THE BULK NEWSPAPER

BINTERNATIONALULK NEWS ● PEOPLE ●D PRODUCTS ISTRIBUTORJanuary/February 2009 Stolt sees little cause for optimism tolt-Nielsen’s tank container division reported Strong demand in October was offset by both global fl eet now consists of close to 26,000 units. Simproved margins and continued strength in lower shipments in September due to the effects of Commenting on the company’s results Niels G overall demand for the year 2008, although Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and the impact of Stolt-Nielsen, chief executive offi cer of Stolt-Nielsen shipment volumes began to decline sharply late in weakening demand in November. Tank container SA, said: “While SNSA’s performance in 2008 the fourth quarter. utilisation rates decreased in the fourth quarter to refl ected four consecutive quarters of good results, Stolt Tank Containers (STC) reported fourth 77.4%, from 80.2%, 80.9% and 79.4% in the the effects of softening demand and the steep quarter 2008 revenue of US$124.6 million, third, second and fi rst quarters of 2008, decline in global economic activity have now begun compared with $116.8 million in the third quarter. respectively. to have a tangible impact on our operations. However, the fourth quarter included $13.1 million STC reported an operating profi t of $16.1 million Business conditions continued to deteriorate in of revenue from Taby Group, which STC acquired in the fourth quarter of 2008, up from $12.9 December, which strongly suggests that SNSA’s in October 2008. Excluding this revenue, STC’s million in the third quarter of 2008. Results for the relatively favourable fourth quarter results should fourth-quarter revenue decreased compared with quarter refl ected the combined impact of not serve as an indication of our near-term the third quarter of 2008. For the year as whole additional revenue from Taby Group and performance. Tank container utilisation rates started to decrease in the the division reported operating profi t of $50.2 improvements in margins resulting primarily from “Given the current global economic environment, fourth quarter million, up from $45.3 million in 2007. continued strength in freight rates and the effects we see little cause for optimism. We became other factors, I believe SNSA, with its experienced of declining costs. STC is currently taking a broad concerned about the outlook well over a year ago team and strong position in each of its markets, is range of actions to reduce its costs and increase and as a result took a number of actions, including well prepared to manage through this crisis.” effi ciencies, including the redelivery of tank securing fi nancing of our newbuildings, the Including its Stolt Tankers and Stolt Sea Farm IN THIS ISSUE containers on short term leases in anticipation of accelerated recycling of fi ve ships, and the sale of businesses, Stolt-Nielsen SA reported fourth quarter soft market conditions and a decrease in one ship. We expect 2009 and 2010 to be revenue of $489.5 million and a net profi t Flexitanks 3 shipments. extremely challenging years in our industry, and we attributable to shareholders of $52.6 million. With the addition of the Taby Group fl eet, STC’s are planning accordingly. Considering these and Components 5 Tank Containers 7 CV Show victim of slump FIBCs 10 he Commercial Vehicle Show 2009 has been container operator Bulmers Logistics which has Tcancelled, apparently a victim of the current been forced into a ‘pre-pack’ administration, with a Logistics & Intermodal 15 economic slump. The Commercial Vehicle new company, Bulmers Transport – formed by the Partnership, comprising the Society of Motor previous management team – taking over its Ports & Terminals 17 Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Road Haulage “trade and assets” for an undisclosed sum. Association (RHA) and Society of Operations Bulmers Logistics had been under pressure for Dry Bulk Logistics 19 Engineers (SOE), plus the CV Show Committee, some time, with the company hit badly by the fall agreed mid-January to pull the plug on this year’s in container volumes. It had already shed some 50 Managing Editor Neil Madden event which was scheduled for 28-30 April at NEC jobs before Christmas in a bid to cut costs, [email protected] Birmingham, UK. however, when its funder declined to provide Tel: +33 (0)3 88 60 30 68 A statement from the partnership said it continuing support, the fi rm was left with little recognised in December that the economic option but to consider either a sale or Editor Patrick Hicks downturn created a diffi cult environment for administration. It eventually entered administration Given the current economic climate cancellation was the only decision [email protected] vehicle manufacturers to commit to large we could take, said the CV Chow Committee on 21 January, with the assets sold later the same Tel: +44 (0)20 8398 9048 international exhibitions. Nevertheless, some 290 day. exhibitors signed up for the show requiring the same dates (28-30 April). Event director Robert Although the company will be making some 50 Dry Bulk Editor Richard Miller partners to consult widely on support for a focused Jervis told Bulk Distributor that some former CV staff redundant, cutting its fl eet by 40 trucks and [email protected] engineering-based alternative. The results indicated Show exhibitors have now taken space at closing its Hull and Immingham offi ces, it saves that while some support was forthcoming, it was Multimodal so as to maintain a presence at the more than 200 jobs, which will transfer to the new Tel: +44 (0)1424 446003 not enough to retain the credibility that the CV event. For more information fi rm under TUPE. In addition, it says it will continue Advertisement Director Anne Williams Show has created as a major international event of www.multimodal.org.uk to service all its current locations directed from its its type and which the partners and the show • The global downturn has claimed Teesside Middlesbrough or Ipswich offi ces. [email protected] committee were keen to maintain. Tel: +44 (0)1932 225632 “We have obviously noted that just about every other show in this sector has been cancelled for Art & production Anna-Karin M. Nicholls 2009,” said RHA chief executive Roger King. “But Overseas representative the advanced status of ours did not permit us to Vos Logistics on path Russia, CIS, Baltic States: Dars Consulting cancel without careful consultation. This was a diffi cult decision but, on balance, the right one. Tel: +7 (095) 933 68 55 What we learned from this exercise was that to rapid recovery Email: [email protected] despite a generally negative response to 2009, uropean logistics service provider Vos Logistics have now created an effi cient and healthy there appears a much more positive approach to Ebased in Oss, the Netherlands, reports that it company which is able to respond effectively to © Oakhill Media Ltd 2010 which encourages us to set plans in motion has completed the restructuring programme the current wildly fl uctuating demand for Bulk Distributor is published by for a show in April of that year.” begun in 2007 which had been brought about by transport services. Costs relating to the Oakhill Media Ltd, Oakhill House, 22 Williams Grove, “This is of course disappointing, but given the the company’s high level of debt. This at the time restructuring exercise will be charged against the current economic climate and the uncertainty had necessitated drastic retrenchment measures. company’s 2008 fi nancial year, resulting in it Surbiton, KT6 5RN, United Kingdom. created, it is the only decision we could make. In the latest round of cost-cutting the company recording a loss for the 12 month period due www.oakhillmedia.com Naturally, the partners are grateful for the NEC’s has further reduced its vehicle fl eet from 1,700 to mainly to these non-recurring expenses. Fax: +44 (0)870 762 0434 support for this decision,” said Nigel Emms, the CV 1,300 units and has reduced its workforce to Investors and other fi nancial parties have Published 6 times a year. Show committee chairman. 2,300 full-time employees. In addition it has been extended present fi nancing arrangements until Reproduction in whole or in part without written www.cvshow.com agreed by mutual consent to reduce the working 2010. They have also strengthened the company’s The cancellation of the CV Show will not affect hours of 60 members of staff located in the permission is strictly prohibited. Multimodal 2009 which also runs at NEC on the Netherlands. According to Vos, these measures Continued on page 19 What’s big, red and travels the world? Answer: Environmental Packaging Technologies’ bulk shipping solutions

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2200 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 325 • Houston, Texas 77056 USA Office: (713) 961-2795 • www.enviropactech.com January/February 2009 Flexitanks BULKDISTRIBUTOR 3 COA Will goal posts save endorses the flexitank? Flexitank lexitanks are designed to be carried in type’ steels (originally Post system was successfully tested using a loaded Code of Fcontainers; unfortunately containers are not developed in fl exitank. Defl ections were measured during the designed to carry fl exitanks, argue UK container Sweden). While the fi lling of the bag, and during a tilt test, when the designers and consultants Quantum Solutions new material may loaded container was rotated 25 degrees about its Practice (UK) Ltd. withstand higher longitudinal axis. The results were highly Container side walls are designed and tested to stress levels, it is more encouraging with defl ections remaining small t a meeting in Hamburg in December, the take 60% of their rated payload (.6P) distributed fl exible and so more enough to prevent contact with adjacent AContainer Owners Association (COA) formally evenly across each side wall, and so cannot prone to buckling. containers during ship-board cellular operations, endorsed the COA Code of Practice for the withstand the side wall loads imposed by Lighter weight and all side panels returning to their original pre- Manufacture of Flexitanks and the Testing of fl exitanks, without ‘bulging’. containers will have test positions after testing, plus no evidence that Flexitank/Container Combinations. Much work has been done within the fl exitank cost and operational Fig.2 An example of side wall ‘Bulging’ the side walls had been overloaded. Following extensive consultation with container industry in terms of testing, theoretical analysis benefi ts, but are Quantum expect their Goal Post system to show owners and fl exitank companies, the Code was and developing an industry code of practice. unlikely to be as robust as previous generation signifi cant reduction in longitudinal surge loading prepared by a Management Implementation Unfortunately, none of this work actually solves equipment, and so less able to withstand the very and a 2G ‘shunt test’ is scheduled. Quantum are Group (MIG) established by the COA board of the underlying problem that ISO containers are high side wall loads imposed by fl exitanks, and confi dent their patented system will eliminate directors, representing key industry sectors: two not designed to be transported with the very high other bulk cargoes commonly transported today excessive side wall bulging, and allow fl exitanks shipping lines (Maersk Line and Hapag Lloyd), two and constant wall loadings imposed by fl exitanks, in ISO equipment, particularly ‘green waste’. up to 27,000 litres to be operated safely, thus fl exitank companies (Trans Ocean Distribution and without excessive defl ection. In short the ‘bulging’ problem is likely to get providing signifi cant cost savings per litre carried. Braid) and a classifi cation society (Lloyd’s Register). High defl ections (bulging) can cause containers worse, not better, despite the introduction of the The Goal Posts, which can be installed in under The Code has been approved as a Provisional to make contact with adjacent units making Container Owners Association Flexitank Code of an hour, are removable and designed to be reused Code of Practice from 1 January 2009. There is a loading ‘bulged’ containers into a container ship’s Practice. many times with a projected 10 year working life. 12 month implementation process to permit cells impossible. As material and container It was to eliminate the bulging and associated Quantum Goal Posts will be available globally fl exitank manufacturers and other fl exitank technology problems caused by the transportation of either for direct purchase, or on operational companies to test their products according to an progresses fl exitanks and other bulk commodities in standard leases. agreed and harmonised testing procedure. The container tare containers that led Quantum Solutions fi nal Recommended Code of Practice will be weights will to develop their ‘Goal Post’ container adopted on 1 January 2010. decrease. In reinforcement system. At the Hamburg meeting, there was also a December 2008, The Goal Posts substantially reinforce presentation by the TüV Süd Rail Testing Facility the world’s largest the container side walls and so prevent (Görlitz, Germany), with details of the testing container the excessive wall defl ection and procedures it is carrying out for fl exitanks. Further manufacturers, permanent set after unloading, information: CIMC and commonly seen during fl exitank www.containerownersassociation.org Singamas, operations. Bulging can cause: simultaneously • Impact such as scraping, adjacent announced they equipment had reduced • Permanent set outside operator’s Wine shippers Fig.1 Side wall defl ections. (Not to scale) container tare maximum allowable container width • O = Outer face of Corner Casting weight by 15% • Catastrophic failure of sidewall panels • C =CIC/ IICL allowable damage • D = ‘Cell Guide’ clearance using high due to plasticity and buckling. publish own • E = Flexi-Tank bulge. strength ‘Domex In December 2008 Quantum’s Goal Fig.3 Container successfully undergoing 25% ‘tilt test’ in Manchester, December 2008 flexitank Weighing up the pros and cons guide lexitanks can provide a viable alternative to potential carriers are thoroughly tested to defi ned combinations. It is thus the shipper’s responsibility Ftank containers for certain shipments, but a parmeters before being accredited. to choose appropriate and reliable fl exitank ine and packaging association BIB published number of factors have to be carefully considered Moreover, the partners involved in shipping operators. Wa Guide to the Transport of Wine in when choosing between the technologies, fl exitanks are currently establishing a Code of So there are products or situations where a Flexitanks late last year. according to Ulrich Schnoor, managing director of Practice (see story on this page) for the sector, fl exitank does not represent an alternative to tank Although shipping wine in fl exitanks is an Hamburg-based Liquid Concept. while the technical aspects and quality of containers. These include: hazardous materials, apparently simple process, it has raised a number Speaking at the Intermodal 2008 conference in manufacturing of fl exitanks and fi ttings have temperature controlled product, product of issues, says the guide. The 24 page booklet Hamburg in December, Schnoor looked at how far vastly improved. incompatibe with the material of the inner-liner, addresses the majority of known issues related to fl exitanks have come in recent years. He said the In favour of fl exitanks, transport costs can be very high value product, imbalanced trades with the transport of wine in fl exitanks and offers applicability of fl exitanks has greatly improved in substantially lower on certain routes. Flexitanks minor commercial differences, and where logistics general solutions to make the fl exitank transport recent years. In their early days the technology also eliminate the risk of contamination, and there costs are of minor concern. They also carry a system safer and to secure the quality of the wine transfer to the chemical industry was not is practically no limitation of use due to major need for technical alteration of the loading transported. successful because suppliers took “the wrong restrictions imposed by prior products. station to enable fi lling from the bottom, if the It lists a series recommendations in an attempt approach, just copying and pasting the existing Moreover, fl exitanks are available “anytime, volume of shipment does not support the required to raise the quality of wine transported in format instead of applying tailor-made concepts anywhere” at short notice, which also negates investment and consignees are unable or fl exitanks, lower the rate of incidents caused by to the new markets”. problems of equipment imbalances. For traffi c unwilling to discharge with pumps instead of wrongful handling of fl exitanks, container or It was also fair to say that a handful of with very high volumes, fl exitanks are much easier unloading with pressure. wine, and create a better understanding between ‘cowboys’ undermined the industry’s credibitlity and more reliably provided. Large consignments On the other hand products that are suitable for, the partners involved in the process – fl exitank by cutting corners on safety resulting in some have eventually to be split between various or even best carried in, a fl exitank include: all suppliers, wineries, shipping companies, surveyors severe accidents. Tank container operators, being operators in order to establish a reliable supply of products sensitive to contamination, commodities and insurance companies. the major service providers for shipments of bulk equipment. or products under heavy commercial pressure Even though the publication is intended to lower liquid chemicals, also opposed the use of Having said that he posed some of their where logistics costs play a major role in the cost the rate of incidents with fl exitank transport of fl exitanks for a long time. At the same time the disavdantages as well. For example, tank structure, product markets already using fl exitanks wine, it is still strongly advisable for each player to manufacture of fl exitanks and the combination containers are safer, and hazardous materials to a high degree, and even for business unit have procedures for handling of claims in place. If with fi ttings lacked know-how and there were no cannot be shipped in fl exitanks. There are also managers, whose yearly bonus depends on their a claim is to be made, evidence must be available, standards and no ruling organisation. limitations to shipping temperature controlled profi t-margins. and procedures must have been followed for Today’s status is different however. Flexitank products. Loading and discharge processes require So shippers need to consider a number of identifi cation of the responsible party. operators have designed their concepts around changes if fl exitanks are to be handled. factors when weighing up the pros and cons of The sections covered: selection of fl exitank, the demands of the chemical industry to meet There is as yet no binding Code of Practice for fl exitanks and tank containers. For example, is it selection of container, fl exitank fi tting into the their requirements. In turn, the chemical industry (a) the testing and manufacture of fl exitanks, and an imbalanced trade, with a low chance for container, wine loading, transport, and has implemented a system of approval and (b) the operation of fl exitank/container reloading at destination? What is the duration/ discharging the wine from the fl exitank. distance of the trip? Compare the costs of The Guide is available for download at cleaning a product against the costs for recycling www.b-i-b.com the fl exitank. Differences in ocean freight costs are obviously important as are any necessary pre- positioning costs. And fi nally what is the expected Guide of Good Practices detention at port of arrival before product is for the Transport delivered? But when all these issues are factored of Wine in Flexitanks in properly it is possible to achieve savings of up to 50% on certain routes by using fl exitanks. He noted that most major European shippers are either already shipping regulary in fl exitanks or are conducting trials. Commercial pressures built up during the second half of 2008 have undoubtedly forced shippers to review alternative modes of shipping. It would be fair to say there have lately been much improved, even “excellent” track records on recent performance problems and these have convinced shippers that the fl exitank is

a safe alternative. Moreover, future developments Laura West in design and technical features will further enhance the use of fl exitanks and attract shippers to move certain volumes. Much improved track records on recent performance problems have convinced shippers that the fl exitank is a safe alternative www.liquid-concept.eu 4 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Flexitanks January/February 2009

Advertisement Liquatrans Launches the “No Bulkhead, No Sidewall Pressure” Flexitank iquatrans has announced the Llaunch of the E-fl ex, the Easy fl exitank with “no bulkhead, no sidewall pressure”. The company believes that it is the fi rst fl exitank in the industry that complies with the Container Owners Association (COA) fl exitank code of practice for the manufacture of fl exitanks. They have fi nalised the patenting procedure and started the certifi cation /testing procedure with an independent international company. Liquatrans Managing Director Joseph Cohen, stated: “Being a member of the COA and working in close contact with the shippers, we had been aware of both parties’ The E-Flex is a self-standing fl exitank with fi rm stability needs. The shippers spent a lot of when loaded labour, time and money to fi t the fl exitanks and they wanted to reduce which they perceived to be natural. training for the staff of their Even though the company has a that. The container owners were They believe people have a tendency customers in case they require to do it good distributor network that complaining about the bulging to resist new things especially in themselves. provides sales and technical support fl exitanks damaging their containers. business . However, the fact that Liquatrans is a privately owned around the world, it is still evaluating The way to go was obvious but we hundreds of units have been shipped global company with a network distributorship offers to further had to spend a lot of time, money and without any problem helps them to throughout the world. The expand its network. put in a lot of effort to come up with convince their customers. company’s 4,000m² manufacturing this product. We always believed in Liquatrans provides customers two site is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Liquatrans Industrial Packaging our R&D department; I told them types of services. The fi rst is door-to- Liqua group has been in the industry Materials Ltd this was a great opportunity for them door or full service which is done in since 1996. The starting product was Turgut Ozal cad. No 18 Kat 1 and they did it.” co-ordination with their partner big bags, with the Inko brand. In Alemdag According to the information forwarding company. The second is 2003, the group started producing Istanbul, Turkey, received from Liquatrans, the E-Flex product sales with fi tting and fl exitanks. To ensure a better focus on Phone +90 216 3128660 is a self-standing fl exitank with fi rm discharge service. Even though fi tting liquid business Liquatrans Ltd was Fax +90 216 3128661 stability with its pyramid-like shape is very easy and is fi nalised in 2 established in 2007, while its sister Web www.liquatrans.com when loaded. That is why it does not minutes, they have decided not to company continued the production of E-mail [email protected] require a bulkhead. The elimination take any chances. They also provide big bags. of the bulkhead provides a number of benefi ts. It creates savings, as a signifi cant amount of material is not needed. It also creates ease of logistics. T-Flex: The Trailer Flexitank Recyling is also made easier as it is nother innovative product developed by Liquatrans has been the T-Flex, the Trailer Flexitank. T-Flex is made for one type of material only, Athe trailer fl exitank which is designed for transportation of liquids on standard truck-trailers. no metal or wood involved. As for the Patented by Liquatrans, T-Flex also carries the “no bulkhead, no sidewall pressure” feature of E-Flex. It is a operation side, fi tting is made much solution that converts trailers to road tankers. Thus it increases the product variety of return cargoes and easier, with less requirement for allows return loads of liquids when conventional cargo is not available. labour, and faster, with only two The optimum design of the T-Flex also enables the product to be used for reefer and 40ft containers. The T- minutes per fl exitank compared to 20 Flex for 40ft containers becomes especially useful at times of container shortages when only 40ft containers minutes needed for fl exitanks with are available. bulkheads. Depending on the size, the T-Flex consists of 3 or 5 compartments. These compartments act as wave breakers Liquatrans has also been active within the T-Flex. Thus its robust design provides a stabilised load during the process of determining the fl exitank code of practice for the manufacture of fl exitanks within the COA. The company states that they had seen this process as an endorsement of what they had been working on. The “No Sidewall Pressure” feature of the E-Flex was a target that the lines had wanted the fl exitank manufacturers to achieve for a long time. Addressing this issue had been a priority for Liquatrans and they believe that the solution they have come up with, the E-Flex, will create an important point of difference for them in the eyes of the lines. The company says that the E-Flex has received a lot of scepticism at fi rst, January/February 2009 Flexitanks/Components BULKDISTRIBUTOR 5 EPT announces 100k litre pillow tank lexitank (Australia) has completed Fthe design, manufacture and re-engineered delivery of four 100,000 litre fl exible pillow bladder tanks to a Newcastle construction company. Different features of these fl exible BIG Red tanks include: the actual fl at size of 12 x 9.5 m meant that the full height of the pillow tanks was capped at 1.2 m, thus limiting the pressure on each bladder tank at capacity; two 100mm Flexitank BSP threaded stainless steel fi ttings are nvironmental Packaging said Steve Kennedy, global sales added as inlet/outlets for a maximum ETechnologies has announced a total manager of EPT. fl ow rate both in and out of the pillow redesign of its BIG Red Flexitank. To In addition to the rigid, returnable tanks; a 38mm automatic ventilation meet better the bulk shipping safety bulkhead, EPT continues to offer its point centrally located allowing needs of its customers, EPT partnered single-use standard bulkhead system. pressure to escape whilst not allowing with leading global engineering fi rms The standard bulkhead has been any liquid to bypass through the vent; The 100,000 litre pillow tank based in the USA to analyse and re- redesigned to simplify the installation 24 tie handles along the sides of the engineer crucial elements of its process and reduce assembly time. pillow tank helping to move and advantages over other conventional manifolded together to create vast fl exitank system. Using a new, patent pending bar position the empty tank, as well as tank storage options. Order date to amounts of storage for relatively small “The goal of this major investment in system, the improved bulkhead fi xing and holding the tank in place delivery date and deployment was less set up costs. Standard bladders are research and development was to incorporates the performance benefi ts when fi lled; reinforced PVC ground than three working weeks, meaning available for irrigation and potable challenge the current construction and of the energy management system sheets and protective covers to increase site downtime was reduced and water (to AS4020 drinking water materials used in our BIG Red Flexitank design. Customers have the option of the life span of fl exible tanks. construction could be started ahead of standards), diesel fuel and Avgas, and in other fl exitanks in the industry specifying either bulkhead when All fabrics used in the construction of schedule. recycled and waste water, as well as a to determine their strengths and ordering BIG Red Flexitanks. the tanks are UV stabilised and are fi re As the pillow tanks in a packaged vast array of chemicals and fertilisers. weaknesses,” stated Nancy Wendrock, The fl exibag itself has been retardant, offering maximum safety state fold down to approximately one- Bladders can be manufactured to meet president of EPT. She added: “By reconstructed using new, proprietary protection. The advantages of pillow tenth of full size, freight was strict EPA regulations, and Flexitank scientifi cally de-constructing our polyethylene fi lm for its double inner tanks in this application are claimed to completed in three days with minimal (Australia) is offi cially recognised as fl exitank, we were able to identify layers and incorporates a stronger be in lower positioning costs, along cost involved. Australian Defence Force suppliers, opportunities to improve the structural woven polypropylene outer layer. The with reduced set up and deployment Flexitank (Australia) manufactures a meaning every tank is tested in excess design and materials used for our outer layer is manufactured as a times. range of fl exible pillow tank bladders of 3 psi in a free form state, which is products, as well as develop completely seamless sleeve for added strength and As the pillow tanks offer a short, for a variety of applications ranging in the same standard applied to Defence new solutions.” durability, eliminating common vertical medium and long term storage option, capacities from 35 to 100,000 litres. specifi c works. One result of this innovative process is seam failures. their versatility offered many These pillow tanks can also be http://fl exitank.com.au the introduction of a rigid, reusable Based on research and customer and returnable bulkhead designed to feedback, EPT redesigned the BIG Red meet the high performance demands Flexitank compression fl ange, and safety regulations of global railway implementing a new, FDA approved authorities. Manufactured from high composite material. This new fl ange strength steel, the new BIG Red Rail material allows for a wider Girard steps up Bulkhead increases the distance compatibility with food and chemical between the product valve and the products and will accommodate two container doors and does not rely on inch or three inch valves. The new the container doors for support. three inch valve offers increased European presence Incorporating a patented energy loading and unloading rates for a management system, the bulkhead variety of products. irard Equipment Inc, which is best activities, which comprise two service included their fi tting to tanks holding design actually absorbs the energy Both the BIG Red Flexitank/Rail Gknown for the supply of and machining facilities, in Linden, New rocket fuel operating in the US Space created when cargo shifts in transit Bulkhead and the BIG Red Flexitank/ components to the US tank truck Jersey, and Houston; two sales offi ces, Shuttle programme. Girard worked with inside the container. This buffering Standard Bulkhead systems include a market, has taken a number of steps in Chicago and Manalapan, New Jersey; Columbiana Holding Company, the feature helps preserve the integrity of unique 3-ply abrasion wear sleeve. This recently to increase its commitment to and a new manufacturing facility in manufacturer of special fuel holding the container and minimises impact to improved barrier protects against poor the international tank container Vero Beach, Florida.” tanks and Lockheed Martin. Girard’s the cargo. The benefi ts to the container container conditions and eliminates the industry. Building on its strong US base Girard has been providing tank new manufacturing facility in Florida, and cargo directly address concerns timely and expensive practice of lining and an existing sales offi ce in Beijing, a container equipment for over 20 years, not far from Cape Canaveral, is assisting expressed by the Container Owners the container with tape and new European sales offi ce has been primarily in the North American in the development of closer ties with Association (COA) and exceed the new corrugation. established, with its base in the UK, aftermarket. Their business has grown the space industry. recommended COA Flexitank Code of All BIG Red Flexitanks are now under the direction of Barry Fiske, steadily. Girard is also taking its US road Another Girard innovation is the Practice. manufactured in the United States formerly technical director of Stolt Tank tanker component expertise out to a company’s newly styled, 3ins composite The BIG Red Rail Bulkhead requires no from US materials assembled in state- Containers. global market. Currently, 70% of the foot valve, which has an integrally tools to install and automatically of-the-art ISO 9001, ISO 14001, TS “While the European offi ce is geared company’s sales stem from the North joined butterfl y valve in the same cast adjusts to fi t different container widths. 16949 certifi ed facilities. “The to serving the region’s strong American road tanker business, but the body as the foot valve. Seals, repair The effi cient design of EPT’s new rigid improvements and product community of tank lessors, operators penetration of the European and Asian parts and O-ring have been minimised bulkhead signifi cantly reduces the enhancements we’re introducing in and service depots, the Beijing presence road tanker markets is also proceeding to keep the cost of ownership low. The installation time of the fl exitank system 2009 represent our ongoing provides a link with the new generation at a quick pace, as new products are valve is designed to optimise fl ow compared to industry standards and commitment to provide the highest of Chinese tank container being developed to meet local and through a conventional 3ins outlet, virtually eliminates errors during quality and safest fl exitanks in the manufacturers and the growing Asian regional requirements. providing full, unrestricted fl ow with full installation. “We’re excited about our industry,” stated Tatiana Golovina, tank transport infrastructure,” says Girard Equipment has gained draining capabilities. The TankFlo valve rigid bulkhead and pleased to offer our founder of EPT. Timothy Girard, president of Girard acceptance worldwide for its specially is designed to accept seals from several customers a viable fl exitank and www.eptpac.com Equipment. “The Girard global network designed pressure relief products. One manufacturers, most of which are bulkhead option for rail applications,” is completed by its extensive US of the newest components from Girard commercially available in repair depots is a PTFE-lined pressure relief vent around the world. The disc closure plate designed to protect the metallic vent can rotate past the centreline of the surfaces from degradation when in valve to allow for both sides of the contact with aggressive and/or corrosive closure plate to be thoroughly cleaned.  
   
 
 cargo. The valve has recently undergone Recent applications of Girard’s main line of pressure relief vents have Continued on page 6 



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 The new Tankfl o design by Girard Equipment comprises the three closure concept into this one neat package. Ease of cleaning and repair has been the main consideration in its design 6 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Components January/February 2009 Pelican launches fully New bottom loading adaptor ivacon, a division of OPW Fluid Transfer Group and a provider encapsulated gasket Cof cargo tank components and systems, has announced the elican Worldwide BV and its sister company PTFE Industries have availability of the new 891 Series API Bottom Loading Adaptor. The Pintroduced their latest development, a gasket for the 4ins 90deg API is claimed to have the highest fl ow rate currently on the Extended Pneumatic Driven Flowmaster Foot Valve. market. Recognising the crucial role bottom-loading adaptors play The gasket boasts a fully encapsulated FEP/Silicone ‘O’ Ring which in any bottom-loading system, Civacon has precision engineered ensures no media contact with its silicone rubber core, the leading and designed the 891 Series for long, dependable operation in design problem with other gaskets currently on the market, high-fl ow applications. according to Pelican. “A cycle test of 1000x was administered on The 891 Series is a direct replacement for Civacon’s 861 and 897 the PTFE gasket and it performed perfectly, coming through the test Series API Bottom Loading Adaptors, and all competitors bottom- completely undamaged,” said a company statement. loading adaptors. The new 891 API conforms to API RP-1004, ADR The gasket is in stock and ready to ship. Orders can be placed by and EN13083 specifi cations and is available in both openable and contacting the sales staff directly or through non-openable versions, all of which are compatible with diesel, www.pelicanworldwide.com. biodiesel, gasoline, ethanol and methanol. Other features and Additionally, PTFE Industries has a revamped and userfriendly benefi ts include a poppet seal that can be replaced without website. The new weight calculator is a useful online tool for removing the API from the tank; a computer-designed cam profi le; determining the precise weight of PTFE materials with the simple a fl at bottom design for minimal product retention; Viton GFLT click of a mouse. The site can be visited at www.ptfeinds.com. seals that are compatible with fuels and additives; stainless-steel Pelican Worldwide partners with PTFE Industries to combine its internals; a design that minimises pressure drop; and super-smooth experience in the metal parts industry with excellence in the gasket lever action. industry. Pelican can manufacture virtually any product while PTFE Four product styles are available: 891A - Openable API adaptor Industries is a leading manufacturer of gaskets, and PTFE (Polytetrafl with aluminum handle, two-piece body and hard-coated nose uoroethylene) skived sheets, tapes and fi lms. piece; 891BA - Openable API adaptor with aluminum handle, sight Custom thicknesses are available ranging from .002ins to .180ins glass, two-piece body and hard-coated nose piece; 891N - Non- and widths from 1/4ins to 48ins. openable API adaptor with two-piece design and hard-coated nose For additional information, please contact Frank van de Moosdijk The fully encapsulated FEP/Silicone ‘O’ Ring ensures no media contact with its silicone piece; 891NB - Non-openable API adaptor with sight glass, two- at [email protected] rubber core piece design and hard-coated nose piece www.civacon.com

EQUIPMENT, INC.

The new 891 API is available in both openable and non-openable versions

Continued from page 5

testing with a well-known competent authority under the strict guidelines of EN 14433:2006 European Standards. Girard has also launched a new bottom outlet valve specifi cally built for offshore vertical tanks. Since releasing the design in 2008, the orders have been brisk from customers throughout the world especially in the Texas and Gulf Coast region. Two other products that are being launched this year are the 2ins pressure/vacuum relief vent called the “sMart vent”. This product is designed specifi cally for the IBC market and passes all relevant UN regulations when used in company with the Girard’s own 3-SPF (stainless polymer fusible) cap. This cap when used alone adheres to all the relevant criteria for transporting fl ammable liquids in IBCs. However, it is only employed during catastrophic events such as a fi re about the container. Using the cap along with the “sMart vent” design will allow for the container effectively to “breathe” and make adjustments to the internal pressure of the tank while in transit. Girard Equipment also recently gained approval by the Association of American Railroads for their new line of pressure relief vents for rail tank cars. In October, 2008, Girard signed a marketing agreement with Salco Products of Lemont, Illinois to become the exclusive distributor for the Girard line on tank car vents. Girard’s exclusive European distributor for its full range of relevant tank container products and road tanker components is Van Doorn Container Parts BV based in Rotterdam. Van Doorn is well-equipped to provide service and support to Girard customers through its network of offi ces and spares parts centres throughout Europe and the Middle East. USA: +1 908 862 6300 “These are challenging times for tank component suppliers, with UK: +44 (0)1603 784999 issues like fuel price volatility and environmental concerns added to www.girardequip.com the fears generated by the fi nancial crisis,” added Girard. “Girard Equipment is well positioned to meet these challenges and to derive benefi t from the new opportunities that are opening up. For example, we have monitored the increasing production of biofuels and liquids from oil sands currently taking place and studied the equipment required for their transport. For Girard Equipment Parts Distribution “We are already supplying components for tank trucks carrying Authorized Distributor of Swift Products liquids from the new Canadian oil sands production and similar Cape Town, South Africa Netherlands developments are taking place elsewhere in North America. With (021) 906 2270 +31 10 429 60 30 these developments and the globalisation of our tank container equipment range, these are exciting times for Girard Equipment.” www.girardequip.com January/February 2009 Components BULKDISTRIBUTOR 7 BP opts for Emerson’s Endress+Hauser safety technologies mourns loss of merson Process Management has Ewon a contract to install its DeltaV company founder SIS safety instrumented system at fuel storage and distribution sites operated by BP Oil across the UK. BP Oil selected DeltaV SIS following an evaluation of the available technologies by Trident Engineering Consultants based in Glasgow. The fi rst system will be delivered to BP’s oil terminal at Hemel Hempstead, followed by further sites around the UK. “We have chosen Emerson to deliver these systems because of the fl exibility offered by the DeltaV SIS platform and the service and support that is available through Emerson’s network of global resources,” said Matt Atkinson, project manager for BP Oil. “We also have the reassurance of knowing that these systems have been proven at many other critical installations worldwide.” The Tank Overspill Protection Systems are designed to enhance existing safety measures, guarding against the The Tank Overspill Protection Systems are designed guard against the potential hazards resulting from a storage tank Endress+Hauser Group founder Dr Georg H Endress died in December 2008 potential hazards that would result being overfi lled from a storage tank being overfi lled. ndress+Hauser Group founder Dr Nevertheless, as a member of the Based on Emerson’s DeltaV SIS, the EGeorg H Endress died on 14 Supervisory Board, he played an active Tank Overspill Protection Systems will December 2008 after a brief illness a part in the successful development of monitor the tank level and few weeks before his 85th birthday. Endress+Hauser until shortly before his automatically shut off the feed to the Georg Endress was born in Freiburg, death. tanks if the level reaches the high cut Germany, in 1924. He took an As evidence of that success, the off limit. apprenticeship as a mechanic and company has opened a new building in Working closely with Trident fi nally studied engineering in Zurich. Weil am Rhein, close to the German- Engineering Consultants for the Hemel After working for several companies in Swiss border at Basel. Around 10m Hempstead project, and TAS Switzerland, Endress moved to have been invested in the extension of Engineering Consultants for the follow- England, to a company which Endress+Hauser Messtechnik’s premises on projects, Emerson’s Safety Systems manufactured a new type of electronic to provide a modern logistics centre. Engineers will design, confi gure, install level measurement device. The idea of a logistics center was fi rst and test the safety instrumented In 1953 the young Swiss engineer considered in 2005, with construction systems. This work will be completed in founded L Hauser KG together with of the building for Endress+Hauser accordance with Emerson’s own safety the experienced banker Ludwig Hauser. Logistik GmbH+Co KG beginning as management systems, which are Based in the German town of Lorrach, early as January 2007. Eighteen months certifi ed for compliance with the the new company was a distributor of later, the 3,700 sqm logistics building requirements of IEC61511 - the those same electronic level was ready for occupation next to the international standard for safety related measurement devices. Then in 1956 German sales centre. With around 35 systems in the process industries. the young company launched the fi rst employees from various “We are delighted that BP Oil has of its own measurement devices. New Endress+Hauser companies, the new chosen our DeltaV SIS,” said David sales markets and business areas were organisation has been in operation Dunbar, European president of communicates with intelligent devices the PlantWeb digital plant architecture, opened up step by step. Georg H since July 2008. Emerson Process Management. via the HART protocol to diagnose providing an integrated approach to Endress recognised the potential for Logistik GmbH+Co KG is comprised “DeltaV SIS delivers both improved faults before they cause spurious trips. complete safety loops - from sensor to growth outside Europe at an early of two departments: the corporate safety and increased availability and In other words, the system applies logic solver to fi nal control element. stage. In 1970 he founded subsidiaries logistics centre, responsible for makes it easier to meet the predictive intelligence to increase SIS The Emerson SIS solution enables in the USA and Japan, quickly followed everything to do with consolidation, requirements of IEC 61511.” availability. customers to implement safer facilities, by the move into China in the 1980s. packing and delivery; and the corporate Emerson’s DeltaV SIS is claimed to be The new technology takes into improve availability, lower life-cycle In addition to numerous honours, exhibition centre, whose employees the world’s fi rst smart safety account SIS standards that insist upon costs, and ease regulatory compliance. Endress was awarded the plan exhibitions and produce exhibition instrumented system. It uses the separation of control and safety The smart SIS system components Bundesverdienstkreuz 1st Class (Federal models that are made available to predictive diagnostics to monitor the functions to eliminate failures that include Rosemount and Micro Motion Service Cross) in 1984. In 1990 he was Endress+Hauser companies worldwide. whole safety loop, and not just the might affect both layers of protection, certifi ed and proven-in-use devices, the awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the “Project business with automation logic solver to make installations safer while answering end-users’ desire for DeltaV SIS system, SIL-PAC fi nal control University of Basel. In 1994 he became solutions is steadily expanding. Orders and more productive. Its design refl ects integrated confi guration, maintenance, solution with Fisher FIELDVUE Honorary Senator of the University of increasingly cover many instruments the fact that more than 85% of safety and operation. DVC6000 SIS controller, and the AMS Freiburg and holder of the medal for and individual parts for new plants, for faults occur in fi eld instruments or fi nal DeltaV SIS is part of Emerson’s smart Suite: Intelligent Device Manager. services to the German state of Baden- example in China, which have to be control elements. The logic solver SIS solution, which is an extension of www.EmersonProcess.com/SIS Wuerttemberg. In 2000 he was manufactured at several works in distinguished with the French insignia various countries,” said Berndt von of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. Winning, the company’s operations He received this honor, the highest manager. In order to avoid sending the award given by the French state, for his customer several individual shipments, contribution to international such orders will in future be understanding and his services to the consolidated by Logistik GmbH and FV unit for economic development of Alsace. He is shipped as one complete consignment also an Honorary Citizen of the city of - to all countries throughout the world. Indianapolis, United States, and the von Winning expects up to 6,000 German municipality of Maulburg. orders a month. “At the moment the He withdrew from business shelves are relatively empty, but very operations back in 1995, handing the soon up to 35 trucks will be rolling up offshore tanks leadership of the company group to his every day to drop off goods or collect ort Vale has applied its proven cast added longevity and maximum second oldest son, Klaus Endress. goods for transport,” he added. Fcomposite design to a new bottom protection against crevice corrosion, discharge arrangement for offshore the footvalve seat area is available with tanks. The new valve is less expensive, a Hastelloy insert. 66mm shorter in length and 7.8 kg To enquire, quote assembly number lighter in weight than a conventional 3- 804/0085XXA and contact part closure assembly. [email protected] It comprises a 3ins MKIII style Highlift Fort Vale is also adding a new gasket footvalve with “open-cage” reducing to its range of seals for 500mm to a 2ins integral fi re-safe designed ball manways. It is a square section valve terminating with a 2ins BSP cap. encapsulated O ring which enables an The assembly includes a sampling point increased area of contact between the with ball valve and plug. Alternatively, seal and the neckring. Moulded with the assembly may be terminated with an FEP outlet and a silicone core, it has the new 2ins dry break tank unit and no join, eliminating a possible product/ cap. contamination trap. It is compatible Additional advantages include a with a wide range of products and reduction in M&R costs due to operating temperatures. Part number eliminating the intermediate gaskets 5005-50FTQS is in stock and quantity and possible consequential leak path. discounts are available. The assembly uses common Contact the European Sales offi ce at consumables available from Fort Vale [email protected] The new Fort Vale cast composite discharge valve for authorised stockists worldwide. For offshore tanks E+H’s new logistics centre serves both corporate logistics and the exhibition division 8 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Tank Containers January/February 2009 Eastman Tank containers – safer, honours for VOTG stronger, more cost effective TG subsidiary VOTG Tanktainer Asia TCO president Reginald Lee gave a transport 123 drums. The time and Vhas received the Supplier Excellence Ispirited defence of tank containers at manpower to load and discharge tank Award from Eastman Chemical Asia the Intermodal 2008 conference, held containers is less than the equivalent Pacifi c in three categories. Two of these in Hamburg in December. ISO UN volume in drums. Cleaning costs are distinctions mark the achievements of portable tank containers are reduced, cargo residual is less and these companies in service provision, constructed to a very high standard and therefore disposal costs are reduced while the third honour was awarded to can withstand extreme incidents, he when cleaning.” Jenny Yeo individually, general manager told delegates. Lee took the opportunity to confi rm of VOTG Tanktainer Asia, in recognition “Each hazardous tank is rigorously that ITCO will fund a study of the use of her consulting and service provision. tested and approved by a classifi cation of tank containers in Asia. The board The Supplier Excellence Award society during construction, and the was due to select the fi nal two students distinguishes suppliers of Eastman regulations applicable to building tank who will carry out the study under the Chemical Asia Pacifi c who over-fulfi l containers ensure that the standards supervision of Professor Song at expectations as strategic service are maintained irrespective of the Shanghai Maritime University. partners and whose work is “always country of manufacture,” he said. The ITCO board has also agreed to reliable and of high quality”. There had been a few severe fund a study to be undertaken by VOTG Tanktainer is a subsidiary of accidents involving tank containers, but Professor Alan Braithwaite on the VTG Aktiengesellschaft, and the joint the critical point to make is that the carbon footprint of a tank container venture Shanghai Cosco VOTG tanks did not leak. However, the compared to drums, fl exitanks and Tanktainer. “We are of course very integrity of the tank container does not parcel tankers. happy that we received three awards in negate the necessity for proper “This (carbon footprint) has now one go,” said Heike Clausen, managing handling, he continued. “To maintain become an important item for many director of VOTG Tanktainer GmbH. the safety and integrity of the tank chemical company customers and it is “To think globally but act locally with container it is essential that they are Filling, transporting, shipping and discharging tank containers makes the greatest economic sense to the customer hoped that with this report our individual support pays off.” lifted, handled, transported and and the environment members will be able to demonstrate Eastman produces and markets secured using only ISO approved record as far as the environment is fi lling of the equivalent number of that tank containers have the best chemicals, fi bres and plastics. The equipment. Tank containers must be concerned. Over the past 25 years drums is expensive and time consuming carbon footprint for moving bulk liquid company, with its headquarters in fi lled to levels permitted by the instances of leakage from tank with greater risk of spillage; storage of chemicals,” said ITCO president Tennessee (USA) and a global appropriate regulations as it is very containers in transit have been very drums is expensive and spillage is a Reginald Lee. workforce of 10,500, generated sales dangerous to transport tank containers rare, and provided the cargo is danger if damage occurs; the transport “We have just started to study and it in 2007 of US$6.8 bn. which are not fi lled to the correct discharged correctly the residual of of drums is diffi cult and costly; awaiting will take 3-4 months to complete, but I www.vtg.com levels,” he stated. cargo in the tank is approximately suitable transportation to the end user feel that we are being proactive with The majority of accidents have 0.04% which reduces the disposal of for unloading leaves drums prone to this study as more and more customers occurred with empty unclean tanks. “It the product as “waste” when the tank handling damage and possible will be asking our members this is absolutely essential that empty is cleaned. The tanks are fully tampering or contamination; “drums question going forward.” unclean tanks are treated as if they intermodal and can be used on are diffi cult to clean, re-use is limited, Meanwhile ITCO secretary Willy were loaded with the last hazardous railroads to reduce the environmental disposal is expensive and Freson has been visiting the Messe product. Under no circumstances impact of road transportation. environmentally unfriendly”. Munich to agree fi nal details for the should a tank be entered until all safety Compared with drums, tank “The fi lling, transporting, shipping Tank Container Village at Transport checks are completed. It is essential containers have a number of distinct and discharging of a tank container Logistic 2009. Additional space has that only fully trained personnel are advantages, continued Lee. Tank makes the greatest economic sense to already been secured for a “bier permitted to enter tank containers. containers are versatile, “very long life” the customer and the environment,” he garten” which will be added to the They are confi ned spaces and the rules items of equipment which can be stated. “Standard ISO 20ft tank ITCO stand thus allowing members to for atmosphere measurement and loaded with a variety of cargoes containers have capacities up to 26,000 invite customers and suppliers to meet, To think globally but act locally with individual support venting must be observed,” Lee added. thereby reducing the need for empty litres; the equivalent of 123 205 litre sit and “maybe have a small drink” pays off, according to VOTG Tank containers also have a very good positioning. They offer safety with drums. It would also take approximately whilst they discuss business. minimal chance of leakage if the 1.6 standard 20ft ISO dry boxes to www.itco.be container is physically damaged, whereas drums in a damaged dry Hoyer acquires freight container are more likely to leak, he claimed. The risk of spillage is greatly reduced New tank depot in at fi lling and discharge in comparison Cork tank operator to multiple fi ll/discharge operation oyer Ireland has announced the transport lanes from and to Ireland and required for the equivalent drum Hacquisition of Cork-based ISO tank the UK, and fi ts perfectly into the volume, as one tank container can Malaysia and container business SCL Transport. structure of the Hoyer Group,” said mean just single load and discharge for SCL Transport is part of the Irish South Hoyer CEO Ortwin Nast. up to 26,000 litres of product. In ippon Concept Corphas has to clean about 500 tanks a month. Coast Transport Group of Fermoy. Other businesses of South Coast addition, the greater volume per Nopened one of Asia’s largest ISO Nippon Concept Malaysia previously The deal became effective on 5 Transport Group remain unaffected by container slot reduces container tank and repair depot facilities in Pulau operated a smaller depot that was able January and includes the transfer of the sale and continue as normal. movements. Indah, Port Klang, Malaysia. to clean 120-150 tanks a month. existing employees of SCL as well as Hamburg-based Hoyer is the world’s He then went to cite various reasons The facility covers 10,000 sqm and is “Our business has been on the up the entire 350 ISO tank containers and second largest tank container operator, why the drum could not compete with equipped with an advanced eco- after fi ve years operating in Malaysia, the box-container business. “The active in more than 80 countries, with a the tank container: transportation of friendly water treatment system, which hence our decision to build this new takeover of SCL Transport optimises our fl eet of 18,000 tank containers. bulk liquids from the factory to the is poised to strengthen the company’s facility,” he told Malaysian journalists. network, improves the utilisation of the customer using drums is costly; the operational effi ciency, quality “Furthermore, a large proportion of our assurance, services and safety customers who produce palm oil, standards. coconut oil and other types of liquid Nippon Concept Malaysia is a cargo for export to Japan, South Korea, subsidiary of Nippon Concept Corp Taiwan and Europe are based in (Japan) and Nippon Concept Singapore. Malaysia.” The US$4m facility is also Nippon The location of the facility adjacent to Concept’s fi rst cleaning and repairing Westports Malaysia also creates depot of its kind established outside operational convenience, it was Japan. The company’s four other claimed. Yamanaka said the company’s existing facilities are located in Tokyo, operations in Thailand, Indonesia and Tokuyama, Niigata and Kobe. India have also been growing and the According to vice-president Yasutoshi company would consider building Yamanaka the new depot will be able depot facilities there if the need arose.

Nippon Concept’s new depot will be able to clean about 500 tanks a month January/February 2009 Tank Containers BULKDISTRIBUTOR 9 NTtank team strengthened ane Shu has been appointed as vice privately owned enterprise founded in Tank container operators Jpresident of NTtank in Nantong. She 1986, and the largest freezing will report directly to the chairman equipment manufacturer in China. Huang Jie. Already known to the tank NTtank’s new workshop covers course – first time in Dubai industry from ZZTC and most recently 18,500 sqm, with a stock yard of a Perolo, Shu brings long experience to further 20,000 sqm. The designed ew Alchemy is to run its Tank containers where T-codes replace IMO the two-volume IMDG Code also gain a the team at NTtank. annual manufacturing capacity is NContainer Operators Course for the types for tank container descriptions. further 15% reduction – it must be this NTtank was established as a tank estimated at around 5,000 units. fi rst time in Dubai. From Sunday 17 to He assisted in the development of edition and not an earlier one. container manufacturer in 2007. The In May 2008 NTtank’s self-designed Thursday 21 May 2009 the popular Chapters 4.2 and 6.7 of the IMDG Numbers are limited to a maximum of company is located in Nantong, Jiangsu collar tank was approved by Lloyd’s fi ve-day course, specially designed for Code and also produced the fi rst draft 12 per course. Please email applications Province, and is part of the Nantong Register. tank container operators, and now in of the Circular from the IMO which to [email protected] as Freezing Equipment Co, Ltd. (NTFE), a www.nttank.com its twenty-third year, will be presented seeks to explain more fully the quickly as you can to reserve a place on in Dubai due to strong demand. transitional arrangements. Trainees will the June presentation. No postal Led by Roy Boneham with experience receive a copy of this important advertising is planned for this course. in tank containers going back to the document. Trainees will also receive a This is a non-residential course; trainees 1970s, this course examines dangerous copy of the recently revised United requiring accommodation should make goods regulations, the classifi cation of Nations Guidelines for assigning T- their own arrangements. chemicals, design and construction of codes as well as details of forthcoming Refreshments and a light lunch will be tanks and fi nally operating substantial changes to some of the T- provided each day. The course is highly requirements whereby the previous codes taking effect from 1 Jan 2009 intensive, from 08.45 to 18.00 each parts of the course are all brought and from 1 Jan 2011. day with an earlier fi nish on the last together. It will provide an invaluable The working language will be English day. Test questions for completion in-depth introduction to operating and the training course costs during the evening will also be set. conditions. US$2,000. It has been possible to For further information: Roy Boneham participated in the negotiate a small reduction on last New Alchemy Training and Consultancy work of the United Nations Committee year’s price. Trainees registering by 23 Organisation of Experts Portable Tank Working April 2009 may claim an earlybird Tel: + 44 1704 537094 Group which led to the provisions for discount of 5%. Trainees who bring Fax: + 44 1704 501144 the second generation of tank with them their own 2008 edition of www.newalchemy.co.uk Jane Shu (left) pictured with vice president engineering Lou Xiaohua New operations director for Abicon bought Suttons International etherlands-based tank container of both Abicon and ABC Container sales and marketing manager and uttons Group has announced the experience in transport, storage and Nrepair and leasing group Abicon Lease. Martijn van Konijnenburg as depot and Sappointment of Clive Oakley as bulk logistics and is one of the UK’s has been bought by fellow Dutch The positions of Cihangir Pekkan as repair manager remain unchanged. operations director of Suttons largest privately owned specialist company Global Container Netwerk BV. International Limited. Oakley was logistics companies with key business Following on from this the Global previously vice president, logistics and centres across the world. One of three Container Netwerk board of directors supply chain at Cemex UK; prior to that divisions within Suttons, Suttons has accepted the resignations of Robert he held senior management roles in International provides specialist bulk van Konijnenburg as managing director New from Ebro procurement in ICL/Fujitsu and liquid and gas logistics on a global of Abicon Container Sales & Repair BV panish speciality tank manufacturer Ebrotank has introduced two new Whitbread plc. He will be based at the scale, with a modern fl eet of 4,000 and Rick Moret as managing director of Sdesigns. One is a 40 ft tank container for LNG, which also acts as process company’s head offi ce in Widnes, bulk liquid and 800 gas tank ABC Container Lease BV. Both equipment onboard ships. The other is a design for asymmetrical swap tank Cheshire and report to John Sutton, containers. The company’s offi ce resignations were said to be due to containers. Ebrotank says the tanks’ asymmetry allow two of the tanks to be managing director of Suttons network includes New Jersey, Houston, health reasons. transported in a standard 60 ft railway container carrier, normally designed to International. Antwerp, Essen, Le Havre, Kuantan, Arthur JW van der Hoeven has transport three 20 ft ISO containers. Suttons has 80 years global Shanghai and Tokyo. assumed the role of managing director 10 BULKDISTRIBUTOR FIBCs January/February 2009 Heavy-duty, multi-trip big bags due for a renaissance? Though ultra-strong bulk bags made from PVC and similar waterproof materials tend to be at least 10 times more expensive than conventional woven polypropylene FIBCs, they are infi nitely more durable. With service life calculated in terms of years rather than number of trips, they are also far more cost-effective for long-term use as well as being more environmentally friendly since their longevity signifi cantly reduces packaging waste.

t is often forgotten that the fi rst types of bulk bag were not made type of big bag, the market for the product has remained stable in Iof woven polypropylene, but of a stronger and heavier high- recent years. He estimates that annual sales are in the region of tenacity woven cloth covered with a thick weather-proof coating. 400,000 units and his company alone sold about 210,000 of these Whilst the lighter PP category of bag started to gain widespread heavy-duty big bags in 2008. Taiyo Kogyo also makes conventional acceptance in the late 1970s, its heavier counterpart had already PP bulk bags. been around for a decade or longer. Indeed early bulk bag Because of the signifi cantly longer service life of the PVC type of prototypes made from canvas type material are believed to have bulk bag, companies that want to reduce packaging costs as well as been used even before the Second World War. waste volumes tend to choose this product in preference to However, the advent of far cheaper single-trip and limited-trip traditional PP woven FIBCs. Especially in cases where a closed-loop woven PP bags almost completely eclipsed heavy-duty, multi-trip pattern of bulk distribution is adopted, it can prove far more designs, to the extent that nowadays global sales of the former are economical and safe to use heavy-duty, multi-trip big bags rather measured in terms of 300 million-plus units, compared probably than single-trip or reusable FIBCs made of woven polypropylene. with no more than about one million of the latter. Apart from being far stronger than PP bags to withstand the wear In Japan heavy-duty big bags made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and and tear of repeated trips, rehandling, fi lling and discharge other tarpaulin-type materials have been widely employed for over operations, the material used in the construction of Taiyo Containers 40 years. Here they are mainly used by producers of resins and offers greater resistance to UV degradation. Another advantage is chemicals for domestic transport and storage purposes, and also by that the material is washable and, unlike woven PP fabric, does not the food industry. When used for carrying foodstuffs these big bags shrink after washing and drying. Because of their welded are made from materials that comply with food-contact safety construction these bags are also waterproof and can offer total regulations, or alternatively they are fi tted with PE inner liner. Thanks protection from rain or moisture ingress without need for an inner to the excellent bulk logistics infrastructure that exists in Japan liner. involving use of these heavy-duty big bags, it is not uncommon for Whilst it is not safe to try to repair PP bulk bags, and the practice is them to achieve a service life of more than 10 years. Maintenance outlawed in most countries, Taiyo Containers can easily and safely plants are located in most of Japan’s major industrial areas offering be repaired by HF welding or heat-sealing machines without any loss washing, drying and repair services for this category of bulk bag. of strength. These heavy-duty big bags can also offer advantages over rigid- Reduced packaging disposal costs type IBCs. They can be folded into one-tenth their fi lled size before or after use, eliminating the need for large volumes of space According to Daiki Shirai from the Logistic Systems Division of Taiyo otherwise needed for transport and storage of empty containers. Kogyo Corporation, the foremost Japanese manufacturer of this They are also normally less expensive than rigid IBCs or steel/plastic drums.

RFID tracking

In addition to PVC type heavy-duty big bags, Taiyo Kogyo can also offer categories made of olefi n-based materials such as EVA Taiyo Kogyo bag being folded for delivery back to the customer after being washed; unlike PP (ethylene-vinyl acetate) and PE tarpaulins have been developed fabric FIBCs, this type of big bag does not shrink as a result of wet cleaning which allow the bags to be lighter and fully recyclable. Conductive bags made of synthetic rubber and PE tarpaulins are also available operational management services for heavy-duty big bags. By means for operation in environments where there is a risk of dust or vapour of a unique bag tracking system utilising RFID technology, the explosion. By employing special resin in the construction of the company is able to provide its customers with effective solutions, tarpaulin, the company has more recently developed heavy-duty resulting in a faster logistics cycle for the bags and reduced bags with enhanced barrier properties and greater heat resistance. packaging costs. Taiyo Kogyo Group is also the only organisation in The Taiyo Kogyo Group operates six maintenance plants Japan offering recycling services for heavy-duty big bags, producing strategically located around Japan: in Ibaraki, Aichi, Osaka, plastic pallets from the recycled material. Okayama, Fukuoka and two in Chiba. Maintenance services include In recent months the company has begun promoting the ecological collecting, washing and repair of used bags. It has also set up benefi ts of using Taiyo Containers, with special emphasis on Warehouse storage of fi lled Taiyo Kogyo big bags Transport & Distribution Service, Inc, a company specialising in companies which give priority to sustainability issues. It has been demonstrated that by reusing these types of bags over a long period of time, users can reduce industrial waste as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

2000 trips or more from a single bag

Structure-fl ex, based in Melton Constable, Norfolk, UK, is Europe’s foremost manufacturer of heavy-duty, multi-trip big bags. These are usually made from a PVC-coated fabric and are high-frequency welded to ensure an extremely long and safe service life. They are able to withstand multiple trips over a period of 5-10 years or more and it is not uncommon for a single bag to achieve in excess of 2000 trips with only minimal signs of wear and tear and no loss of strength. Structure-fl ex sales & marketing manager Matt Doughty explains that although this type bag is 10-15 times more expensive than a conventional FIBC made from woven PP, it can outperform the cheaper PP bag in terms of number of trips by a factor of 50- 100 times, depending on the application. For this reason the more expensive category of multi-trip bag can prove to be a far more economic investment than conventional PP bags, despite its much higher initial purchase cost. Moreover, its longevity ensures major cost savings in terms of reduced disposal of packaging waste, a problem that is becoming increasingly acute for users of conventional FIBCs.

Structure-fl ex heavy-duty big bags can provide complete weather protection for materials stored outdoors and they are not damaged by strong sunlight January/February 2009 BULKDISTRIBUTOR 11

prepared to provide a fi nance scheme which enables the customer to pay for PVC-type bags over a 36 month period in monthly instalments. A single payment in month 37 secures a life-time rental on the bags. There is no more to pay after this and, assuming the bags have a service life in excess of fi ve years, they can be used free of charge for the fi nal two-plus years. The welded construction of Structure-fl ex heavy- duty big bags ensures dustproof seams and repairability together with the performance characteristics of a lined PP FIBC, but without the Fulfiller need for a liner. These PVC-type big bags can be readily tailored to the requirements of a specifi c Container Loader System application, are available with a choice of outer coatings including food-grade, oil resistant, high- Filling the space with reliable performance... temperature and static conductive types, and in all cases the construction ensures complete protection from water, moisture and ultra-violet degradation. UN-approved versions are also available for transport of hazardous materials. For these last reasons Doughty points out that PVC-type bags are especially well suited for applications where intermittent batch deliveries of, for example, chemicals allow the recipient to store Structure-fl ex bag being fi lled; remote pull-cord systems are available products outdoors if warehouse storage becomes for discharge full, without any risk of the bags’ contents being Nevertheless, if a potential customer is damaged. This helps provide greater fl exibility in contemplating the purchase of hundreds, stock management. This type of big bag is thousands or even tens of thousands of PVC-type particularly popular for these reasons in the oil bags, the initial investment cost is considerable exploration industry for handling and storing and can prove to be a major stumbling block. materials such as blasting grit. Their robust Faced with this dilemma, many buyers are construction can withstand rough handling and tempted to take the easy way out and opt for outdoor storage in hot sunshine of 30-40ºC, while cheaper PP bags although they are aware that in at the same time affording complete moisture the long term the more expensive PVC-type bag protection of hygroscopic powders. will prove to be far more cost-effective. Sometimes Another major attraction of the Structure-fl ex the buyer can be scared of incurring the heavy-duty big bags is that they can easily be displeasure of employers by purchasing the more repaired without in any way compromising their expensive type of bag, even to the point of structural strength. Punctures and minor tears can jeopardising future promotion prospects or risking normally be patched by the user but the company dismissal, so consequently the cheaper type of bag recommends that gashes of 15cm length or more is selected if only to safeguard the buyer’s should be given expert attention at Structure-fl ex’s employment security, resulting in the user workshop facilities. company wasting a great deal of money longer Larger designs of Structure-fl ex big bags can term. safely carry up to 2.5t of material and under these circumstances the company is able to provide a Lease rental and payment by pull-cord remote discharge release system so that instalment the operator does not need to incur the risk of standing beneath the bag immediately prior to Structure-fl ex is aware of this problem and is often unloading.

® FIBCs...

Features & Benefits Structure-flex offers:

• a broad range of products High Speed Filling of Containers • competitive pricing Fast Vehicle Turn Around Time from international sources of supply Maximises Available Storage Capacity • low volume availability Modular Configuration on short lead times Quick and Easy Maintenance • innovative product Ex-Stock Delivery of Standard Units development Cost Effective Sale or Rental Options • technical support and 80 Years of Bulk Materials Handling Dry Bulk customer service Packaging

An international bulk bag industry, centred around a range of products known collectively as Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers [FIBCs] has grown out of Structure-flex’s original product, the Big Bag, which www.schenckprocess.com

remains one of the company’s most [email protected] +44 (0) 1453 762602 / 763582 762602 +44 (0) 1453 successful products, a weather proof 763611 +44 (0) 1453

and highly reusable long life FIBC. Redler Limited Stock House, Dudbridge, Stroud, Redler England Gloucestershire GL5 3EY Te l : Fax: email: Website:

Contact Structure-flex Ltd: Tel: 01263 863 100 Fax: 01263 863 110 Email: [email protected] Web: www.structure-flex.co.uk 12 BULKDISTRIBUTOR FIBCs January/February 2009 Desperate times ahead for more than one leading Turkish FIBC producer Four of the world’s top 10 FIBC producers are Turkish*, and two of these rank globally among the top three in terms of both advanced manufacturing technology and production capacity.

et prospects are bleak for at by Cesur over an agreed time. Ms Cesur also plans to increase its sales Balikesir, Turkey, in 1968, and has Yleast one of these Röwemeier has agreed to continue as a in the USA. Although the company has grown to become one of the world’s companies on account of shareholder and director of the been supplying its products to the US largest and most respected FIBC crippling indebtedness which, company. market for more than 15 years, Europe producers. owing largely to the continuing As a result of recent changes in the has always been its primary market. With its modern production and uncertain economic climate and world economy Cesur has been obliged With this in mind, and to offer a more warehouse facilities, all located in turmoil in the global banking to adapt some of its own international local service and warehousing facilities Turkey, which occupy a total indoor systems, seems likely to result business interests. For example in the to its US customers, Cesur has decided area of 160,000 sq m, the company is Far East, to enable the company to to use the facilities of its joint venture almost unrivalled in terms of its huge in imminent insolvency unless sustain its competitiveness in certain company, International Dunnage Co manufacturing capacity, its state-of- one of its competitors is business sectors, it has opened a new based in Savannah, GA. the-art production facilities and its vast prepared to throw a life line. joint-venture company with an Indian Thanks to its own global sales industry experience. As a result of a There is little point in having Cengiz Cesur, president of Cesur Packaging, Hildegard production facility. Rather than just network and extensive distribution massive 86 million euro investment Röwemeier, managing director of Technopac and Cihan huge production capacity and Cesur utilise the extra production capabilities capabilities, the company has the over the past four years, the company full order books if there is of a third party, as is the custom of opportunity to serve and satisfy the has doubled its capacity during this insuffi cient liquidity to pay the purchase of a new tape line, weaving many of its competitors, Cesur has needs of multinational blue-chip period. Owing to the importance that workforce or to buy raw looms and also a blown fi lm extruder established a purchasing offi ce in India, companies. With the cooperation of Isbir attaches to product quality as well materials. in addition to other conversion in close proximity to the manufacturing Technopac, it has again signed a rolling as to quality consistency, the doubling Debant, brought to its knees equipment which became operational plant, which constantly checks and yearly contract with chemical giant of capacity is being supported entirely in December. monitors the quality of all Ciba for the global supply of its FIBCs by the renewed production machinery by an unsustainable level of With the integration of the new manufactured output. These controls in 2009. as well as by special enhancements debt, was the most recent high- equipment, monthly FIBC production also cover trans-global shipments, Apart from being the only licensed made to existing manufacturing profi le casualty among leading capacity has been increased from ensuring that customer timescales are European producer of Crohmiq static- equipment. General manager Erdem Turkish FIBC companies. At least 350,000 to 450,000 four-loop bags, always met in line with their dissipative fabric, the company has Aydin explains that these investments one other well-known name and from 200,000 to 250,000 single requirements. recently introduced a number of in latest technology ensure that the seems likely to go before the point lift bags. innovative products which are highest level of quality consistency is year is out. With the continuing success of Cesur manufactured at its own production achieved. UK and Cesur France, the parent facilities. These include baffl e liners, net At the end of 2008 Isbir opened a Cesur Packaging company has now become a baffl e bags, conductive aluminium third manufacturing plant of 80,000 sq Cesur reports that 2008 was another shareholder in its German distributor liners, and single-loop FIBCs on a roll. m indoor area, which is larger than the successful year for the company and Technopac GmbH (www.technopac.de) combined size of the other two plants production capacity has been increased which achieved record sales last year. Isbir Sentetik which became operational in 1968 and by 20% to deal with expanding sales. An agreement has just been reached Despite the worsening economic 2005. These three manufacturing Latest plant investment includes the between Cesur Corporation and conditions and increased global facilities have a total indoor area of Hildegard Röwemeier, MD of competition, Isbir has been celebrating 145,000 sq m and there is an * Latest news from three of these manufacturers is reported here, and we hope to feature the fourth, Technopac, which will involve the its 40th anniversary with well deserved additional 15,000 sq m of indoor area Sunjüt, in the March/April Bulk Distributor. majority shareholding being acquired New net baffl e bag from Cesur Packaging pride. The company was established in given over to warehousing and various January/February 2009 FIBCs BULKDISTRIBUTOR 13

Retail Consortium / Institute of sectors. According to the company, this Packaging) for its China Plant, Unsa has been achieved through its Hangzhou Packaging Manufacturing commitment to increased capacity, a Co. Prior to this, Unsa China was high level of product quality and granted AIB certifi cation, having competitive pricing. achieved an “excellent” score rating in Sezer points out that in recent May 2008. months many of the group’s existing Unsa China is already accredited and customers have reduced FIBC usage fully operating in accordance with ISO owing to their lower output levels. 22000 certifi cation, which integrates Production of food-grade FIBCs at Unsa Hangzhou However, he says that Unsa has risen to the principles of the Hazard Analysis Packaging Manufacturing Co this challenge and has successfully and Critical Control Point (HACCP) balanced the effect of the global system and application steps developed supply network covering North economic downturn with a healthy Isbir total investments (euros), 2005-2008 by the Codex Alimentarius America, Europe and more recently the increase of new sales brought about by Commission. Pacifi c region comprising Unsa its commitment to product innovation support enterprises. is currently under construction and is Unsa Group with its three plants (two America, Unsa Benelux (Ligtermoet, a and to developing new customers and At the end of 2008 Isbir’s production scheduled to come on stream later this located in Turkey and one in China), all major Unsa shareholder), Unsa China, market sectors alike. capacity had reached 48,000t/yr. The year. Forming part of the newly opened accredited with ISO 22000, BRC and Unsa France, Unsa Deutschland, Unsa He maintains that a major advantage manufacturing facilities, all owned by 80,000 sq m plant, it will encompass AIB certifi cation, is now the world’s France, Unsa Italy, Unsa Nordic, Unsa his company has to offer in the current the company, allow for an annual all stages of production from raw largest food-grade FIBC supplier, Spain, Unsa UK and Rebu (the Unsa- climate is its corporate structure and production capacity of 20 million FIBCs. materials, yarn and fabric weaving according to group deputy general Ligtermoet joint venture FIBC fi nancial strength. During this global In Plant 1, the oldest of the three, all through to the fi nished FIBCs. manager Mr Can Sezer. It provides reconditioning centre in the economic downturn, large and small machines are of fl at weaving type and Owing to the importance of ensuring food-grade FIBCs to food producers all Netherlands). companies alike are eager to work with are equipped with extrusion lines absolute purity of raw material over the world. These products are Due to the challenging economic well established FIBC manufacturers to which supply the necessary input deliveries and storage for the clean manufactured at its wholly owned and situation today, many industry sectors secure their supply continuity in these goods. room production facility, inbound fully integrated plants, in compliance have taken steps to reduce their diffi cult times. This trust, he says, is Plants 2 and 3 concentrate on tubular plastic powders and granulates are with the relevant international food production capabilities. However, the bringing new business opportunities to and fl at fabric production for FIBCs and stored in the 11 new above-mentioned standards. Unsa China has been in world FIBC market currently consumes his company as currently there are many here the bags are made up. All food-grade stainless steel silos, each of operation since 2006 and has to date approximately 250 million units per FIBC producers without such a robust production, assembly and fi nal storage which has a capacity of 120t. These supplied over four million FIBCS to annum, says Can Sezer. Thanks to its corporate structure (the Unsa of the fi nished bags – from stainless raw materials are transported to the USA, Europe and the Asia-Pacifi c global sales and distribution network, shareholder structure includes a Dutch steel silos storing the plastic raw silos in specially designed road powder region. Unsa is confi dent that it retains a investor, an investment bank and a well materials, including feeding systems, tankers which belong to Isbir. Sezer claims that Unsa China is the healthy and balanced customer known and established Turkish family). packaged fabric rolls, through to the Plant 2 also includes a test laboratory most technologically advanced FIBC portfolio, where customer relationships Sezer says that his company sees the fi nished product – are carried out for Type D static-dissipative FIBCs. Here plant in Asia. With its 450 employees, have been fi rmly established over many current global economic downturn as under strictly monitored hygienic the company’s Type D bags, which are this fully integrated facility is capable of years of consistent supply and local an opportunity to expand its worldwide conditions which have been certifi ed to certifi ed by the Swiss Institute of Safety producing a broad range of FIBCs service support. This customer base is coverage and increase market share. ISO 22000, HACCP and AIB standards. and Security, are tested in accordance including standard U-panel and also evenly spread throughout the Consequently, he states that Unsa An integrated clean room production with the IEC 61340-4-4 standard. formstable designs as well as fl at major industrial regions of the world. shareholders have agreed a capital plant, catering for the needs of woven UN certifi ed bags and Type C With the recent addition of its increase of seven million euros during customers who require all stages of Unsa Ambalaj FIBCs to combat electrostatic hazards. manufacturing the fi rst quarter of 2009 to reinforce its FIBC production to be carried out Unsa reports that it has successfully Unsa currently has an annual plant in China, position. under strictest clean room conditions, obtained BRC/IoP certifi cation (British combined manufacturing capacity of Unsa says that it 10 million FIBCS from its own has succeeded in Cesur Packaging production facilities, just half that of its penetrating new competitor Isbir. Current output from markets and also www.cesur.com Unsa Turkey is around 7.5 million bags increased its Isbir Sentetik with an additional 2.5 million produced percentage share www.isbirsentetik.com by the Chinese plant. of sales with Unsa Ambalaj In addition to its wholly owned existing customers www.unsa-tr.com production sites, Unsa Group also Can Sezer, deputy general throughout Isbir’s new state-of-the-art Plant 3 which came on stream at the beginning of 2009 incorporates an established global manager of Unsa Group different industrial Demand Planning Focus Day: Tuesday 31st March 2009 Main Conference: Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd April 2009 Hilton Düsseldorf, Germany www.logichemeurope.com Gain strategic insight from 42 Experts including: Robert Blackburn, KEYNOTE Join 250 Of Your SVP & Head, Global Colleagues And Peers Supply Chain Operations, BASF Bob Common, At Europe’s Premier Director Global Distribution, Invista Meeting Place For The Patrick Bian, Global Supply Chain Director, Chemical Industry! Cabot Corporation Jaap-Jan De Bokx, “Every time I attend, I take back valuable Europe and Africa Land Logistics input that I can put into practice over the Manager, Shell Chemicals comingmonths-asuperb event” Johan Van Den Broeck, Laurent Hanssen, European Supply Chain Manager, Director Supply Chain Akzo Nobel and Purchasing, “The only European chemical supply Tessenderlo Chemie chain conference worth attending” Peter Viebig, Joe Przeworski, Global Supply Chain Director, Head of Logistics Procurement, Ineos ChlorVinyls Bayer Material Science

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS: Controlling, monitoring and mitigating supply chain risk to safeguard operational continuity and maintain a competitive edge Exploring alternative modes of transport to overcome capacity challenges and increase efficiency Developing a standardised supply chain model to reduce customer complexity, maximise resource utilisation and cut costs Integrating sales and operational planning to improve supply chain capability, agility and responsiveness Leveraging key metrics to dramatically drive the performance of your 3PL partnership Establishing whether a centralised or decentralised logistics model will enable you to streamline your supply chain and boost service levels Designing a green supply chain to transform eco-efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction and transform your brand reputation REGISTER TODAY! Quote Reference ADBULK To Receive An Additional €100 Off Your Conference Price! T: +44 (0)20 7368 9465 F: +44 (0)20 7368 9401 E: [email protected] W: www.logichemeurope.com January/February 2009 Logisitics BULKDISTRIBUTOR 15 Rail Cargo Austria completes MAV purchase RCA. By exploiting synergies, Riessland European countries. This will expected a positive contribution of strengthen the two companies RCA MAV Cargo already in 2009. and MAV Cargo on the Danube Peter Klugar, spokesperson for the corridor and offer a continuous board of OBB-Holding AG, (Austrian connection not only to the Ukraine but Railways) emphasised the signifi cance also to the Black Sea and the Balkans. of the merger: “MAV Cargo is an ideal “Already, three quarters of the entire match for the international ambitions OBB freight transport is cross-border,” of the OBB Group. Together, we will added RCA board member Ferdinand become a European heavyweight on a Schmidt, who pointed out that the par with the major logistics East-West axis is continuously gaining companies.” importance for freight transport. In future, it will be possible to Rail Cargo Austria and MAV Cargo optimise the handling of freight together will play a central role in transport between the different train wagon management in Central and systems of Western and Southeastern Southeastern Europe. Zahony is the Europe and the CIS countries. transfer station from broad gauge to Furthermore, MAV Cargo will play an standard gauge and is to be developed important role in the combined into a gate for markets in Italy, France transport sector in the Southeast and Switzerland.

Shake hands: Istvan Heinczinger, general director of MAV AG (left), with Friedrich Macher, spokesman of Management Board, Rail Cargo Austria

ail Cargo Austria completed the MAV Cargo. MAV Cargo will be an independently Rpurchase of MAV Cargo, the freight The two groups employ 11,000 acting company within the RCA group unit of Hungary’s state railway, in workers and have an annual turnover with profi t and loss responsibilities. December. Combined Rail Cargo of around €2.75bn. Using a wagon “The purchase price of 400m is Austria and MAV Cargo form the fl eet of 33,000 units, the enterprise reasonable, as the merger allows an leading freight rail company in south- transports more than 140m tonnes per extension of railway transport in eastern Europe. RCA is investing year. The transport capacity amounts to Central and Eastern Europe,” said around €400m in the acquisition of more than 28bn tonne-kilometres. Guenther Riessland, board member of Buying MAV Cargo is critical to RCA’s ambition to become a European logistics heavyweight Bus stop call for shuttle First test for barge container service 1km freight he ‘green’ barge shuttling containers Ellesmere Port fi ts well with the ethos of footprint of the logistics industry.” Tup the Manchester Ship Canal from our organic activities and provides the The liquid molasses is moved from o demonstrate its technical feasibility Port of Liverpool is now making a most economic and environment Ellesmere Port to the Shropshire TDeutsche Bahn and the Netherlands- regular ‘bus stop’ call at Ellesmere Port friendly method of inland processing plant of Prime Molasses based infrastructure operator KeyRail en route to Irlam Container Terminal. transportation.” Limited for distribution to farms and tested 1,000-metre long freight trains The push tug and barge discharged an The dawn discharge of the containers animal feed manufacturers across the on the Betuweroute between initial 50 containers of organic molasses at Ellesmere Port was undertaken by country. Oberhausen and Rotterdam for the fi rst shipped into Liverpool’s Royal Seaforth Quality Freight (UK) Limited using their Frank Robotham, marketing director time in December. Container Terminal by Mediterranean new £1m Liebherr 150 mobile harbour of Peel Ports Group, which owns Port of Project GZ1000 is being fi nanced by the Shipping Company from Paraguay, crane. An hour later, the barge sailed for Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Federal Ministry of Economics and before sailing on up the Canal with its next delivery stop at Irlam Container Canal, commented: “Adding a regular Technology. An increase in transport boxes of Tesco wines bound for Terminal on the Ship Canal. call at Ellesmere Port to the shuttle’s capacity on the current network is in the Manchester. The molasses is being Sebastian Gardiner, managing director sailing schedule increases the fl exibility interests of the German government in shipped into the UK by the Organic of Quality Freight (UK) Ltd, added: “It of the service to shippers seeking a cost order to relieve bottlenecks, for Division of Uren Food Group Limited for was a text book discharge operation effective and environmentally sensitive example, on seaport hinterland routes. distribution as livestock feed to which we now expect to repeat on a means of moving their cargoes in and As part of the project, the technical, organically certifi ed farms. regular basis for containers carrying not out of the North West of England. We operational and economic feasibility of Director James Uren, who founded the just molasses, but other cargoes bound are delighted that more companies such deploying freight trains with a length of organic division of the family business for the North of England. Quality Freight as Uren Food Group are using this 1,000m is to be investigated. The 13 years ago, commented: “The is working with Peel Ports to grow the transhipment service to minimise both purpose of the trials is to obtain waterborne onward movement of the volume of freight moved by barge and costs and their carbon footprint.” practical knowledge and experience in containers from Port of Liverpool to reduce the road miles and carbon the operation of very long freight trains. DB operations are currently designed for trains with a maximum length of 750m. By deploying very long trains network capacity can be Successful trials took place in spring of used more effectively, claims DB this year between Hamburg and Denmark with trains of up to 835m in predicted increase in transport length. “Rail freight has a future performance and get more freight because it is environmentally friendly. transported by environmentally What is now important is to increase compatible rail services,” said Dr capacity in a way that makes sense, and Christian Kuhn, the member of the thus make routes more effi cient, and to management board of Railion do that across borders, which means to Deutschland AG responsible for block go international,” said Dr Lutz Buecken, train transport. general representative Integrated “By deploying very long trains, network systems rail, describing the company’s capacity restricted at certain points can involvement in Project GZ 1000. “We be used more effectively. To achieve this, are managing the research project in the appropriate construction changes will DB Group, because it equally affects have to be made to the infrastructure. both the infrastructure and operations.“ This will include increasing the length of “Longer freight trains not only enhance passing loops and modifying the rail operations, they create space for command and control technology,“ additional trains. This competitive added Oliver Kraft, operations manager The latest barge service builds on the pioneering shipment of wines for Tesco started at end 2007 advantage will help us to cope with the of DB Netz AG. 16 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Logisitics January/February 2009

InterBulk to build Duisburg hub LogiChem 2009 – BD nterBulk Group is to build a Central invest in our transportation network and this strategic initiative we aim to provide IEuropean hub for intermodal shipments the development of duisport into a major our customers with a high quality and cost reader discount on a 20,000 sq m site in Port of Duisburg, gateway,” says Erich Staake, CEO of effective solution to receive, transfer and ulk Distributor readers can benefi t from a €100 discount to attend on the German Rhine. The terminal is the Duisburger Hafen AG. store containerised dry and liquid bulk Bthe LogiChem 2009 conference, held in Dusseldorf on 31 March – largest of the group to date. Koert van Wissen, InterBulk’s chief products.” 2 April. The terminal will be twice as large as executive offi cer, adds: “This is a very www.interbulkgroup.com LogiChem 2009 is the eighth annual European Bulk and Speciality other facilities of the company, creating a important milestone for InterBulk. Through Supply Chain Conference. The organisers say that LogiChem is the total of 30 to 40 new jobs. The installation’s only place where delegates will meet and hear fi rst-hand from leading annual cargo handling capacity will be chemical companies across Europe, in order to: approximately 25,000 containers. The • Achieve adaptability and fl exibility at highest effi ciency and lowest terminal will serve customers in the cost chemical, food and mineral industries. • Secure the capacity you need to fulfi ll your service levels Cargo will be delivered and collected by • Develop strategic partnerships to optimise supply chain performance train, truck and/or barge from the • Gain a competitive edge in an ever changing global landscape neighbouring DUSS and DeCeTe terminals. Each year LogiChem attracts over 200 senior logistics and supply Up to three platforms for the transfer to chain executives from bulk and specialty chemical manufacturers. This and from containers, railcar hoppers and year logistics executives from BASF, Celanese, Shell, DSM, Tessenderlo, silo trucks will ensure that dry bulk cargo is Bayer, Akzo Nobel and many more will be present. transferred and released onto the For Bulk Distributor readers to receive their additional 100 off the comprehensive transport network of conference price, simply quote “EDBULK” or email amir.sebahat@wbr. duisport. co.uk The hub will also offer value added services such as packaging, de-bagging and LogiChem Europe 2009, The 8th Annual European Chemical warehousing. The terminal is planned to be Supply Chain & Logistics Conference operational in the second quarter of 2009. 31st March to 2nd April 2009 Hilton Dusseldorf, Germany “We are very pleased that with InterBulk Tel +44(0)207 368 9465 we have won another market leader in [email protected] intermodal logistics. The company is even www.logichemeurope.com setting up its Central European hub here. This reinforces us in our strategy to further Cargo will be delivered by train, truck and barge from the neighbouring DUSS and DeCeTe terminals Cobelfret adds 2009 containers to its Ireland ro-ro service elgian ferry operator “When we started the service BCobelfret has upgraded its it was a real ro-ro service, recently launched north Europe mainly trailers and vehicles but to Ireland service to carry it was always our aim to carry containers but has also scaled containers – you can’t neglect back one of its UK to Europe the container market and you routes. The carrier launched the have to have a mix of cargoes, new service sailing between vehicles, trailer traffi c and Zeebrugge, Rotterdam and containers,” said a spokesman. Rosslare in October using a 150 “But there was an operational The UK’s Biggest Transport and Logistics Event trailer ro-ro vessel. problem in Rosslare meaning Cobelfret, says the service had they couldn’t handle containers 28-30 2009 a “diffi cult” start but, since an when we started the service as upgrade had been carried out at they had no lifting capacity – Europort, Rosslare, it had which they’ve got now.” started taking containers on The service is claimed to have The event for large or small exporters, importers Mafi trailers. The company said several advantages to those it has been contacted by a lot of offered by container shipping or shippers with goods to move around the UK people specialising in high and lines. It is more frequent than heavy and abnormal loads. those offered by box carriers Multimodal is an event aimed at the needs of cargo owners. It allows you to Previously such shippers were and containers can be unloaded meet your entire supply chain – from warehousing and IT to forwarders and obliged to use the UK land in high winds when cranes used bridge which is very costly. But to unload container vessels 3PLs. Covering all modes of transport, with a free seminar programme and a full Cobelfret can reduce the cost would be forced to stop conference, it gives shippers the solutions and information they need to: by putting it on a ship and working. because it can take passengers. sCut costs sAvoid expensive delays sCompare suppliers sLook at the advantages of different transport modes Seafield inks new sUnderstand and meet the upcoming challenges for shippers sIncrease supply chain efficiency Brunner Mond deal Multimodal 2009 will be 60% bigger than the launch event in 2008. Returning eafi eld Logistics division Ken Thomas Logistics Ltd has won a Sthree year distribution and warehousing deal with Brunner Mond. companies include names such as DSV, Wincanton, PD Ports, GEFCO, Zim, The new business was won in a competitive tender against a Samskip, Howard Tenens, Norbert Dentressangle, Allport and DFDS. They are joined leading 3PL Ken Thomas has a long term relationship with Brunner by an impressive list of newcomers including the Port of Felixstowe, Norfolkline, Mond. A three year contract has been signed which will see an DB Schenker, Dachser and Cosco Logistics to name a few. increase in both warehousing and distribution services in Northwich, Cheshire, home to Ken Thomas and also Brunner Mond’s UK headquarters. The operation for Brunner Mond is being completely overhauled Join the leaders: In 2008, the following companies sent senior executives to Multimodal: Ford, with signifi cant upgrades made to the warehouse facilities and an Kellogg’s, Tate & Lyle, Nestle, Diageo, PepsiCo, BP, ExxonMobil, British American Tobacco, MOD- innovative warehousing solution being implemented. Storage DSCOM, GM/Vauxhall Motors, Mars, Avon Cosmetics, ASDA/Wal-Mart, Clarks International, The Boots capacity is being increased by 50% to 46,836 sq ft. The warehouse Company, Xerox, Triumph, Group Danone, Tesco, The Body Shop, Next, Lakeland Plastics, Homebase, solution has been designed especially for Brunner Mond’s Sodium Casio, Rohm & Haas, Snap-on Tools, Griffith Laboratories, Mitsubishi Electric, CEMEX, Perkins Engines, Bicarbonate product and has been set up to handle an extensive Premium Ingredients, Brunner Mond, Dainippon Screen, VW, Marks & Spencer, Delphi, Whitford range of graded product which is sold to a diverse customer base. Plastics, Jewson, Jaguar Cars, Lake Chemicals, Land Rover, Napier Brown Foods, Mont Blanc Industri, Sodium bicarbonate is a very high specifi cation product and Spinmaster Toys, Industrial Chemicals, Clark Foods, SCA Hygiene, Stylo Barratts Shoes, Taste Original requires exacting standards in cleanliness. Landlords at Winnington Business Park in Northwich, First Investments have been working Foods, First Foods, Honda, Daily Crest, ADM Milling, Syngenta Crop Protection, BSW Timber, Pace closely with the company and will be lining the interior walls of the Micro Technology, Edrington Distillers, Twining & Co, Aggregate Industries, Men Shou Fireworks, warehouse with a fl ame retardant polymeric coated textile. The SABIC UK Petrochemicals, Visteon, Mothercare, Numico, UPM Kymmene, Sharp Manufacturing, Cosmic result will be a self-contained and pristinely clean environment. Craig Fireworks, Mulder Onions, Panasonic, Home Delivery Network, ED&F Man Sugar, Iggesund Paperboard, Evans, Seafi eld Logistics’ general manager for Brunner Mond BOC/Linde, Tyco ADT, AG Barr, Brands Direct, Corus, First Milk & Carluccio’s explained: “The advantage of using material rather than building a fi xed structure is a fl exible warehousing solution which brings with it Register today at www.multimodal.org.uk using promotional code: BDAD. considerable cost savings.” A full list of exhibitors, sponsors and media supporters is available on the Other improvements are internal upgrading of the warehouse Multimodal website, as well as the seminar and conference programmes. fl oors and installing a new lighting system and externally improving the operating space for HGV/vehicle parking, loading and unloading. Brunner Mond is a leading UK-based manufacturer whose main products are Soda Ash, sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride and Multimodal 2009 associated alkaline chemicals. The company is wholly owned by Tata s&REIGHTs4RANSPORTs,OGISTICSs3UPPLY#HAIN-ANAGEMENTs Chemicals Limited, part of the Tata Group of India. The combined 28-30 April 2009, NEC Birmingham, UK Brunner Mond/Tata Chemicals Group is the second largest producer www.multimodal.org.uk of soda ash in the world. Brunner Mond is also one of the world’s leading producers of Sodium Bicarbonate and one of Europe’s leading producers of Calcium Chloride. January/February 2009 Ports & Terminals BULKDISTRIBUTOR 17

continue to do so in 2009. Possibly the export of European products to the Middle East, which has suffered poor crops, will offer some solace. For Rotterdam adds note the time being the forecast is that throughput will remain somewhat under 10m tonnes, which in part depends on the following harvest. The import of crude oil increased by over 3% to a good 100m tonnes. The growth was primarily realised in the fi rst months of the year and vis-à- of caution for 2009 vis the period in which jetty problems started. As espite a poor last quarter, throughput at Port of September throughput fell due to falling Dof Rotterdam increased in 2008 to the record demand for oil products and maintenance level of 420m tonnes, 2.7% more than in 2007. shutdowns. Due to the recession the demand for Imports grew by almost 4% to 312m tonnes; oil products will remain low and consequently so exports fell by 0.5% to 108m tonnes. Bulk goods will refi ning margins. The throughput of crude oil saw a small 4% increase, and general cargo will therefore drop in 2009 in the direction of almost 1%. Other dry bulk (-7%), roll on/roll off 95m tonnes. (-1%) and other general cargo (-17%) saw a drop Imports of oil products grew by 6% to 36m in imports and exports. The handling of coal tonnes, exports fell by 6% to 22m tonnes. In total remained stable. The throughput of agribulk a record quantity of 58m tonnes (+1.5%) was (+7%), ores and scrap (+9%), crude oil (+3%), handled. Although growth was less exuberant mineral oil products (+1%), other liquid bulk than in the past, the sector is holding its own in (+10%) and containers (+3%) saw a positive the face of the falling demand for products. development. Records were broken in three The quantity of coal handled remained constant at 28m tonnes Structurally a lot of movement remains due to sectors: mineral oil products, other liquid bulk and regional differences in supply and demand, both containers. In units the throughput of containers substantially in 2009. On average, however, we 9% to 43.5m tonnes. The demand for and quantitative and qualitative. The active trade remained stable at 10.8m TEU. will be able to achieve 100m tonnes per quarter production of steel was at a very high level to sector reinforces this. Fuel oil is by far the most Hans Smits, CEO of Port of Rotterdam Authority, and a 5-8% percent drop. We would be happy if September. The downturn was fairly sudden, important product with probably over 25m commented: “The port of Rotterdam has had an we can achieve 400m tonnes.” particularly due to production restrictions in the tonnes. Russia remains the main supplier, with excellent year with record throughput, continuing The total quantity of dry bulk handled increased car industry. The steel industry soon followed, Brazil being the newcomer. The import of gas oil high investments and the start of the construction by almost 4% to 94m tonnes. The quantity of although ore imports continued for a long time profi ted from supplementing of stocks in of the Second Maasvlakte, at the beginning of coal handled remained constant at 28m tonnes. due to the performance of contracts. Arcelor Germany and Switzerland. September. However, it is approximately around Up to September throughput grew by Mittal has in the meantime closed down four The throughput of other liquid bulk, mostly that time that the downturn started, at a rapid approximately 6%. After this the demand for blasting furnaces, which until recently purchased basic chemicals, increased by 10% to the record pace. Obviously this puts things somewhat into energy stagnated and, moreover, exports were 6.5m tonnes of ore via Rotterdam. It is expected level of 35.5m tonnes. Imports increased by over perspective, but I remain positive about the delayed due to falling water levels on the Rhine. that there will be a drop of another 3m tonnes for 9%, but dropped in the last four months. This is future. This is primarily because of new With large imports from overseas, however, stocks other customers. The total ore throughput in probably attributable to the chemical sector which investment: we ourselves are investing €4bn up quickly mounted. As of October the demand for 2009 would then certainly drop by 20%. Partly slid into recession. This was not the case with bio- to and including 2020, and other companies more energy and coke dropped sharply. In 2009 the due to the big stocks the fi rst quarter will be ethanol and bio-diesel which generally performed than €10bn. There are as yet virtually no cuts in throughput of coke for the steel industry might extraordinarily bad. strongly: combined rising from 2.8m to 5.3m this respect. drop by a fi fth. The drop in steam coal, over half The throughput of agribulk (grains, oil seeds, tonnes. More palm oil and sunfl ower oil were also “In addition, a number of investments will lead of the total, is dependent on the winter derivatives) increased by 7.5% to over 10m imported. A change in American government to greater activity in the short term. Think of the temperatures and how much the closing of a tonnes. Because of the poor EU harvest in policy may result in the import of B99 falling in tank terminals and the ‘slab terminal’. Nor am I mine at Gelsenkirchen (Germany) will result in 2007/2008 a lot of agricultural raw materials had 2009. In such a case an increase in intra-European pessimistic when it comes to throughput. imports for Rotterdam. A total coal throughput of to be imported from overseas. This September the transport is likely. The forecast for chemical Rotterdam is one of the most important hubs of 26m tonnes in 2009 appears to be the highest new harvest year started with a much better production, in Germany minus 2.5%, will certainly global trade. If this decreases, we follow and vice feasible. European production of grains. The import entail lower throughput. versa. Certainly, throughput will initially fall The throughput of ore and scrap increased by therefore decreased in the fourth quarter and will China’s ports face Simon finds a solution slumping volumes for Dansk Olie ort throughput growth in China hit a 10-year The negative growth in China’s imports and Plow in November, according to a report from exports in November particularly hurt the the Ministry of Transport. China’s port throughput country’s port throughput, said Zhou Zhanhai of was 460m tonnes in November, up 0.5% from Sinolink Securities. China’s trade volume in the previous year - the slowest growth in a November dropped 9% year-on-year to 189.8bn decade. yuan (US$27.7 bn). The growth rate of China’s According to the report, 10m containers moved exports dropped sharply in November, resulting in across the docks in November, 4% lower than in the growth rate of container traffi c sliding into October. Though the volume of containers moved single digits, Zhou added. China’s container in November increased 6% compared to the shipping growth rate could drop to 5-7% in 2009 previous year, the rate of increase itself dropped as the country’s export growth rate slumps further 6.7 percentage points from the same period in to 3%. 2007. A research report from Sinolink Securities Meanwhile, the report said only 30m tonnes of predicted that China will import about 400m iron ore moved through Chinese ports in tonnes of iron ore in 2009. Therefore, the amount November, 9m tonnes less than that of October of iron ore moved through Chinese ports will fall and down 20.7% year-on-year. Furthermore, the 5-7% points in 2009, hurting the ports that amount of coal moved also fell to 34m tonnes, a transport mainly iron ore, the report said. 13.2% decline from a year ago. Inland terminals are key urope seaports must move closer to the predictable,” he added. Ecustomer, and inland terminals will be key to There are plans to enlarge the network of six this, according to one of the continent’s leading inland ports, but Eurogate is starting this move in terminal groups. a limited form because of the current slump in Lewis Tankers, Simon’s UK-based road tanker operation, will handle onward deliveries of product to Dansk Olie’s UK customers Benjamin Bruegelmann, of Eurogate, told a container trades. “The beauty of the system conference in Cologne that sustainable strategies derives from terminals being under pressure. We imon Storage is providing a complete base oil of Dansk Olie, said: “Simon will play a pivotal role for hinterland connections are badly needed for are going to use the lull to continue to improve Sstorage and distribution solution for Dansk Olie in the company’s plans to secure a share of the UK when growth returns. the concept.” Genbrug A/S as part of Dansk Olie’s expansion market for base oil. We are aiming to supply the “We have to prepare for further growth,” he In the long- and medium-term, Eurogate is into the UK market. The fi ve-year storage contract UK with in excess of 15,000 tonnes of base oil per said. “It will happen.” Eurogate has just started its assuming strong demand for extended hinterland will be operated from Simon’s Immingham East year, which will be stored and distributed “extended gate” programme, establishing a capacities. According to Deutsche Bahn fi gures Terminal on the river Humber. Base oil will arrive exclusively via Simon’s Immingham East Terminal.” network of six inland terminals in Bremen, presented to the conference by Bruegelmann, at the Terminal by ship from Dansk Olie’s new Stock and transaction processing of Dansk Olie Magdeburg, Minden, Dortmund, Gernsheim and cargo transported via rail from the port of processing plant in Denmark, for storage in two product at the terminal will be managed by Wiesen. The concept is to move the seaport to Hamburg, starting in 2005, is forecast to increase tanks with a combined capacity of 4,000cbm. As TASCS, Simon’s exclusive software, which offers the customer, Bruegelmann said. Customers will by 90% by 2015. The estimate for Bremerhaven is part of a total logistics package, Lewis Tankers customers secure, global access to live stock and deliver their boxes to the inland terminal nearest 87%. Ltd, Simon’s UK-based road tanker operation, will account information, and the facility to place to them, instead of bringing them to the seaport. Hans-Gerd Gielessen, managing director of handle onward road deliveries of product to dispatch and delivery instructions remotely. Eurogate will bundle the containers in the Luebeck port operator LHG, said that the Dansk Olie’s customers throughout the UK. As part of Simon’s integrated storage and hinterland and deliver them via rail, road or inland percentage share of costs of the seaborne leg of Dansk Olie is one of the market leaders in the intermodal solution for Dansk Olie, vehicles from waterway to Hamburg or Bremerhaven in time for worldwide transport is going to become marginal collection and treatment of waste oil from a Lewis Tankers’ 60-strong fl eet will be available to shipping. This, Eurogate says, will signifi cantly compared to the hinterland costs. He underlined variety of industrial sources. Its new waste oil provide a response to delivery demands around reduce the storage time of containers at the that the latter will become an increasingly more processing plant in the Danish seaport town of the country. “We are delighted to be partnering seaports. important consideration for liner shipping Kalundborg, which opened in September 2008, Dansk Olie in its new export venture and this new In addition, Eurogate wants to achieve a better companies when deciding on a port. “This will be utilises the latest technology to convert waste oil volume fi ts well within our existing business utilisation of its facilities, with boxes from the crucial, at least in the Baltic. The situation in the into virgin base oil and has an annual production profi le,” commented Stewart MacDonald, general inland terminals being delivered at night. North Sea is a bit different,” he added. capacity of 35,000 tonnes. manager of Lewis Tankers. “Transport will become signifi cantly more Riccardo Manes, business development manager www.SimonStorage.com 18 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Ports & Terminals January/February 2009 Helsinki opens new Stockton’s green light alifornia’s Port of Stockton has received Capproval from US Dept of Commerce Foreign harbour Trade Zones Board for expansion of Foreign Trade utchison Port Holdings has won the contract in the eastern district of Zone nos 231. Hto operate Stockholm’s new container Vuosaari at the end of The expansion to take place at the 475 acre terminal, securing its second location in the Baltic. November. As a result the old Opus West Park in East Stockton is the eighth site Ports of Stockholm manages the cruise, ferry, roro cargo terminals will be freed approved by the Dept of Commerce for Stockton. and container operations in the three ports near for housing and offi ce space, This approval is particularly timely as it coincides the Swedish Capital and it is developing a new and heavy road traffi c will also with the completion of the largest warehouse 500,000 TEU container terminal 63km south of decrease in city centre. The built on speculation in Northern California - the city in Nynäshamn. Vuosaari harbour is designed 736,000 sq ft. The site is thought to be preferential to the and equipped to meet the “This expansion is part of the port’s commitment current one due to its potential for growth and needs of today’s users, to supporting economic development in the San the shorter access channel that avoids the islands featuring new operational Joaquin Valley,” said Henry McKay, Port of around Stockholm. The group opted for HPH after methods that ensure faster Stockton special projects manager. “Its strategic setting criteria to attract only international cargo fl ows. location next to the Burlington Northern and operators as it sought to compete with both Vuosaari comprises the Sante Fe railroads intermodal road promises to Gothenburg, for domestic freight, and Helsinki for harbour area, adjacent Artist’s impression of the Nynäshamn development play an important role in promoting global trade Baltic transhipments. business and logistics zones and in turn creating family wage jobs.” Under the 25 year contract Hutchison will take and the gate area. It has direct connections to the sidings are used for feeding ships and terminals. The Foreign Trade Zone programme was created over the operations of Stockholm’s existing Finland’s entire main road and railway network Vuosaari harbour has been designed and built by Congress in 1934 as part of a stimulus package operations in the Frihamnen area in the city while and offers frequent shipping services between under tight environmental scrutiny, subject to to assist the country during of the Great the greenfi eld site goes though the environmental Finland and northern Central European ports. years of environmental assessments prior to Depression. It has evolved and expanded through process and is built. The fi rst phase is scheduled The new port specialises in container and roro groundbreaking in 2003. As a result, the harbour, the years and is an important strategy in global for completion in 2012. Stockholm is the 48th traffi c, as most Finnish unitised cargo is maritime which borders nature conservation areas, will businesses locating facilities in the United States. terminal in the HPH network. based and carried in containers, trucks and operate with minimum environmental impact. The Port of Stockton is a deep-water port 75 miles The Hong Kong-based operator hopes to use trailers. The harbour has two 750 metre container lighting of the site is the result of an architectural east of San Francisco Bay at the confl uence of the the potential of Nynäshamn and its current quays and 15 roro berths, some of which also competition, won by APRT Architects for both San Joaquin River and the Stockton Ship Channel. operations in Gdynia, Poland, to compete against lend themselves to handling deck cargo with a merits in design and an effective, environmentally The entire port area includes more than 2,000 Hamburg and Antwerp which are main hubs for crane. There are three operating companies – conscious solution to minimise the diffusion of cumulative acres of industrial properties, Gothenburg and the Baltic. Finnsteve Oy, Steveco Oy and Multi-Link Terminals light. supported by 15,000 ft of dock, more than seven Commenting on the agreement, John Meredith, Ltd. • HPH has been involved in a signifi cant share- million sq ft of covered storage and serviced by group managing director of HPH, said: “We are Beside the gate area there is an 8-track railway swap with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha the Union Pacifi c and Burlington Northern Santa pleased to participate in the development plans yard for full length trains and, within the harbour, (NYK), and Evergreen group. The deals see HPH Fe railroads. Stockton’s role is as a niche port for the Ports of Stockholm. This becoming a majority shareholder of specialising in breakbulk, dry and liquid bulks and supports our strategy of increasing NYK’s Amsterdam Ceres Container other non-containerised cargos. our presence in growing markets Terminals (CTE), while NYK will have www.portofstockton.com especially those as geographically a minority stake in Europe Container signifi cant as Stockholm and Terminals (ECT) in Rotterdam. Nynäshamn. We will be able to Meanwhile, HPH will become a enhance Ports of Stockholm’s shareholder of the Taranto CONFERENCES & competitiveness in the Baltic region Container Terminal, while Evergreen and provide our customers with value- gains a minority stake interest in EXHIBITIONS added services.” London Thamesport and ECT Delta. The company has not ruled out The deals give HPH its fi rst further development of its position in transhipment presence in the central 2009 the Baltic region. Some of the smaller Mediterranean and strengthen its east Finland ports could now become presence in northern Europe. On the New Alchemy Tank Container potential candidates with their direct other hand, NYK and Evergreen will Operators Training Course access to the Russian market, as they be able to tap into HPH’s network of March 2-6 compete with the recently opened European ports and port-developed Southport, UK Vuosaari terminal in Helsinki. systems. Tel:+44 1704 537094 Port of Helsinki moved to a new site Vuosaari features new operational methods that ensure faster cargo fl ows Fax:+44 1704 501144 [email protected] www.newalchemy.co.uk

StocExpo Europe March 25-27 Port of Felixstowe Rotterdam, Netherlands Tel: +44 20 8648 7078 Fax: 8687 4130 www.stocexpo.com upgrades rail Logichem 2009 March 31-April 2 n order to improve the effi ciency and reliability Dusseldorf, Germany Iof its rail operations, Port of Felixstowe Eighth annual European bulk and speciality commenced works to upgrade its South Rail chemical supply chain conference. Terminal. Contact WBR Ltd, Anchor House, 15-19 Work started on the refurbishment of Line 1 at Britten Street, London SW3 3QL, UK. the South Rail Terminal, with the entire 465m of Tel: +44 20 7368 9465 track being replaced. Further critical track www.logichemeurope.com upgrades, in co-operation with Network Rail, are also being undertaken on the curve of the track Multimodal 2009 by the Felixstowe Seafarers’ Centre, alongside April 28-30 Carr Road. NEC Birmingham, UK Chris Lewis, chief executive offi cer of Hutchison Tel: +44 20 73 70 83 73 Ports (UK) Limited, which owns Port of Felixstowe, www.multimodal.org.uk said: “We are committed to optimising environmentally-friendly rail transport Transport Logistic opportunities for our customers. We have May 12-15 experienced very high volumes of rail traffi c in Munich, Germany recent months – breaking through the 9,000 rail Includes dedicated tank container area moves per week threshold for the fi rst time ever supported by ITCO. in September last year – and this highlights the Tel: +49 89 9491 1368 need to improve freight capacity on the rail www.transportlogistic.de network so that more traffi c can be distributed by sustainable modes.” The South Rail Terminal was extended by 39m The London International on all three lines in spring last year, meaning that Wine Fair it is now able to accommodate trains up to 22 May 12-14 wagons in length. ExCel, London The Port has also made a signifi cant investment www.londonwinefair.com in providing state-of-the-art equipment for the terminal. A brand new rail-mounted gantry crane European Supply Chain and Logistics became fully operational in October 2008. The Summit 2009 Port currently offers 52 services per day to and June 8-10 from Coatbridge (Glasgow), Trafford Park Swissotel Dusseldorf, Germany (Manchester), Liverpool, Leeds, Cleveland, Tel: +44 20 7202 7560 Birmingham, Tilbury, Selby, Wakefi eld, Hams Hall, www.supplychain.eu.com Ditton, and Doncaster. The South Rail Terminal was extended by 39m on all three lines earlier in the year January/February 2009 Dry Bulk Logistics BULKDISTRIBUTOR 19

Continued from page 1 guarantee capital with a further €36 million InterBulk gains food- injection. Following these measures interest expenses will reduce considerably and the company’s liquidity requirements are expected to quality accreditation be met even if the economic downturn continues throughout 2009. The balance sheet has thereby nterBulk Group is believed to have become the that these container liners always meet stringent been considerably strengthened. Ifi rst intermodal operator to attain ISO 22000 food-quality standards, InterBulk ensures constant In recent weeks constructive talks have taken compliance throughout the entire supply chain. adherence to the regulations by auditing, setting place with many parties directly involved with Vos The new standard guarantees quality assurance to improvement plans and continually monitoring all Logistics including the works council, trade customers shipping food-grade materials and its suppliers. This is said to have resulted in a unions, banks and suppliers. In the late summer of InterBulk has taken steps to acquire this marked improvement in QHSSE (quality, health, Guaranteed food-quality assurance of Linertech liners is just one last year the company took a series of measures in certifi cation across all operations of its dry bulk safety, security and environment) statistics and a aspect of InterBulk’s newly acquired ISO 22000 accreditation anticipation of a worsening economic climate. The division. signifi cant reduction in instances of non- unexpectedly rapid and sharp deterioration in the The company is already certifi ed to GMP (good conformance or errors, which can prove costly to becoming a common requirement for ISO 22000 economy has necessitated a more sweeping manufacturing practice) standards and stipulates rectify. compliance across food ingredients supply intervention. that suppliers of fi lm and liners also achieve Colin Humphrey, InterBulk’s QHSSE manager, chains.” The company wishes to avoid any possible risk compliance, ensuring its commitment to the together with his team are the driving force Nick Sierant, InterBulk’s head of sales for dry of confusion by stressing that it no longer has any integrity of food supply chains from manufacture behind continuing development of the group’s bulk food applications, added: “Customers links with Born-based Fred Vos Tank Transport right through to processing. This move has been objective of achieving highest levels of quality benefi t because they know their food-grade (also operating under the names Vos Tank prompted by recent changes in legislation relating assurance certifi cation. He commented: “We see products only come into contact with equipment, Logistics Holding Born BV and Vos Tank Logistics to materials destined for human consumption. the long-term benefi ts ISO 22000 brings to people and processes that have been developed Born BV) which was declared insolvent in the last Linertech, InterBulk’s own joint-venture liner InterBulk Group. Our certifi cation and to a guaranteed standard, which is controlled by a week of January. This company had been sold by manufacturer, is able to benefi t from an exclusive commitment to these principles open up new company that has applied the required standards Vos Logistics in 2006, since when it had operated arrangement with PE fi lm manufacturers which markets on a worldwide basis – GMP is itself” as an independent entity. are also ISO 22000 accredited. In order to ensure recognised in most continents and is fast www.interbulkgroup.com In a joint announcement issued on 30 January by Frank Verhoeven, CEO of Vos Logistics and CFO Ben Vos (no relation to the Vos family which founded the company) the two senior executives stated: “We are pleased we have been able to reach agreement with our stakeholders on the many aspects of our restructuring plan so quickly Schmidt spreads the word for and so constructively. It is proof that all parties are confi dent about our approach and the measures we are taking to guarantee the continuity of Vos PVC while expanding in Turkey Logistics. This restructuring has laid a robust base for a healthy company. Vos Logistics will continue to concentrate on retaining its strong position in or the past fi ve years leading dry bulk logistics cease at the gate, but reaches right into our 60,000 sq m. the volume and bulk segment of the European Foperator Karl Schmidt headquartered in customers’ silos. Therefore vehicles running under Arkas employs some 5,000 staff at 36 locations transport market. We are also seeking selective Heilbronn, Germany, has been responsible for the the Vestolit fl ag comply with the high and operates its own fl eet of 23 container ships growth in logistics services in specifi c niche logistics, warehousing and transport activities of specifi cations required for general driving safety with a container capacity of 55,000 TEU deployed markets.” its customer Vestolit which produces PVC at Marl and the top-grade requirements of the latest in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Despite the recent downsizing, Vos Logistics Chemical Park. environmental standards.” www.schmidt-group.de remains one of Europe’s largest players in the fi eld In recent weeks a Schmidt road powder tanker Looking further afi eld, Karl Schmidt has recently of bulk and volume transport. It operates 30 sites has been cruising Germany’s motorway network extended an existing cooperation agreement with throughout the continent and in addition to its displaying the slogan of Vestolit’s current Arkas, the leading Turkish freight forwarder. In 1,300 vehicles and 3,000 loading units, has at its marketing campaign “Gute Aussichten mit PVC” line with Schmidt’s business objectives, this disposal 200,000 sq m of combined storage (great prospects with PVC). Siegbert Kopecky, collaboration will increase movement of dry bulk facilities. Vestolit’s head of logistics, commented: “Product products into Turkey especially with regard to www.voslogistics.com quality and safety of products for us does not rapidly expanding imports from the Middle East. In addition to handling container traffi c, the partners are now also offering wide-ranging services in warehouse logistics and distribution. Like Schmidt, Arkas is an owner-managed company offering a broad range of services. Apart from the basic transport business, its core activity involves representation of reputable ocean carriers, operating port terminals at different locations as well as warehouse and distribution Karl Schmidt road tanker carries PVC powder…and advertising for centres offering a total indoor fl oor space of Vestolit CLASSIFIED Want to promote your products and services? Please call +44 (0)1932 225632 or fax +44 (0)870 762 0434 or email [email protected]

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U.K. Head Office & Manufacturing Plant Tel : +44 (0)1282 687100 Fax : +44 (0)1282 687110 Email : [email protected] www.fortvale.com Netherlands U.S.A. Russia China Singapore Australia T: +31 180 483333 T: +1 281 471 8100 T: +7 916 682 0947 T: +86 21 6442 1367 T: +65 6515 9950 T: +61 (03)5278 2186 © Fort Vale Engineering Ltd 2008