2018-2023 is €61.2M, of which it is investing €15.8M.

Source: WorldCargo News

New agribulk contract for ABP Ayr

ABP Ayr has announced a new multi-year contract with leading Scottish trader of grains and animal feed raw materials, Cefetra Ltd

A number of recent ABP investments in infrastructure and port handling equipment have helped secure this new contract. These include the construction of the port’s new £2.2M Bute agribulk terminal, as well as new cranes and improvements to shoreside infrastructure.

Andrew Mackay [left in picture] CEO Cefetra Ltd, said: “We are pleased to announce that we will be expanding our operations in Scotland by adding the Port of Ayr as a location. This will enable us to offer our customers in the South West of Scotland a local port to source some of their key raw materials.

“We appreciate the effort and commitment that ABP has shown to Scottish Agriculture by agreeing to provide a first-class, purpose-built, facility that meets all the industry standards and that will allow Cefetra to provide the efficient supply of key raw materials to our customers in the South West of Scotland.”

Built by 3b Construction, a Scottish, family-owned company, the new terminal offers 4,000 m2 of storage space.

The new deal will also result in an increase in the volumes of animal feed and foodstuffs passing through the port, which will in turn help support South West Scotland’s growing agricultural sector. Currently, the port supports a growing number of customers from the Scottish agricultural sector and it plays an important role in supporting the region’s economy.

Stuart Cresswell [right in picture], ABP’s Port Manager at Ayr and Troon, said: “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Cefetra with this new deal, which represents one of the most significant developments at the port for many years. The development also helps to cement the growing role that the Port of Ayr has been playing in supporting South West Scotland’s farming community.”

Source: WorldCargo News