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Mobile port to expand berth to attract bigger ships
来源： 编辑：编辑部 发布：2020/04/10 09:41:18
THE berth is to be extended and additional container storage space will be made available at APM Terminals Mobile, as part of a US$50 million expansion programme that aims to raise capacity by 30 per cent to 650,000 TEU per annum. That's in addition to the 200,000 TEU in capacity on its rail terminal.
The berth extension will enable the port of Mobile's sole container terminal to simultaneously handle two ships of 8,000 TEU and will provide greater flexibility in vessel scheduling as the Alabama port experiences strong double-digit growth in cargo volumes, reported IHS Media.
The expansion positions Mobile, the smallest of three main ports on the Gulf Coast, as readily able to handle a flow of large vessels as ports on the coast seek to attract shippers of Asian cargo away from ports on west and east coasts.
The improvements could also potentially open the door to new services from Central and South America, for which there is "substantial demand", as well as the Mediterranean and India, according to APM Terminals Mobile managing director Brian Harold.
"What the dock extension allows us to do is have significantly more berthing windows, to offer flexibility to carriers," Mr Harold said. "Right now, if somebody came and said we want to start a north-south service in Mobile, I could say: 'You can come any day of the week, at any time.'"
The berth expansion is one of a series of terminal improvements designed to accommodate steady growth driven in part by strong import volumes from the regional automotive sector as well as rising resin and forestry exports, Mr Harold said. In addition, the opening of a Walmart distribution centre nearby in 2018 now generates 40,000 to 50,000 FEU in cargo annually, he said.
The terminal in November completed an additional 10 acres of container storage space available for its rail terminal, for a total of 40 acres, and 20 acres of container storage space in the marine terminal, increasing it to 115 acres, Mr Harold said.
Other improvements include a new gate system opened in April 2019 that extended the outbound gate from four to six lanes. The new system, along with an extra gate hour added at the start of the day, has reduced truck turn times by 20 per cent.
While the terminal is still operating far below its new 650,000 TEU capacity, it is evaluating two additional expansion projects if cargo volumes require, Mr Harold said. One would increase the terminal's operating capacity to one million TEU, and the second would boost it to 1.5 million TEU, he said.
The port of Mobile is also pursuing a dredging project that is tentatively scheduled to start in the fourth quarter. It would deepen the port channel from 45 feet to 50 feet, enabling Mobile to handle vessels of 13,000 to 14,000 TEU.
The berth extension will enable the port of Mobile's sole container terminal to simultaneously handle two ships of 8,000 TEU and will provide greater flexibility in vessel scheduling as the Alabama port experiences strong double-digit growth in cargo volumes, reported IHS Media.
The expansion positions Mobile, the smallest of three main ports on the Gulf Coast, as readily able to handle a flow of large vessels as ports on the coast seek to attract shippers of Asian cargo away from ports on west and east coasts.
The improvements could also potentially open the door to new services from Central and South America, for which there is "substantial demand", as well as the Mediterranean and India, according to APM Terminals Mobile managing director Brian Harold.
"What the dock extension allows us to do is have significantly more berthing windows, to offer flexibility to carriers," Mr Harold said. "Right now, if somebody came and said we want to start a north-south service in Mobile, I could say: 'You can come any day of the week, at any time.'"
The berth expansion is one of a series of terminal improvements designed to accommodate steady growth driven in part by strong import volumes from the regional automotive sector as well as rising resin and forestry exports, Mr Harold said. In addition, the opening of a Walmart distribution centre nearby in 2018 now generates 40,000 to 50,000 FEU in cargo annually, he said.
The terminal in November completed an additional 10 acres of container storage space available for its rail terminal, for a total of 40 acres, and 20 acres of container storage space in the marine terminal, increasing it to 115 acres, Mr Harold said.
Other improvements include a new gate system opened in April 2019 that extended the outbound gate from four to six lanes. The new system, along with an extra gate hour added at the start of the day, has reduced truck turn times by 20 per cent.
While the terminal is still operating far below its new 650,000 TEU capacity, it is evaluating two additional expansion projects if cargo volumes require, Mr Harold said. One would increase the terminal's operating capacity to one million TEU, and the second would boost it to 1.5 million TEU, he said.
The port of Mobile is also pursuing a dredging project that is tentatively scheduled to start in the fourth quarter. It would deepen the port channel from 45 feet to 50 feet, enabling Mobile to handle vessels of 13,000 to 14,000 TEU.