The move coincides with Cosco Pacific and China Merchants’ decision to buy a container terminal in Istanbul on the Bosphorus near the Black Sea, while the Cosco-China Merchants terminal is further south on the Aegean Sea across from Athens.
It was previously reported that APMT had acquired Spanish terminal operator Grup TCB and its portfolio of 11 container terminals in order to boost its presence in Spain and Latin America.
London’s Port Technology International report said: “The volumes in Izmir are reaching 1.3 to 1.4 million TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit) a year. That size makes it suddenly attractive to move away from feeder services to being served directly by mother vessels,” said APMT’s Turkey chief Mogens Wolf Larsen.
Today, growth is restricted simply because it is excessively expensive and also because the transit times are excessive. Izmir is our first entry in Turkey but we are working to make sure it is not our last.” APMT will be operating under a 28-year lease and the second phase of the terminal’s expansion aims to boost total annual handling capacity to 1.5 million TEU.
Meanwhile, Maersk Line has signed an agreement with Spanish energy company Compania Espanola De Petroleos S.A.U. (CEPSA) and London-based Quadrise Fuels International to test trial Marine MSAR – an alternative marine fuel developed by Quadrise and expected to provide a cheaper and potentially environmentally safer alternative to heavy fuel oil.
The trials are due to begin in the first half of 2016, and will see the fuel supplied from the Gibraltar-San Roque refinery to Maersk ships following the installation of an MSAR manufacturing unit at the site. Installation and operation permits are currently being sought for the new unit.
The trial programme is expected to run until the end of 2016, or early 2017, when engine tests on the fuel will be completed. Subsequently, the sale of the fuel from the refinery would be made following regulatory and commercial approvals.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to meet the fuel requirements of a leading partner in the marine industry with Maersk using a pioneering technology from Quadrise,” said Federico Molina, head of Cepsa´s Refining Unit.
Quadrise has developed the Marine MSAR to provide an alternative for shipping, refining and power generation markets.
The MSAR oil-in-water emulsion fuel technology reportedly makes heavy hydrocarbon residues easier to use by producing lower viscosity oil mixed with water. Alternative fuel emulsions, which are water in oil, are produced from heavy fuel oil. By emulsifying refinery residues, as opposed to heavy fuel oil, the refiner is able to create more value, and also a lower priced fuel, by selling the distillates that would traditionally be blended into its heavy fuel oil, according to CEPSA.
Meanwhile, as part of measures to promote environmental awareness and make a sustainable difference in the communities in which they operate, leading container terminal and port operators have teamed up to launch the ‘Go Green,’ described as the first ever joint industry initiative.
Global marine terminal operators DP World, Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (HPH), APM Terminals, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), joined by the Port of Rotterdam Authority (PRA), will start the one-week campaign on September 14 with focus on three main themes: re-use and recycling, climate change, and the communities in which they operate.
“This is the right thing to do for the environment, for the communities we operate in, and our employees.
Working together, we can address the critical issues facing the environment and act as a catalyst for global change,” APM Terminals Chief Executive Officer, Kim Fejfer said.
According to worldmaritimenews.com, the campaign will also try to identify local partners in the effort to improve the environment. Creating and upgrading local green spaces, launching educational programmes, adopting waste recycling measures and community engagements are some of the activities that will take place.
Safeguarding the environment is the responsibility of all of us and by joining forces across the industry this initiative will make greater impact worldwide. International efforts require partnerships to make them a success and by coming together we can all make a sustainable difference in the communities in which we operate,” DP World Chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said.
By continuing to focus on our ecosystem using innovation, new technologies and seeking behavioural change, the industry can make a major contribution to the wellbeing of our planet. This campaign is a watershed for marine terminal operators – it marks the beginning of a joint effort to bring about positive change to the lives of our people.”
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