Best of the rest

Valparaiso, Chile Throughput: 946,847teu (+12.0%)

Chile’s most important box gateway had another impressive year of double-digit growth in 2008. It narrowly missed gaining a place in the top 100, coming in at 101.

Its 2008 gains will be neutralised this year as a result of important defections to Chilean rival San Antonio, coupled with an important slowdown in Chilean trade.

After three years in the ascendancy, the intense rivalry between Valparaiso and San Antonio for cargo coming to and from Chile’s Region V, the port is set to lose ground this year.

A decision by Chile’s leading shipping line, CSAV, to concentrate all its volumes at San Antonio International Terminal – as well as a switch by Taiwanese line Evergreen – is set to hit volumes at Valparaiso by as much as 20% this year.

Overall, however, the port is set to maintain its dominance in the region and the defections have not derailed its plans to continue investing to expand capacity. Terminal Pacifico Sur Valparaiso will receive its fifth STS gantry crane at the end of this year.

Johor, Malaysia Throughput: 934,767teu (+0.8%)

Johor slipped out of the top 100 after seeing only modest growth of 0.8% in 2008. The port remains very much in the shadow of nearby Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), where aggressive development plans are under way to capture container transhipment business at the expense of Johor.

MMC Corp, owner of Johor Port, has considered transferring Johor’s container business to PTP, in which it holds a 70% stake. Johor’s container capacity is limited and the transfer would allow it to concentrate on the dry and liquid bulk trades, while PTP would focus on the box trade. However, a decision on the transfer, which would mark the end of Johor as a container port, has not been announced. Kuala Lumpur-based MMC and Dubai World recently signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 900ha integrated maritime industrial park, logistics centre and shipyard at Tanjung Bin, Johor,

The US$4.6bn project is expected to attract cargo to MMC’s facilities.

Penang, Malaysia Throughput: 929,639teu (+0.4%)

Penang managed to see a very modest increase in throughput after November and December brought a sharp decline that hit full-year volumes. The port is predicting a 5.9% decline this year to 875,000teu, due to the drop in demand for commodities and manufactured goods. Measures introduced to offset the impact include: exclusive agreements with preferred customers on berth rights and equipment deployment; special concessions for storage charges for high volume, long-term storage for ad hoc calls vessels; and total logistics solutions with attractive rates for extended-hinterland and transhipment containers.

During 2008, container handling ceased at the Butterworth Container Terminal and operations were consolidated at the North Butterworth Container Terminal.

The port is building a 600-metre berth extension, due in service by the end of 2010, while 25ha of storage yard is in the final stage of construction. Six new post-panamax STS cranes are expected to be delivered by 2010.

Auckland, New Zealand Throughput: 868,209teu (+2.8%)

The port of Auckland grew by 23,494teu in 2008 after gaining new service calls at the expense of other New Zealand ports. This year, the port expects to see volumes fall around 6%, with imports expected to be worst affected. The port is focusing on cutting as many costs as possible and enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.

While declining volumes are the key challenge for 2009, the port authority also anticipates further ongoing changes to shipping line networks and services as they consolidate and reposition to remove cost.

The port recently completed a series of investment projects, including deepening the commercial shipping lane, stage one of the Fergusson Container Terminal expansion and the purchase of cranes and straddlecarriers. "With these expenses behind us, we are now well-placed to meet future capacity demands and have been able to reduce capital expenditure," says the port authority.

Construction of a new rail connection between the Auckland seaport and the Wiri Inland Port in south Auckland is now under way, having gained a NZ$6m (US$4m) government contribution in late 2008.

Gothenburg, Sweden Throughput: 862,500teu (+2.6%)

In addition to its lo-lo container throughput, Sweden’s largest port points out that it handled 1.25m 20ft ro-ro units (rteu). The port and trade association Port of Sweden are striving to make the rteu an established unit in the port world, to enable accurate comparisons of ro-ro volumes to be made.

The port tells Cargo Systems that the economic downturn is affecting all cargo types except oil. To deal with this, it is focusing on sales activities and has secured four new services to and from Russia. The port is also putting a lot of focus on marketing to Swedish shippers.

Gothenburg now has 24 rail shuttles and almost 50% of the containers are rail bound. With an annual capacity of 3m teu available, the port is keen to attract more business and wants to strengthen its role as a transhipment port for volumes to and from the Baltic states.

The city of Gothenburg’s municipal council, owner of the port, recently announced that it wants to begin restructuring the port, with its container, car and ro-ro terminals transferring to the private sector.

The plan is likely to entail the port keeping control of the physical infrastructure and taking on a landlord role. Three operating divisions will be established and later transferred to private companies under lease or concession arrangements.

Mersin, Turkey Throughput: 854,600teu (+9.3%)

Singapore’s PSA Corp completed its first full year of operations at the south-east Turkish port of Mersin in 2008, after taking it over in 2007. Mersin International Port (MIP) saw a 9.3% increase in throughput last year, compared with a 24% rise the previous year.

MIP serves the largest industrial cities in Turkey and growth is also being driven by Mersin Free Zone, an emerging industrial and services hub. However, some 6% of the port’s throughput is transhipment traffic for the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Russia, the central Asian republics and North Africa.

Transhipment is expected to generate a greater proportion of traffic in future, with work under way to dredge from 13 to 13.5 metres to handle vessels of up to 7,000teu. MIP expanded its capacity by 30% within six months of privatisation, adding three mobile harbour cranes, eight reachstackers and an empty-container handler. It has ordered eight RTGs for delivery this year and is developing new systems to track container movements. There are plans to deepen the turning basin, add yard space, reconfigure the port’s rail links and train the workforce.

Miami, US Throughput: 828,349teu (-6.4%)