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Katoen Natie 1227 Antwerp; Multipurpose Terminal Delivers Reliable, Cost-Efficient Solutions

March 2024 - Requirements to forest product logistics are becoming more and more intense. On one hand, customers become more demanding, on the other, distance between production and consumption locations becomes longer. This means that distribution becomes more global and more complex, whilst environmental and economical pressure is increasing. This means that the market is constantly looking for more cost-efficient, reliable and sustainable solutions. In order to answer to the signals, demands and requests we have decided to diversify and become the well-known partner for the forest industry as we were before.

Katoen Natie 1227 Antwerp is a multipurpose terminal, for handling containers, breakbulk, ro/ro project cargo and forest products. With full-capability handling equipment and plenty of storage capacity (covered and uncovered). The excellent location of this terminal can easily be reached form the River Scheldt by passing one single lock. The key benefit of this location is that there are two locks to choose from, safeguarding passage at all times.

Dockside equipment:

• 3 Liebherr cranes 1x LHM 550 and 2x LHM600
• 4 reachstackers
• 2 Empty container handler
• 12 forklifts capacity between 25T up to 34T
• 14 forklifts between 16 up to 18T
• 20 forklifts between 3 up to 7T
• 3 terminal tractors 4x4
• Variety of mafi trailers carriage capacity up to 100T

Other details:

• Quay: Length 1300m; Depth 13.75 meters
• Total area: 175 ha including 85.000 m2 covered storage
• Container yard: 7 ha
• Barge shuttle: every weekday, some Saturdays (on demand)
• Rail shuttle: on request
• Extras: IMO, Fumigation Area, 70 reefer plugs, OOG option, etc.
• Multi-modal: Rail, water and road connections

Transport plays a crucial role in any supply chain. In order to guarantee inbound and outbound transport to and from our logistics terminals, we provide reliable transport services with our own fleet.

Our transport experts and technical specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their objectives are simple: to provide safe, efficient and sustainable delivery of goods and to increase customer satisfaction.

In order to guarantee optimal goods transport, we deploy various intermodal modes of transport, depending on the type of goods, the final destination and the specific requirements of our customers. This might even be a combination of road, rail and water transport.

Our Benelux-based fleet as over 500 trucks and 1250 trailers, the particular speciality is short (0-250 km) and medium-distance (250-500) full truckloads within Europe.

A barge company with 2 vessels which have fix timeslots on each container terminal in Antwerp. Each terminal has rail access and within reach of. We can mobilize significant transport capacity in a very short timeframe. For long-distance transports and less than full truckloads, Katoen Natie relies on trusted subcontractors.

Our customs service department can arrange all requested customs documentation, all of which to be completed and submitted in line with local regulations. Besides being a specialist in customs, we also take care of all VAT-procedures for our customers.

Software is the driving force behind the efficient systems that manage and optimize the product flows. Every product flow has its own method of handling. Every customer has their own system for handling logistics. Katoen Natie develops the software itself to guide product flows as efficiently as possible and to do so on the basis of the product characteristics and customer requirements.

The programs improve efficiency and avoid errors and unnecessary expenses. In collaboration with the customer, a direct link can be made with the customer’s IT network.

Katoen Natie has built logistics platforms in all parts of the world. They are the bridgehead on which the business is founded. At these platforms, semi-industrial services are delivered. The platforms can be large or small, central, or local. They are built specifically for one customer or serve as a multi-customer hub. The same hands-on mentality applies everywhere, with the same values, philosophy and culture, and the same high level of quality.

Our people deliver cost-efficient, reliable, sustainable solutions for added value in your supply chain. As an asset driven family company, it is the owner globally of more than 5.000.000m² of warehouse capacity and 160+ platforms. With our in-house engineering department, we design, build, own and operate. Investments in our assets are based upon thorough in-house knowledge and resources. This, together with our short decision lines, offers great flexibility and enables us to improve our services at a fast pace.

Founded in 1854, we are proud to show our vast proven track record and like to consider us as the logistics service provider for handling, storing wood pulp, paper and plywood. We handle all paper products in both reels and pallets, as well as paper-grade wood pulp, dissolving pulp, fluff pulp, sawn timber, and panel products such as plywood, particle board, chip board, medium-density fiberboard, and oriented strand board.

Committed to the highest Quality Standards, the prevention of personal accidents, loss and material damage, as well as to the protection of health and environment. Preventive and protective care with respect to Katoen Natie employees, employees of Katoen Natie clients, subcontractors and the general public are considered by the group Katoen Natie as a prime responsibility.

Interested in finding out more, reach out through: [email protected]

SOURCE: Katoen Natie

Georgia Ports Authority Provides Update on Blue Ridge Connector Project

January 23, 2024 (Press Release) - Georgia Ports continues its focus on infrastructure and engineering projects in 2024 to create business opportunities for customers, business partners, communities and rural Georgians.

The Blue Ridge Connector is a catalyst for enabling businesses to succeed through a competitive supply chain in a growing Northeast Georgia regional market. Opening in 2026, the Blue Ridge Connector will serve as an important connection for this growing distribution area.

Port officials offered an update recently to representatives from surrounding counties and customers about the arrival of this new infrastructure for future growth.  Economic development officials from more than a dozen surrounding Georgia counties along with Lanier Technical College and Georgia Department of Economic Development leaders participated in a presentation to learn more about the impact of the Blue Ridge Connector on area commerce.

“The Blue Ridge Connector is designed to open access to world markets and create a positive economic impact in the Northeast Georgia region by connecting the Port of Savannah’s 37 weekly global services with Gainesville, Georgia,” said Stacy Watson, GPA’s Director of Economic & Industrial Development. “Every effort has been made to improve the supply chain experience, enable future growth while being sensitive to surrounding communities.”

The 104-acre location will link to the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail – the largest on-dock rail facility in North America, with daily rail departures on CSX and Norfolk Southern to inland markets.  The port currently moves approximately 20% of cargo via rail to inland destinations and 80% by truck.

In addition to providing importers and exporters with efficient new options to move their cargo, the Blue Ridge Connector will also deliver sustainable logistics solutions via rail.  By linking to the Port of Savannah via rail, the Blue Ridge Connector will reduce congestion on Georgia highways, eliminating the 600-mile roundtrip drive to and from the coast. This means offsetting emissions by as much as 75%, lowering transportation costs for importers and exporters and providing closer drayage for truck drivers who can transport containers in their own markets, closer to home.

The new inland port will be served by 14 hybrid-electric rubber-tire gantry cranes which reduce diesel dependency and use white noise audio features to curb noise. Equally important, efficient LED lighting will direct light downward within the facility, minimizing light pollution in nearby communities while reducing energy consumption.

“Our analysis of this market with customers and the market growth potential is lining up well. We’re excited about creating a new supply chain that makes our customers compete stronger, more sustainable and enable their long-term growth plans year-over-year,” added Taylor Worley of Georgia Ports Market Research and Economic Development who presented at the meeting.

Area officials have welcomed the historic investment by Georgia Ports, which will draw new investment to the state as the Northeast Georgia region continues to grow.

SOURCE Georgia Ports Authority

SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal Expansion Project Reaches Halfway Mark

Dec. 22, 2023 - SSA Marine has reached the halfway point in a $72 million project to expand and modernize the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal. Located at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal project is a public-private partnership between the port and SSA Marine.

The phased construction project began in 2022, with the company recently completing four of the project’s eight phases, including installing upgraded terminal lighting and a redesigned terminal gate system, as well as paving nearly 40 acres with heavy-duty asphalt. Six new outbound truck lanes are also currently under construction and scheduled to open in February 2024, with improvements to the terminal’s six inbound lanes scheduled for completion in late 2024.

Currently, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal features newly rebuilt berths and a 47-foot deepwater shipping channel. Upon completion in 2025, the facility’s upgraded yard will feature 97 acres of newly paved asphalt to accommodate taller stacks of loaded containers, with the capability to further expand the terminal to 120 acres as needed.

In 2025, the facility will be able to accommodate nearly 500,000 TEU annually, a 150% increase over its current throughput. The increased capacity will bring JAXPORT’s total TEU capability across all terminals to more than two million TEUs annually, approximately double its current throughput.

“SSA Marine is proud to have been a JAXPORT partner for more than 40 years,” said Lauren Offenbecher, president of SSA Marine’s conventional division. “This partnership has created tremendous opportunities for us to not only invest in the future of JAXPORT, but also to service the growing needs of our customers in the region. We’re looking forward to continuing to support JAXPORT’s growth trajectory for years to come.”

In total, nearly $140 million in improvements are currently underway to modernize the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal. In addition to the $72 million in yard improvements, the company is also investing in three new 100-foot gauge electric container cranes, one of which is in service and two of which are in the process of being commissioned. The new cranes will double the terminal’s total number of post-Panamax cranes to six. SSA Marine and JAXPORT have also received federal grant funding for the purchase of more than $31 million in new eco-friendly cargo-handling equipment, including hybrid-electric rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes and Tier 4 top pick container handlers for the terminal.

“The investments SSA Marine is making in Jacksonville allow us to build on the momentum we are experiencing and maximize the efficiencies created by our 47-foot channel,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “As cargo volumes in the Southeast US continue to grow, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal provides a modern and efficient facility that will benefit our customers and community well into the future.”

SSA Marine is among the world’s leading independent, privately held marine terminal operators, with activities at more than 250 terminal facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, and Asia.

SOURCE: JAXPORT

All Berths Open for Business at Port of Savannah; Dock Renovations, Crane Commissioning Complete

Nov. 17, 2023 - The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal handled 129 container ship calls last month, an increase of 26 percent compared to October 2022.

“For the first time in two and a half years, all berths are open at Garden City Terminal for faster, more efficient cargo handling,” said Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch. “We appreciate our customers’ patience during the renovation of Berth 1, and look forward to providing the world-class vessel service they have come to expect from GPA.”

The Port of Savannah handled 449,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units in October, for its fourth-busiest October ever and a 5 percent increase over the same month in 2019, the most recent year not affected by the pandemic.

“Our infrastructure planning efforts will be realized with Berth 1’s opening and we now have ample berth capacity to handle demand,” said GPA Board Chairman Kent Fountain. “This timing is important for the holiday season and last-minute orders.”

Containers moved by rail grew by 9 percent at Garden City Terminal in October, an increase of nearly 4,000 containers to 47,750. At the Appalachian Regional Port, rail cargo grew by 22 percent last month for a record October.

For the fiscal year to date since July, the Port of Savannah has handled 1.7 million TEUs, a decrease of 18 percent or 382,580 TEUs compared to the same period in FY2023, which saw some of the busiest months in GPA history.

In Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, GPA handled 67,500 units of autos and machinery in October, down 5.8 percent or 4,160 units compared to the same month last year. For the fiscal year to date, GPA has handled 271,364 Ro/Ro units, up 17 percent or 39,500 units.

Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, and contribute $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy.

SOURCE: Georgia Ports Authority