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Mega ships and mega ports jam
March 27, 2006
Global seaports
must carry out massive expansion and modernisation within the next
decade to cope with the entry of mega-container ships carrying an
ever-growing volume of global trade, industry players told a
cargo-handling conference in Singapore.
An estimated 80
per cent of global trade is carried by sea. PSA International and
Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa are the world's two biggest
container port operators. As countries build new airport terminals
or renovate existing ones to accommodate the new double-decker
Airbus A380 jetliner, seaports also need to build wider berths,
automate cargo handling and storage facilities and invest in
bigger cranes.
"The size of the
vessels is increasing, yet ports ... have been struggling over
recent years to cope," said International Association of Ports and
Harbors secretary-general Satoshi Inoue.
"Already, we are
experiencing serious congestion in major ports in the world,
particularly in the United States and Northern Europe," he told
the conference on Wednesday organised by the International Cargo
Handling Coordinating Association (ICHCA).
"In 10 years'
time, the world's ports need to more than double their capacity in
handling if they are to play a central role in the global
logistics system."
This means having
to turn around much bigger ships, including vessels being planned
to carry up to 14,500 20-foot container boxes - more than double
the size of current sixth-generation ships with capacities of
between 6,000 and 7,000 boxes.
By 2010, the
number of "post-Panamax" ships - modern vessels that are too big
to pass through the Panama Canal - would number 682, nearly double
the current fleet of 391, ICHCA International director Peter
Bosmans said. The biggest container ship currently in service can
carry 9,200 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), but there are plans
to construct even bigger vessels with 14,500 TEU capacity.
These planned
mega-container ships would be nearly 400m long, 54.2m wide and
27.2m in height, with the draft - the depth of water needed to
float them - similar to other big ships at 15m. The highest point
on these ships would be 60m, meaning bridges along commercial sea
lanes need to be constructed higher.
"These
(mega-container) ships are not yet expected for the next five
years, but boy, we are ready to build them," Mr Bosmans said. In
comparison, a 6,500 TEU ship is 289m long, 40m wide and 24.5m in
height, with a draft of 14.5m.
South African
Port Operations chief strategy officer Mervin Chetty said 57 per
cent of container vessels currently on order are for those that
can carry more than 8,000 TEUs. "Some of the terminals and the
ports and the hinterland connectivity ... are not keeping up with
some of these developments," Mr Chetty said. - AFP
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Hanjin Shipping to Add Singapore-Thailand
Dedicated Feeder Service
Link will take you to Hanjin Shipping
website
Hamburg Süd
consolidates all South Florida calls
Effective April 17, 2006, with the arrival of the CAP SAN AUGUSTIN
(040S), vessels of Hamburg Süd’s East Coast Americas (ABUS)
service will begin calling Port Everglades, Florida.
Florida International Terminal (FIT) will provide Port Everglades
terminal and stevedoring services as it already does for Hamburg
Süd’s rotations linking Florida with Venezuela (VENEX), and the
U.S. East Coast with West Coast South America (AGAS). The shift of
the ABUS service completes the consolidation of all of the
company’s South Florida activities at Port Everglades:
Florida International Terminal, LLC (FIT), 3800
McIntosh Road, Port Everglades, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 761-3880 FAX: (954) 524-3859
www.fitpev.com
The
last call of the ABUS service at Miami will be the CAP SAN ANTONIO
(039S) on April 3, 2006. |
The
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program
announces a phased implementation of Supply Chain Security
Criteria for Sea Carrier and Highway Carrier members.