BIGGER containerships with bigger shipping alliances result in bigger peaks at terminals, which bring about fewer, larger facilities, encouraging consolidation of layouts and ownership, say Drewry analysts.
Typical was the call at Hamburg's Eurogateby China Shipping's 9,580 TEU CSCL Le Havre which involved the exchange of 11,600 TEU, demonstrating today's high volume per call, noted Drewry's Container Insight Weekly.
Even less volume per call will generate exchanges of 5,000 TEU with the new mega alliances compounding the problem at terminals. At Antwerp, MSC alone accounts for a massive throughput of 4.5 million TEU a year - half the port's box traffic.
With P3 Alliance partners Maersk Line and CMA CGM volumes added the problem of massive short-term peaks and the risks of congestion will likely multiply, especially as envisaged it all takes place at one terminal.
Reshuffles of terminals in layout and location as well as in ownership are happening. At Antwerp, MSC has been given the go ahead to move its traffic from its one terminal to another at Deurganckdok.
"The move will see the redevelopment and expansion of the existing PSA terminal to create the MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) with a capacity of seven million TEU and able to play host to all P3 carriers," said the report.
In Hong Kong, a year after acquiring it from DP World and PSA, Hutchison has sold stakes in Asia Container Terminals (ACT) to Cosco Pacific (40 per cent) and China Shipping (20 per cent).
OPINION
12 June 2014 - 21:00
Terminal ownership, layout, changes with advent of mega shipping
BIGGER containerships with bigger shipping alliances result in bigger peaks at terminals, which bring about fewer, larger facilities, encouraging consolidation of layouts and ownership, say Drewry analysts.
OPINION
12 June 2014 - 21:00
Terminal ownership, layout, changes with advent of mega shipping
This news 8630 hits received.
These news may also interest you