World Port Development October 200814

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Claire Palmer reports on the highs andlows of the Spanish ports of Barcelona,Algeciras Bay, Ferrol, Bilbao and Valencia.

2007 container throughput figures for thePort of Barcelona hit 2,610,099 TEU - a double-digit increase of 12.59% on the previousyear, reported at 2,318,239 TEU.The positivegrowth is not expected to end there eitherwith the port anticipating a 5% increase incontainer traffic in 2008.The port operatesfour terminals - Terminal de Contenidors deBarcelona SL (TCB) located on the SouthWharf,Terminal Catalunya SA (TerCat) locatedon the Princep d’Espanya wharf, the Estibadorade Ponent SA Terminal at Adossat wharf andlast but not least,Terminal Port Nou SA situated on the Adossat, Costa and Ponentwharves. Hailed as a leader in maritime foreigntrade in Spain, the port lays claim to being amajor territorial and economic infrastructure,serving as a hub for its many service centres.Equipped with more than 3 000 meters ofberthing line and up to 16-meter draught thePort of Barcelona is able to cater for super-post-panamax vessels, with the container terminals alone operating in 3 berths offeringa total length of 4.065 meters. Equipped with21 quay cranes the container terminals at theport boast an average of 27 crane moves perhour - the highest in the West Mediterranean.Linked by multi-modal transport corridors

and offering efficient rail facilities the port offersclients access to a wide range of handling,transport and logistic services.With a missionto be Europe’s port solution in the Mediterranean,the Port of Barcelona has drafted its StrategicPlan detailing ambitious objectives by theBarcelona Port Authority and the port community to enable Barcelona to become aleading Euro-Mediterranean logistics hub.Currently, investment is being poured intotwo major expansion projects. Firstly, terminaloperators TerCAT-Hutchison have been awardeda 30-year concession for the management ofa new 93-hectare container terminal.Anticipatedto handle more than 2.5 million TEU per year,the terminal will have 1,500 meters of berthingline and a 16.5 meter draught at water level.Initial stages of the development involve thebuilding of the new Prat Wharf that will servicethe new terminal. Secondly, plans are in placefor the enlargement of the Terminal de

Contenidors de Barcelona SL (TCB). Withplans to increase the facility by an additional20.4 hectares, the enlargement will provideTCB with a total surface area of 91.5 hectares.Furthermore, the terminal will take a numberof steps to increase capacity and streamlineservice, including the enlargement of its railterminal, the building of a multi-storey carpark and the development and enlargementof its truck waiting area. Once completed,the increased surface area and improvementmeasures are anticipated to increase total capacity from 1.3 to 2.1 million containers ayear. Further good news came for the Port ofBarcelona this year with the addition of newshipping line customers New World Alliance(a consortium including MOL,APL and Hyundaias operating shipping lines, estimated to bringthe port 40,000 TEU in new cargo),GrandiNavi Veloci and Acciona (a new service connecting Barcelona and Tanger for ro-rotraffic) and a new consortium by ChinaShipping and IRISL, bringing in an additional20,000 TEU per annum.

The Port of Algeciras Bay experienced a 4.8%rise in container throughput figures for 2007with a reported 3.4 million TEU comparedwith 3.2 million the previous year. Figures for2007 reflected an increase in internationaltransits and import container thoughput, withtraffic between the Port of Algeciras and the

going strong

Spanish ports:

Barcelona

Spanish ports:

going strong

Algeciras Bay

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west coast of Africa continuing to rise.Containertraffic for the first half of this year hit 1.4 million TEU, although a decrease of 2% overthe previous year, expectations are that theport will finish 2008 at a similar level to thatof 2007. In terms of tonnage, containerisationfor the first semester of 2008 grew by over1.5 million tonnes, showing a 9% rise, reaching18.6 million. 2007 saw some positive additions tothe port among which was the delivery offive new ship-to-shore cranes, as well as theincorporation of 20 new RTGs at Algeciras’APM Terminal.The cranes, ZPMC (2 units)and IMPSA (3 units), along with the RTGstotaled investment of over Euro 50 million.The new cranes, able to load up to 65 tonsand suitable to work with the world’s largestcontainerships, provide APM Terminals Algeciraswith a total of 20 units at Juan Carlos I Quay.However, the focus for 2007 was not solelyon competitiveness but more importantly theenvironment. Earlier this year in March,APMTerminals Algeciras acquired 4 new ECORTG yard cranes. Manufactured by Chinesecompany Zenhua Port Machinery Company(ZPMC), the cranes will enable the terminalto reduce fuel consumption by 1.2 millionlitres in addition to reducing the carbon footprintby 50%.The new arrivals take the total of

RTGs in operation at Algeciras to 65 making itthe largest RTG terminal in the MediterraneanSea. Faced with the future needs of APM TerminalsAlgeciras, the port plans to invest Euro 13million during the course of 2008 to reinforcethe quay at Juan Carlos I enabling cranes ofup to 2,000 tons in weight to operate. 2007saw positive results for Algeciras with MaerskLine continuing to strengthen links to Northand South America and the west coast ofAfrica, as well as the lines connecting productioncentres in Far and Southeast Asia with NorthEurope.All Maersk “E” Class megacarriers,linking Asia to North Europe, call at AlgecirasBay Port when crossing the Mediterranean.

Other shipping services strengthened lastyear included the Marfret and CMA CGMjoint services connecting the Port of AlgecirasBay with both the Caribbean Sea and theNorth of Brazil. Productivity is set to soarover the coming years following the decisionby the Algeciras Bay Port Authority to investEuro 400 million, 52.2 million of which isfrom the EU Cohesion Fund, in the Isla VerdeExterior expansion project.The Board ofAdministration took the decision to grant alicense to Total Terminal International Algeciras(TTI Algeciras) for the construction andoperation of a third container terminal. Tobe located on the ‘Phase A’ plot of the IslaVerde Exterior expansion area, the concessioncomprises of a 292,910 m2 area, made up ofa 57,990 m2 manoeuvring zone and twoquaylines of 650 meters (east) and 550 meters(north).TTI Algeciras plan to build a semi-automated terminal with quayside cranescontrolled manually and yard cranes operatedremotely.TTI Algeciras, founded by the SouthKorean corporation Hanjin Shipping, forecaststhat business activity should commence atthe new terminal in July of 2010. Once fullyoperational the terminal will be capable ofhandling up to 1,800,000TEU. Continuing thedevelopment of the new Isla Verde Exterioris the addition of the Exempt Breakwater.Now completed, the Exempt Breakwater -located 413 meters east of the quayline witha depth ranging from -28 m (south end) to -43 (north end), is over 2km in length andcost a total of Euro 124 million. Further measureswere taken to improve productivity at the portwith the provision of a new rail link betweenthe Port of Algeciras and Barcelona by AccionaRail.The logistics framework includes a roadlink from Agadir to Tangiers Port, with a crossingof the Strait of Gibraltar by ship to AlgecirasPort where cargo is then taken by train toBarcelona. With a 20 hour transit time, thedaily service is focused on the transportation

of perishable Moroccan export produce. Inaddition, work will take place on the railwayline linking the port of Algeciras with Bobadillaand the rest of Spain, with the SpanishGovernment, through ADIF, investing overEuro 100 million.

Located in the North West of Iberia, the Portof Ferrol benefits from a prime location onthe maritime routes to and from NorthernEurope and has the largest commercial activityof all the ports administrated by the Ferrol-San Cibrao Port Authority. Dominating theestuary of Ferrol the port is accessible throughthe Point Coitelada and Cape Prioriño Chico.Total cargo handled by the Port Authority ofFerrol-San Cibrao was over 11 million tonsin 2007, a figure that is anticipated to hit over13 million tons in 2008.The port of Ferrolhouses a container terminal (Polivalente deFerrol S.L.) offering storage of around 230,493m2, a coal terminal capable of processing5,000,000 tonnes a year, a warehousing &storage facility totalling 25,253 m2 and abiodiesel plant providing storage of up to32.000 m2 and able to process 400,000 tonnesof traffic annually. Earlier this year, the Boardof Directors of the Ferrol-San Cibrao PortAuthority awarded a contract to UTE AccionaInfraestructuras S.A. and Bardera ObrasCiviles y Marítimas S.L. to commence thesecond phase of development work on Ferrol’sexterior port/outer harbour.To be fully operational by 2010 and with an estimatedannual capacity of 1.5 million TEU, the outerharbour will play an important role in containerlogistics in Atlantic Europe enabling the portto cater for large bulk-carriers as well as thelargest of containerships.The project is estimatedto cost Euro 25,189,894 and will double thearea available for esplanades and mooring line,providing up to 1,515 meters of dock. Phaseone of the project saw the addition of 550,000

Ferrol

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m2 of land, mainly dedicated to containers,and 850 meters of quay with 20 meters ofdraught alongside. Phase two,which commencedearlier this year, will add around 350,000 m2

of land to the existing 550,000 as well as afurther 650 meters of quay.Another issue highon the priority list is port security. To ensuresecurity and safety measures are met the boardof directors have approved representativesfor its Advisory Committee for Port Protection.The committee’s 12 members will provideadvice on procedures and guidelines to beimplemented at the port to improve security.With ambitious plans for expansion anddevelopment already in motion, the port authorityis optimistic for the future of Ferrol.“Theseconditions are certain to rank us as one of theport platforms on the Atlantic,” commentedPort Chairman,Amable Dopico.

2007 was a record year for the port of Bilbaotopping the 40-million tonne mark for thefirst time in its history, with the new high

representing a 4% increase over the previousyear.There were positive performances acrossthe board with record results in containers,general cargo and liquid bulks.The number ofTEU handled grew by 6% to 554,557 units withtraffic to the European Atlantic representing41% of total container trade. General cargo,among which iron and steel reported outstandingresults, experienced the biggest growth, increasingby 6% equalling 3.98 million tonnes, of whichthe majority was accounted for by trade withChina.Traffics in solid bulk, the principal goodsof which were coal, coke, scrap, soy beans and powder, rose by 6% hitting 5.83 milliontonnes. In terms of liquid bulk, the main contributor of which was crude oil, reportedtraffic at 22.68 million tonnes, equating to a2% rise. Overall, traffic with the EuropeanAtlantic increased by 3% making up almosthalf of the total traffic in the Port of Bilbao.In dry cargo, the United Kingdom is still theport’s main international market, followed byRussia and the Netherlands.Traffic to the

t

transoceanic Asian markets reported healthyfigures with China experiencing a 59% increasein dry cargo and India, which grew by 67%.With ever-increasing traffic figures the portof Bilbao is taking action to cater for furtherand future growth, setting aside investment ofEuro 21.9 million.Among various infrastructureworks the port will benefit from a new commercial dock, a Border Inspection Postand the expansion of its electronic commerceplatform. In addition, a number of privateenterprises are making a series of importantinvestments at the port these include the commercialisation of the Storage and DistributionZone, the creation of new general cargowarehouses and the building of two bio-dieselplants. Investments for 2008 are expected toreach Euro 68.8 million.

Valencia is one of three ports managed bythe Valencia Port Authority:Valencia, Saguntoand Gandía.This strong combination makes itSpain’s leading Mediterranean port in termsof commercial traffic and containerised cargo.Located on the shores of the MediterraneanSea on Spain’s eastern coastline the Port of Valencia enjoys an enviable location on theIberian Peninsula. Similarly, its privileged geo-strategic position in the centre of thewestern Mediterranean coastline, in line withthe east-west maritime corridor crossing theSuez Canal and the Straits of Gibraltar, positionsit as the first and last stopover for all majorregular shipping lines connecting America, theMediterranean basin and the Far East.Totaltraffic at the port for 2007 totalled 53,592,859tonnes, 7,322,671 of which was accountedfor by solid bulk and 5,543,232 by liquid bulk.General cargo (containerised) was reportedat 32,526,654 tonnes, a figure which is expectedto rise to 38,500,000 in 2008.Non-containerisedgeneral cargo was much lower totalling7,860,978. Container traffic hit 3,042,665TEU and is anticipated to increase to around3,400,000 TEU in 2008.

Bilbao

Valencia