With the completion of Warehouse 6 at EBS Laurenshaven terminal, the Port of Rotterdam has gained yet another asset in the transhipment of high quality minerals and biomass. For European Bulk Services (EBS), this also heralds the next step in the transition from coal to other products, the company said in its release.
The dimensions of the new complex are particularly impressive. A total 126,000 cubic metres of covered storage capacity has been added, bringing EBS’s total capacity in Rotterdam to 650,000 cubic metres. What is unique about this warehouse is that the client Hudig & Veder has not only signed a long-term contract for the hire of the largest portion of this storage capacity but has also provided 25 per cent of the financing for the new development. ‘By becoming co-owner, we can coordinate with EBS in offering increased customisation to our clients’, explained Hans Lagendijk, Gans Cargo Operations Manager (part of the Hudig & Veder group). ‘This strengthens our market position as well as Rotterdam’s attractiveness as logistics hub for products including minerals, biomass and calcined pet coke.’
The area that Hudig & Veder are using is divided into ten 3,500-cubic metre compartments and seven 5,000-cubic metre compartments. One of these compartments has a covered transit to an adjacent 20,000-metre warehouse in which moveable internal walls can be used for the separate storage of various minerals and biomass. ‘This new storage facility enables us not only to be flexible, but also to store the various consignments clean, dry and free from contamination’, stated Henk Hoepel, Manager at Hudig & Veder Bulk. ‘That is important, because we mainly work with high grade minerals and clay types including bauxite, bentonite and perlite. Our clients often only use small quantities of these as part of their production processes. We manage the stock in Rotterdam and forward this, generally by barge or truck, to interim storage in the vicinity of factories in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Northern France.’
As well as the warehouse construction, investments have been made in a 50-tonne mobile Gottwald 6 bulk-handling crane. The shell bucket contains a calibrated electronic weighing system. Hoepel: ‘This is a huge improvement compared with the traditional method of determining weight, via barge gauging and draught survey. The precision is unparalleled. And that’s extremely important if you’re working with expensive minerals.’