Bulk Distributor Nov/Dec 18 | Page 19

Ports & Storage November/December 2018 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR 19 ŽǀĞƌďŽdžĞƐĐůĞǀĞƌ M uch of the negative Brexit talk on ports has been about queues of lorries at Dover, but not about worsening quayside and landside congestion at the UK’s big container terminals Conversely, there has been a lot of positive talk about how the box ports have readied themselves for Brexit and other roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry ports operated by the same owners also standing by to take a bit of Dover’s traffic in case South- East England’s major Continental gateway is not. Yet Port of Dover itself says that on all these counts, while more ultra-large container vessels are diverted from major UK container ports such as Southampton to non-UK hubs, and while imports destined for the UK Christmas market end up in Rotterdam delayed for several weeks, and while it becomes clear other UK ro-ro ports such as Hull or Immingham say they could only ever take up to 20 percent of Dover’s traffic at an eye-watering cost of around £2.5 billion, the government’s focus is on keeping trade flowing through Dover. Dover is at the centre of contingency planning to minimise disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit Why? Because, says the port’s management, British consumers ordering or buying their Christmas presents right up to the last minute want to know they will get them in time; because the ferries needed to divert Dover’s traffic do not actually exist, the crossings are too long and the sailings too infrequent; and because leaving 80 ĚǀĞƌƟƐĞƌƐ/ŶĚĞdž Events Alfred Talke Bluepack 4 8, 11, 13, 18 Dacro 14 Fleetmonitor 10 Fort Vale Global Star Groninger Cleaning Systems BV Industrial Pack 8 Intermodal Europe 6-8 November 2018 Rotterdam, Netherlands www.intermodal-events.com ITCO Regional Meeting 21 November 2018 Singapore www.international-tank-container. org 12 9 17 Klinge 7 Lohia 16 Newson Gale 2 NTTank 3 Real Asset Management 11 Rishi 15 Savvy 13 For information on advertising contact us on: [phone] Published 6 times a year. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited . ISSN 1462-0731 Tank Storage Germany 5-6 December 2018 Hamburg, Germany www.easyfairs.com Intermodal South America 19-21 March 2019 Sao Paolo, Brazil www.intermodal.com.br StocExpo 26-28 March 2019 Rotterdam, Netherlands www.easyfairs.com IndustrialPack 27-28 March 2019 Atlanta, Georgia, USA www.easyfairs.com transport logistic 4-7 June 2019 Munich, Germany www.transportlogistic.de Publisher: Mike Reardon, [email protected], Tel: [phone] Managing Editor: Neil Madden, [email protected], Tel: [phone] Advertising Director: Anne Williams, [email protected], Tel: [phone] Circulation: Berni Chetham, [email protected], Tel: [phone] © Ashley & Dumville Publishing Bulk Distributor is published by Ashley & Dumville Publishing Caledonian House, Tatton Street, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6AG, United Kingdom www.bulk-distributor.com percent of Dover’s traffic in a queue helps no-one. In fact, the government understands that rather than becoming boxed in by distraction, it needs to remain 100 percent focused on a solution for Dover that will keep traffic flowing across the UK, keep shops full, factories busy and prices low for consumers. That is why Dover is at the centre of contingency planning to minimise disruption in the event of a ‘no-deal Brexit’. Dover handles more international lorries than all other UK ports combined. “Unless we have another ice age before March 2019, Dover will remain the shortest sea crossing to Europe. The port, together with the government, is keeping the temperature hot on Brexit planning to keep the trade tap flowing through Dover. Elsewhere the deep freeze may have already taken hold as box port congestion and the resultant glacial movement of traffic gets a grip,” said Richard Christian, Port of Dover’s head of policy & communications. “Dover may have seemed boxed in by Brexit, but it is punching out to ensure successful future trade with Europe remains about delivering a realistic solution. That means a free-flowing Dover, whose speed, efficiency and capacity cannot be replicated anywhere else. The solution is here. That’s why it is game Dover for the rest,” he added. Together with Sea-Invest, MOL is to invest some €300-400 million in a tank storage terminal for liquid chemicals Big new player in Antwerp J apanese group MOL Chemical Tankers is coming to Belgium’s Port of Antwerp. Together with the port group Sea-Invest, MOL is to invest some €300-400 million in the construction of a tank storage terminal for liquid chemicals. Antwerp says this is yet more confirmation of the port’s power of attraction for big investors. Mol Chemical Tankers, a member of the Japanese shipping group Mitsui OSK Lines, is teaming up with Sea-Invest in the form of setting up a joint venture. The new investment is expected to create 100 direct jobs. The tank terminal will be located on a 45 ha site in the Delwaide dock. This is only one part of the concession for which the port authority issued a Request for Proposals in 2018. Six candidates were selected as a result, one of them being Sea-Mol. Negotiations were started with the latter with a view to signing a concession agreement. Negotiations with the other five candidates are ongoing with a view to making the best use of the remaining part of the site. “This investment is further confirmation of our port’s ability to attract major investors. It will also boost our position as one of the largest chemical clusters in the world. This is very good news for the port, and for our economy,” concluded Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority. Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, Sea-Invest, operates a number of terminals in Europe and Africa handling dry and liquid bulks, as well as fruit. Also in Antwerp, Austrian petrochemical company Borealis has announced that it is to build a new production plant on its existing site in Kallo. The propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant will use the latest technology in terms of sustainable production and energy efficiency. The intention to build the new PDH plant to convert propane into propylene has been known for some time. The propylene in turn can be used to make polypropylene, a plastic with many applications which is employed in among others the car industry. Borealis has now decided to build this new plant at the existing Borealis production site in Kallo. The mega-investment will make the site one of the largest PDH plants in the world. The plant will make use of a recyclable, chromium-free catalyst which will reduce energy consumption, waste production and CO2 emissions. The investment is supported by the Flemish government which has granted €4 million in strategic ecological support to the project.