Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair services set to benefit Greek ports

by & filed under Relation with Med & Neighbouring Countries.

Thessaloniki, Greece (PortSEurope) June 28, 2018 – Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair, a joint venture between ÖBB (Austrian Railways) and Goldair, has been inaugurated and will operate the first private train service in Greece. The firsts service connects the port of Thessaloniki with the Sindos commercial and industrial zone.

An objective of Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair is to develop freight transport, previously part of the state monopoly railway business.

The project is aligned with the standards of the EU which calls for the development of the transport sector, including the freight by rail. The project will attract new investment, open thousands of jobs, and shift the cost of transport with multiple benefits to the consumer.

Goldair Executive Vice President, Kallinikos Kallinikos, said, “the launch of the new railway undertaking marks the opening up of the rail transport market and the practical implementation of the Community rules on railway infrastructure management and the activities of railway transport. In this context, OSE, with its upgraded role as Infrastructure Manager, under the guidance of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, supports every development effort that contributes to the country’s exit from the crisis”.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Spirtzis, speaking at the inauguration, pointed out that in the autumn the double railway line of Athens-Thessaloniki will be completed and we will also have a trip of 3 hours and 20 minutes in the passenger transport. But even more important for freight transport, for the goodwill it gives to ports, this country is the axis. Autumn will also be ready for the electrification line from Thessaloniki to Edomeni. Under the transnational agreements with Bulgaria and the enlargement to be made with Romania, the ports of Northern Greece will be linked to the ports of the Black Sea. And what does this mean for the international transport map and what it means for railway infrastructure and companies operating in our country”.

The company can now claim that it has direct connections to northern European markets and plans to link more Greek ports, as well as other ports in neighbouring countries, such as Constanta, Romania.

 

Source: PortsEurope

FS Italiane: connect national railway network and ports to facilitate goods exchange in Europe

by & filed under Integration in the supply chain and synchromodality.

The 6th Global Rail Freight Conference (June 26-28, 2018) has discussed the urgent need to increase rail connections between the Italian national railway network and Italian ports to develop intermodal services that facilitate, through the TEN-T corridors, the exchange of goods with Europe.

The event was organized by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (UIC), in Genoa, a particularly symbolic location because it leads to the access south of the TEN-T Corridor Rhine-Alps, the main European freight corridor.

“The development of an integrated rail freight transport system, one of the pillars of FS Italiane’s 2017-2026 Industrial Plan, is the priority for promoting trade between Europe and the world”, said Renato Mazzoncini, Chairman of the UIC and Managing Director and General Manager of FS Italiane. “This is why the €30 billion ($34.68 billion) made available to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme of the European Union for the period 2021-2027 are very important. Funds that will serve to improve the interoperability of national railway infrastructures at a continental level. Another determining factor is the installation of the technological system European Rail Traffic Management System ( ERTMS ) on all the TEN-T corridors to make them passable, without interruption by all railway companies”.

Worldwide, over 70% of goods move by sea and maritime transport has become the backbone of the world economy. Italy with its ports has access to about 20% of the goods traded globally, in transit on the Mediterranean Sea which is only extended for 1% of the world surface area. In the Italian ports mainly goods from the Far East arrived, destined for European countries. For this reason, the development of the TEN-T corridors ( Rhine-Alps, Mediterranean, Scandinavian-Mediterranean, Baltic-Adriatic ) together with the strengthening of the national railway system and the port system are fundamental to make Italy a logistic centre of primary importance and neuralgic for Europe.

Of the 15 national strategic ports, only those of Ancona, Genoa, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Livorno, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste and Venice are connected to the national railway network. By 2026, the port of Naples will also be connected. Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RTI) has planned investments of €1 billion ($1.16 billion) to improve the connections between the ports and the railway network to, decongest the road system, and upgrade the complete railway network.

A further €4 billion ($4.62 billion) will be invested by RFI, by 2026, for the technological and infrastructural upgrading of the railway lines. The TEN-T corridors lines will be adapted to European standards.

The development of freight and logistics also involves the Polo Mercitalia, set up in January 2017 with the aim of relaunching freight transport by rail. Polo Mercitalia, by exploiting the upgrading of the railway infrastructure, will increase the productivity of freight trains by 20%. In fact, €350 million ($404.58 million) of investment in rolling stock is planned as well as the increase of the workforce with 300 drivers and operators.

Of crucial importance is to ensure that investments made with a view to environmental sustainability have a financial instrument, at European level, which guarantees the use of resources. These investments include the development of rail freight transport, which reaches 30% of the total by 2030, in line with the Paris COP 21/23 climate agreement.

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Italiane) is a state-owned holding company that manages infrastructure and services on the Italian rail network.

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (railway infrastructure manager) and Polo Mercitalia (freight management) are part ofFS Italiane.

Source: PortsEurope

ENERGY REUSE SYSTEM TO REDUCE EMISSIONS

by & filed under Bridging R&D and implementation, Environment, Port infrastructure, Sustainability.

A new energy capture storage and reuse system for container terminal yard handling equipment could help terminals reduce fuel bills, emissions and power peaks.

Designed for rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), Cress Systems’ ProwESS recycles kinetic energy from container handling equipment that is otherwise wasted. The flywheel-based system runs in parallel with normal RTG operations, with no mechanical connection required, providing stored energy when needed.

Speaking about the technology’s trial at the Port of Felixstowe, Cress CEO Richard Bradshaw, said: “One of the key findings out of the extensive Felixstowe pilot in 2016/2017 was the ability of the CRESS energy storage system to manage and control the release of stored energy as and when required to achieve optimal results, including the ability to reduce the peak demand on the RTG generator set.

“After conducting the field tests on different container and spreader weight combinations ranging from an empty 7 tonnes spreader to a 28 tonne loaded containers, energy savings ranged from 12.91-26.3% depending on the sequence of moves.”

Port of Felixstowe

 

No operational impact

The energy recycling process takes place without affecting terminal operations, equipment driving or lifting activities.

The study found that for European terminal operators using traditional diesel-powered equipment, energy savings translated to a 3-4 year return on investment (ROI) per RTG, depending on local fuel prices, throughput and mode of operations, said Mr Bradshaw.

Its energy peak reduction capabilities, mean the technology also helps terminals better manage the fast-growing trend to more electrified operations, he explained.

A second version of the system is under development for straddle carriers.

Source: Greenport

SHORE POWER CHALLENGE REMAINS IMPLEMENTATION

by & filed under Accessibility and Standards.

The implementation of shore power is one of the main challenges for ports tackling emissions at berth and in surrounding anchorages.

Speaking exclusively to GreenPort’s sister magazine, Port Strategy at TOC Europe, Gustavo Miller, division president of ports and maritime at Cavotec, said shore power doesn’t currently represent a good return on investment for terminals and more support from either port authorities or the government is needed to progress with it.

“We’d probably see a little bit more justification if the oil price continued to increase but ROI is still one of the challenges,” Mr Miller said.

“We still need subsidies and support from either the port authorities or the government to make it happen.”

 

Cautious outlook

Despite his cautious outlook, Mr Miller stated that the introduction of environmental regulations in Europe and Asia was a positive sign and would “provide a good and strong push in the next few years.”

He said: “We have seen in the last few years a very good increase in activity and interest from the ports. What started in Los Angeles on the west coast is now spreading out to the rest of the world. Europe – and China has been very active.”

Regardless of the challenges to implementation, shore power is a straightforward and cost-effective technology that “has a great future,” he added.

 

Source: Greenport

Port authorities willingness to cooperate: effects of objective orientation & service differentiation

by & filed under Governance.

Τhe effects of the object orientation of port authorities and the level of service differentiation on the capacity, service price, profits and welfare among competing or cooperating ports are analysed in the latest port study of PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom co-authored with Han Cui (University of Antwerp).

Theo and Han examined feasible combinations of these two factors (private objective level and service differentiation) to promote port co-operation. They applied the model starting from a mixed duopoly where a landlord port (a port authority with mixed public and private objectives) competes with a profit-seeking port (a port authority with a fully private objective) with differentiated services. The results show that both the private objective level of the port authority and the service differentiation level have a significant influence on various port competition and co-operation settings. Certain combinations of these factors prove to be useful in view of co-operation among port authorities which previously competed. The study not only contributes to existing literature on port competition/co-operation and the use of game theory in a port setting. It also provides valuable inputs to port devolution and co-operation discussions at the policy level.

 

Source: PortEonomics

ESPO congratulates Port of Dunkerque for obtaining EcoPorts’ environmental standard (PERS)

by & filed under Environment.

ESPO congratulates Port of Dunkerque (France) for obtaining for the first time EcoPorts’ environmental management standard (PERS). Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO’s Secretary General, handed over the PERS certificate to Stéphane Raison, CEO of Port Dunkerque, during a special ceremony which took place at the port.

“I welcome the PERS certification of Port of Dunkerque which has become the fifth port certified with PERS from France. The Port of Dunkerque is clearly a port that puts environmental sustainability on the forefront. We hope that the PERS certification gives the people in the port working on a daily basis on environmental performance the well-deserved pat on the back. The PERS certification process allows us to know more about and share the good practices of the Port of Dunkerque in terms of dredging and recycling of sediments, the biodiversity conservation in the port’s green and blue infrastructure, circular economy, adapting to climate change and improving the quality of the air. This in itself brings a lot of added value to the Ecoports network.” says ESPO’s Secretary General, Isabelle Ryckbost.

Being PERS certified requires amongst others that the port increases transparency by making its environmental report publicly available. It also implies that the port is effectively monitoring the environmental challenges and is implementing an improved environmental management. PERS helps ports to comply with legislation and meet customer expectations. Additionally, ports’ environmental performance is increasingly taken into account (“factored-in”) in calculations of the premium by major insurance companies; standards such as PERS are recognized as components of a sustainable approach.

“EcoPorts has become the main platform where European ports of different size, governance and business models are able to exchange good practices and effectively encourage each other to improve their environmental performance. It is equally essential that EcoPorts’ environmental standard (PERS) is being increasingly recognised as one of the main quality standards of the port sector” says the EcoPorts coordinator, Sotiris Raptis.

One-third of the 94 EcoPorts members have now acquired PERS, which is the only port specific environmental management standard. Compliance with the PERS standard is independently assessed by Lloyd’s Register and the certificate has a validity of 2 years. PERS is revised after the 2-year period to make sure that the port continues to meet the requirements. The EcoPorts tools are available to ports and terminals outside Europe through the ECO Sustainable Logistic Chain Foundation (ECOSLC).

 

Source: ESPO

Antwerp and T-Mining Blockchain pilot

by & filed under Digitalization.

The Port of Antwerp Authority and Antwerp blockchain start-up T-Mining have announced a blockchain-based smart contract for managing some aspects of fruit shipping, which was developed together with Belfruco, Enzafruit, PortApp, 1-Stop and T&G Global.

Risultati immagini per Antwerp and T-Mining Blockchain pilot

Currently exchanging the paper-based certificates is managed by courier, as the port and T-Mining explain: “The food agency in New Zealand is responsible for issuing the phytosanitary certificate. Subsequently, the New Zealand exporter sends this certificate – together with the fruit – to the Belgian importer. The latter transfers the certificate to the forwarding agent, who in turn has to hand over these certificates to the Belgian authorities so that they can inspect and approve the certificate before releasing the cargo of fruit for import in Belgium”.

This is exactly the type of manual document managing that blockchain can replace. “Now, the New Zealand exporter will transfer this digital certificate to the Belgian importer, Enzafruit. It transfers it to Belfruco, freight forwarder within the SEA-invest group – which in turn has to transfer these certificates to the Belgian authorities before releasing the cargo of fruit from the SEA-invest terminal”.

Digital document management saves time and money, adds Nico De Cauwer, Business Architect Port Community Systems of the Antwerp Port Authority. “With the pilot project, we can transfer these certificates from New Zealand to Belgium much faster and then transfer them to the competent authorities in Antwerp. In this way, everyone immediately has all the latest information and the necessary preparations and checks can be made faster. On top, Blockchain technology guarantees that the authenticity of the certificates has not been tampered with and we can retrieve the origin of the documents in real time. At the moment we are testing this solution on a small scale, with a limited number of parties. We want to test specific blockchain components, but also the new way of working, which is now fully digital. With the results of this pilot we will see which adjustments are needed to consider a possible further rollout.”

Filip Heremans, Chief Product Officer at T-Mining, noted that blockchain also solves the problem of who holds the original documents. “Blockchain technology allows to transfer documents without duplicating them, so there is only one party that owns the original document at any time. On top, the blockchain guarantees the authenticity of the document – as no one can change or delete anything unnoticed – one of the key characteristics of blockchain,” he said.

With blockchain the flow of information between parties is governed by “Smart Contracts” covering access, adding new information, and sharing. “Because blockchain is a back-end technology, we work together with PortApp, which develops the front-end application so end-users can upload, transfer and approve documents via the blockchain,” the companies added.

Erwin Verstraelen, CDIO of the Antwerp Port Authority, said the project confirms Antwerp’s status as a pioneer and leader with blockchain technology in the maritime sector. “In 2017, we were the first port in the world to test blockchain in real-life. Today, we once again illustrate our ambition to be an open innovation hub that introduces new technologies, since innovation and digitization are crucial in the long term. To safeguard the competitiveness of our port, we are investing in pilot projects to better understand the possibilities of new technologies and to learn how to best apply them.”

As noted above the blockchain is also integrated with the 1-Stop Port Community System, which is used at some ports in New Zealand. “Digital connections between international Port communities is crucial for achieving growth and innovation. For this project we work closely with the Port of Antwerp to test a complex and high-tech solution on an international scale,” said Michael Bouari, CEO of 1-Stop Connections.

 

Source: World Cargo News

HIGH SPEED SHUTTLE USES AIR LIFT

by & filed under Bridging R&D and implementation.

The French company A2V which exhibited its revolutionary air assisted catamaran at Seawork two years ago has recently delivered a version that will link the town of Evian on Lake Geneva in Switzerland to both Lausanne and Geneva.

 

It is the lift generated by the wing structure that lifts the catamaran hulls in the water

Called the Evian One, this new craft can carry up to 12 passengers in comfort at a cruising speed of 50 knots.

The A2V concept is a wing-like cross deck that spans the two slim stepped hulls of the catamaran. It is the lift generated by the wing structure that lifts the catamaran hulls in the water, significantly reducing the frictional resistance and allowing high speeds and good fuel economy with modest power. The passenger compartment is contained within the wind structure with passengers offered and excellent view through panoramic front windows.

The whole 12-metre long structure is constructed from composites, much of it sandwich construction, with a beam of 7.35 metres. The craft runs on a draft of just 0.65 metres and the loaded displacement is 7.5 tonnes when carrying the 12 passengers.

The power comes from a pair of Yanmar 8LV diesel that each produces 235kW. These drive-through surface drives and this package offers a cruising speed of 50 knots at 90% power. The fuel tanks, one in each hull, each hold 300 litres which gives a range of 250 miles and A2V claims that the fuel consumption is 2.2 litres per nautical mile.

There are 12 luxurious seats in the passenger compartment which is fully air-conditioned. The pilothouse is in a compact compartment on top of the ‘wing’ and this allows an all-around view. The craft has EU certification for category C.

On the route on Lake Geneva, it takes this shuttle just 30 minutes for the transfer from Evian to Geneva compared with 1½ hours by car on a good day.

A2V is developing a larger 18-metre version of this shuttle that will carry up to 40 passengers on a route on the Gironde Estuary in France from Royan to Bordeaux. Another version under development will use electric motive power with power from a bank of batteries which has been requested by a number of potential clients.

 

Source: Maritime journal

LNG Rotterdam – Gate terminal to increase ship loading flow rate

by & filed under Port infrastructure.

Gate terminal (Gasunie/Vopak) announces that it will invest to increase the ship loading flow rate at the jetties for large ships from the current 2300 m3/hour to 4000 m3/hour to lower port time for vessels. This investment will allow Gate terminal to load the new standard size vessels of around 180000 m3 in less than 3 days. The investment entails a de-bottlenecking of the pipeline systems used to deliver LNG from the storage tank to the ship and can be installed without a plant shutdown. The construction will start in the summer of 2018 and will be finished after the summer of 2019.

Loading of LNG in ships and transhipment activities in North West Europe have increased over the years. The liquid spot market of LNG leads to quick successions of loading and unloading periods. This dynamic of the LNG market requires more flexibility and efficient operations. With this investment, Gate terminal will strengthen its pivotal role as the LNG Hub terminal for North West Europe.

Source: Hellenicshippingnews

Marketing of port authorities: a novel conceptualisation

by & filed under Governance.

 

Port authorities have transformed into hybrid organizations mostly disassociated from operational activities and port services provision. Still, they maintain a key role as managing bodies advancing the prospects of respective port and associated clusters. Marketing is among the functions working towards this end.

In a new port study, PortEconomics members Francesco Parola and Thanos Pallis – joined by Marcello Risitano and Marco Ferretti – develop an innovative conceptualization of the marketing strategies developed by Port Authorities (PAs), framing a relevant case of the hybrid organisation into a business marketing perspective.

The study – that has been published in the distinctive journal Transportation Research Part A (Policy and Practice) – employs business marketing perspectives and their applications in hybrid organisations to introduce a novel conceptualisation of PA marketing strategies.

Within this theoretical angle, their study builds a multi-dimensional framework on PA strategic positioning that combines

  1. PAs’ marketing objectives in various Strategic Business Areas;
  2. the multi-faceted geography of the targeted salient stakeholders; and
  3. the induced portfolio of marketing actions, whose ramifications unveil virtuous cross-fertilization effects and fuel the success of PA marketing strategies.

This model enables to identify five different patterns of market coverage across diverse strategic business areas.

 

Source: PortEconomics