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Special Report Developing Ports 11TUESDAY JULY 8, 2008 Lloyd’s List

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FOR ports with limited draught or access,difficulties obtaining landside developmentpermits or those simply in need of a quick fix to capacity constraints, the oil and gassector is providing technical inspirationaplenty.

 A range of offshore and mid-stream float-ing platforms are now being deployed toboost terminal handling productivity andcapacity, with many of the designs drawingheavily for inspiration on offshore energy platform designs.

 According to Mario Terenzio, chief execu-tive of Logmarin Advisors, the commerciallogic that saw the development of ship-to-ship oil transfer systems can also now be

applied to the dry cargo, LNG and containersectors.“Nowadays, floating terminal technology 

has matured, and there is a wealth of knowl-edge arising from the many examples of floating terminals in operation for dry bulk,o i l a n d ga s a l l ov e r t h e w o r ld ,”he said.

Thus far at least, the application of thisnew generation of floating transhipmentoptions has been most notable in the dry bulk cargo handling sector but, morerecently, some suppliers have been eyeingcontainer operations too.

In terms of the design of offshore tran-shipment units, Canada Steamship Lineshas been to the fore for almost a decade —applying the logistics nous garnered from itsmanagement of self-unloader vessels to theport-ship interface.

CSL currently operates a number of off-shore transloaders in the US and Indonesiaoffering capesize handling, lightering andcoal-blending options to ports with insuffi-cient infrastructure. Most recently, the com-

pany developed a system for its largest Aus-tralian customer, OneSteel, under a 10-yearcontract which covers the export of 30mtonnes of iron ore from Whyalla to North

 Asia.Operations commenced in March 2007

 with CSL deploying two 12,000 dwt self-un-loading barges and one floating offshore

t r a n s h i p m e n t b a r g e o f f e r i n g

discharge rates of 5,000 tonners per hour.“Not only did this solution forgo expen-sive dredging and shoreside upgrades at thecustomer’s draught-restricted port, but italso enabled them to load capesize vessels,”said Jim Murphy, CSL vice president of projects and planning. “This would not havebeen feasible without dredging, so it has

kept them competitive in iron ore markets.”C o m p a n i e s s u c h a s G o t t w a l d a n d

Liebherr, both primarily known for theirland-based mobile harbour cranes, havealso been targeting the floating crane marketto see how their technologies might beapplied to speed up port development, over-come congestion or aid handling whereland-based infrastructure is sparse.

Gottwald has now sold 13 units of itsfloating terminal system, and more ordersare expected this year.

“They have all been for bulk handling, butthey could be used for containers,” said aspokesman for the German-based company.

“It makes sense to use them for contain-ers in support of landside cranes in someports.”

He said the return on investment for afloating crane would depend on a myriad of factors, but the lower initial investmentcompared favourably to landside invest-ment costs.

Floating transhipment also providesquick returns, cuts investment lead timesand can circumvent lengthy environmentalpermitting processes, he added.

Mr Terenzio is now working with Austria’sLiebherr on new designs suitable for thecontainer and bulk markets which, crucially,also incorporate buffer storage to cut delays

related to barge utilisation.“This floating crane can be considered asa relocateable floating terminal specifically designed to dock, unload and reload andservice dry bulk carrier or containerships,”he said.

“The buffer storage requires the construc-tion of a larger pontoon which, together withanti-rolling devices, guarantees greater plat-form stability so our crane is less sensitive toadverse weather conditions.”

Mr Terenzio predicted Logmarin and its various partners would secure a number of orders during the course of 2008 as moreterminal managers concluded that floatingoptions could offer the quick capacity enhancements they required.

“The project implementation of a floatingfacility is much lower compared to dedi-cated shore infrastructure,” he said. “Civil

 works are not required, it can be positionedalmost anywhere and the investment cost islower.”

Platforms that will float your boat Know-how of oiland gas sector isbeing harnessed

to boost terminalproductivity at ports with limiteddraught or access

 A Gottwald floating crane in operation at Cha rleston, US: the c ompany has now s old 13 units of its floating terminal system.

GottwaldGERMAN-BASED mobile harbour cranespecialist Gottwald started supplying itsnew generation of floating cranes in2004 and has since sold 13 units world-

 wide. S ix units were c ommissioned formid-stream stevedores on the Missis-

sippi River, while non-US orders havebeen received from Brazil, the Nether-lands and Indonesia.

Liebherr  AUSTRIAN crane suppl ier Lieb herr haslong supplied cranes used for operationon floating piers for use on rivers suchas the Amazon, which must cope withlarge seasonal variances in water levels.More recently, the company has startedmounting its crane technology on tobarges and transloader platforms. Twotranshippers (the Atlas 1 and Atlas 4)

 were rece ntly comm issioned forTransshipper for deployment inthe Kerch Straits, Ukraine. Liebherr isnow finalising designs with Logmarin

 Advisors for a new c ontainer/bulk han-dling transhipment system that canoffer storage options.

CoeClerici LogisticsTHE Italian shipping and tradinggiant has also become something of a specialist in offshore bulk logistics,pioneering the development of floatingtransfer stations equipped with storageto reduce oceangoing vessel delays andimprove barge utilisation. The Floating

Transfer Station concept has beendeployed by CoeClerici for coal export-ing clients in Venezuela and Indonesia.

 A more flexible model suitable for un-loading and loading, and able easily toswitch cargoes, was recently deployedoff India. CoeClerici managers toldLloyd’s List that talks were ongoing with

 various cli ents interested in dep loyingits units for container handling.

Canada Steamship LineTHE company made its mark in tran-shipment operations when it launchedthe Sea Spider Transshipper a decadeago for BT Berau Coal in Kalimantan,Indonesia. The SST tranships more than4m tonnes of coal a year into capesize

 vessels. CSL has since provided a rangeof transhipment systems for bulk cargoloading operations in Australia, Indone-sia and the US.

Swire CTM Bulk LogisticsCHINA Navigation Co, part of the SwireGroup, recently announced it wouldstart offering mobile offshore tranship-ment solutions to customers through its

 joint venture with C Transport Maritime(CTM) — Swire CTM Bulk Logistics.The new company will focus on simple,grab-based handling systems developed

 with co nsultants Logmarin Advisors.Indonesia is one of the target marketsfor Swire CTM, but managers also citedthe Middle East as another area of interest.

 A Liebherr floating terminal loadingcoal on to a vessel in Indonesia.

Canada Steamship’s SST Berau loadsthe 74,366 dwt bulk carrier Crescendo.

Five big players in floatingterminal technology

 JapanSpecial

Report –Lloyd’s

List July 10