The EUROGATE Group increased operating profit (EBIT) by 10.2% to EUR 76.5 million (previous year: EUR 69.4 million). Container handling volumes were the highest ever in the Company’s history and rose by 4.2% to 14.8 million standard containers (TEU). Consequently, revenue was up by 5.3% and stood at EUR 566 million (previous year: EUR 537.5 million).
The overall development of container handling volumes at the various EUROGATE locations was mixed in 2014. Between them, the German terminals handled 8.1 million TEUs and thus sustained their market leadership. Bremerhaven, EUROGATE’s biggest German terminal location, stagnated at the previous year’s level with 5.8 million TEUs. The era of ultra-large container ships >10,000 TEUs (ULCSs) set in earlier here than at other seaports back in 2006 when the “Emma Mærsk”(15,500 TEUs) docked at the port. Bremerhaven’s location on the open sea provides good nautical conditions for the handling of mega container carriers. Thanks to these, in 2011 this site was the first to once again reach the peak handling volumes of 2008. On 6 March 2015, the terminal handled the “MSC Oscar”,the world’s largest container vessel to date (19,224 TEUs). In November 2014, NTB North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven received an award from theJournal of Commercefor its outstanding productivity.
Recording excellent growth of 16.7% in 2014, EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg built on the growth dynamic of the pre-crisis years up to 2008. Handling volumes here totalled 2.3 million TEUs. Last year, the Hamburg terminal received awards from two industry journals for its high productivity rates: in June fromCargonews Asiaand in November from theJournal of Commerce. On 16 January 2015, the terminal handled the “CSCL Globe” (19,100 TEUs) – for 51 days the largest container ship in the world.
On 20 February 2015, the first ship operating on the Far East – Northern Europe service (AE5/ALBATROS) of the 2M Alliance between Mærsk Line and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company docked at EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven. The 2M Alliance has included Germany’s only deep-water port in its schedule with two liner services on its Far East – Europe routes and three feeder services. Mærsk Line also started a third liner service between the Middle East and India. The seaport location is seeing increasing demand on the part of shippers. Especially in light of the trend in ship sizes, there are positive signs that Wilhelmshaven will find its position on the market from this year on. Given its nautical advantages and congestion-free hinterland connections, Wilhelmshaven is an excellent alternative or supplementary port to the established seaport locations.
The Italian container terminals achieved slight growth of 0.3%. 16,000-TEU ships in the meantime regularly call at the southern European terminals in the EUROGATE Group. On 30 January 2015, the “MSC London”, the biggest container ship ever handled by Medcenter Container Terminal with a transport capacity of 16,600 TEUs, docked in Gioia Tauro. One week later she called at La Spezia. LSCT La Spezia Container Terminal responded to the rapid rise in the number of large ships with an extensive investment programme. Last year, LSCT acquired the neighbouring Speter Terminal, thus laying the foundation for expanding the terminal by an area of 162,000 m² and 1,000 m of quayside berths. To facilitate handling of large container ships with 23 container rows on deck, two new container gantries were ordered, which were delivered on 24 March 2015.
Currently the Group’s most dynamic terminal, it continued its remarkable growth trend and increased handling volumes substantially by 33.2% to 1.4 million TEUs. Located right on the Strait of Gibraltar, it is in direct competition with the expensive Spanish ports on the European continent, but at the same time serves as a gateway to the up-and-coming Moroccan market. The biggest customer is the French shipping line CMA CGM, whose 16,000-TEU class regularly docks here. Negotiations are currently under way about a further involvement of EUROGATE Tanger in the TangerMed II port extension area and increased terminal capacities at the site.
The trend in handling volumes was also very gratifying at the Ust-Luga Container Terminal, which despite the Russia crisis recorded a rise of 68.1% to 103,521 TEUs.
EUROGATE is placing its faith in “green power” to operate its container terminals and on 21 January 2015 took its second wind turbine into operation. This generator stands in Bremerhaven and has an annual energy output of 9 million kilowatt hours, equivalent to an energy saving of 4,600 t CO2. EUROGATE has become a pioneer in this field. In the past few years, the Company has progressed a long way in its efforts to save energy and lower CO2 emissions per container and has come an important step closer to achieving its overriding goal. Since 2008, energy consumption per container has been reduced by 13% and CO2 emissions by 18%.