The bulk carrier “LORD STAR” was the last vessel handled at the BTW in July and it helped increase the terminal’s record for one month to more than half a million tonnes of coal. The volume handled roughly corresponds to the empty weight of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, the highest building in the world. The fossil fuel unloaded from the PanMax class bulk carrier, came from Russia. The coal imported during the record-breaking month also came from Columbia and the United States.
“We set ourselves ambitious targets for our monthly and annual figures after expanding our terminal. The 557,319 tonnes, which were handled in July, show that we’re on the right path,” says Matthias Schrell, Managing Director of Rhenus Midgard in Wilhelmshaven.
The business site unloaded more than three million tonnes for the first time last year. “At the moment, it looks as if we’ll be able to increase our end-of-year results in 2014 once again,” says Matthias Schrell.
The seaport logistics specialist Rhenus Midgard extensively modernised and expanded the terminal formerly known as the Niedersachsenbrücke jetty between 2009 and 2013. More powerful conveyor belts, fully automatic stackers/reclaimers and the new train loading station have improved the range of services available. The capacity of the BTW has also been extended through deepening the berth to allow it to handle fully laden Capesize vessels with a draught of as much as 18.50 metres and extending the storage areas away from the quay’s edge.