One of the three articles: PSA Zeebrugge prepares for a quantum leap in logistics (with the new roro’s from Wallenius SOL).
The handling volumes of Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft (LHG) were just over two percent below the previous year’s figure at just under 21,840 million tons.
The volume increase in the past four months in particular contributed to minimise the decline.
Automotive business was 20% higher.
Most areas, including the high-volume roro handling, were in decline.
Forest products fell by 7.5 percent for structural reasons.
LHG is preparing Skandinavienkai in Travemünde with an additional area of around 60,000m2 and a 10,000m2 multi-purpose hall for the forest industry. First customer will be Stora Enso.
The terminal will be ready at the end of the year, when Wallenius SOL starts to call with the new roro ships.
Port of Zeebrugge Welcomes the New Service from Wallenius SOL
Wallenius SOL has started to operate the two chartered ships, FIONIA SEA and JUTLANDIA SEA. They operate on the Kemi-Oulu-Husum-Zeebrugge-Antwerp-Vaasa route.
FIONIA SEA arrived in Zeebrugge for the first time on 13 January, coming all the way from the Gulf of Bothnia (with Husum as new port on Swedish side).
The newly built ro-ro vessel ECO VALENCIA recently delivered to Grimaldi Group by Nanjing Jinling shipyard in China made her maiden call in the port of Livorno. Dr Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of the company, and his son Guido Grimaldi, sales manager of Grimaldi Euromed, were at the quay for a welcome.
The ship, which is the first of a series of 12 (of which three are for Finnlines), entered into service on the line linking Livorno and Savona in Italy, with Barcelona and Valencia in Spain.
ECO VALENCIA and her sister ships have a length of 238m and will be able to transport over 7,800 lane meters of rolling units, equivalent to above 500 trailers. The design was developed in a fruitful cooperation between the Grimaldi Group, Nanjing Jinling Shipyard and Knud E. Hansen.
All these vessels will be ‘ultra green’ with 600m2 of solar panels, large-capacity batteries to achieve zero emissions in port and a peak shaving system. Furthermore, an air lubrication system is included so the ship will ride on a carpet of micro bubbles, hereby reducing the frictional resistance between the hull and the water.
From mid-January 2021, Wallenius SOL will add Travemünde on the northbound route Zeebrugge–Antwerpen–Travemünde–Vaasa.
The customers have been requesting two-way traffic between the Ostrobothnia region in Finland and Travemünde for some time now. The increased demand for northbound transports, together with the fact that two new vessels (*) will be taken into use in 2021, has enabled a new call in Travemünde on the northbound route to Ostrobothnia.
(*) FIONIA SEA, JUTLANDIA SEA
Starting in January, Wallenius SOL will charter FIONIA SEA and JUTLANDIA SEA for the Kemi-Oulu-Husum-Zeebrugge-Antwerp-Vaasa route. (technical details)
“With 3,300 lane metres and a capacity of approximately 300 TEU we will have new and expanded opportunities for container loads,” says Jonas Wåhlin, General Manager Wallenius SOL.
Once they enter service, TAVASTLAND will call at Kaskinen – a new port on the route map – as well as making more calls at Kemi, Oulu, Husum and Lübeck.
Wallenius SOL will be adding additional capacity when its newly built roro’s enter service at the end of 2021. The LNG / ice class vessels offer 5,600 lane metres and a capacity of up to 800 TEU.
New LNG Roro Vessels Reduce Greenhouse Gases By 63%
Wallenius SOL’s new, ice-rated LNG-powered RoRo vessels will have a significantly lower environmental impact compared to older vessels. According to IVL, hull design had a major beneficial effect on energy efficiency.
IVL – the independent Swedish Environmental Research Institute – was commissioned to calculate how the new type of vessel compares with those currently plying the route from the northern Baltic to ports on the continent. The vessels are currently under construction at the CIMC Raffles shipyard in China, where the project is led by Wallenius Marine. A comparison was made with the roro ship THULELAND, which has been in operation since 2006 and is best-in-class in terms of low environmental impact.
“This Is Why Our New Shipping Company Will Be A Success”
Quote from Ragnar Johansson, CEO Wallenius SOL.
What began as an idea in a port in Kotka has now, after ten years, resulted in a completely new Swedish shipping company. The ambition is to secure long-term infrastructure for the industry in the Gulf of Bothnia.
As from November 2019, Wallenius SOL will include Port of Vaasa in its regular liner network.
With weekly calls, it will connect Vaasa with the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge. This is made possible through a long-term co-operation with technology company Wärtsilä, who will have its state-of-the-art production facility on site. The facility, called the Smart Technology Hub, will be located in direct connection with Port of Vaasa from 2021 onwards. All inbound deliveries from Central Europe to Vaasa will be routed via a consolidation point in Antwerp with the weekly sailings offered by Wallenius SOL.
Furthermore, Wallenius SOL will ship the ready-made engines southbound from Wärtsilä to its customers worldwide, also with Antwerp as hub.
Four Big New Ice-Class Freight Ferries For A New Swedish Shipping Company
- WALLENIUS SOL: a new shipping company founded by Wallenius and Swedish Orient Line to cope with the increasing volumes of goods being transported from the Gulf of Bothnia.
- Initially it is SOL’s current business that is transferred to the new company (with exception of Med and TransProCon). Bookings are redirected to SOL Continent’s website.
- Route: Five ports in the Gulf of Bothnia – Germany (Travemünde/Lübeck) – Belgium (Zeebrugge/Antwerp) – UK.
- WALLENIUS SOL started its operations on April 12, 2019. Main office is located in Gothenburg.
- Initial fleet consists of five vessels: BALTICA, TAVASTLAND, THULELAND, TUNDRALAND and VASALAND.
- The company will transport forestry products and other goods.
- First customers to sign long-term agreements are Stora Enso and Metsä Board.
- Four new ro-ro ferries have been ordered at the CIMC Raffles Yard in China, with a delivery planned for 2021.
- Ice class 1A Super
- LNG-powered, 241.7m long, 5,800 lane metre, designed by Knud E Hansen.
