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Brunsbüttel Ports reaches record margin of 10 Mio Tons of goods handled in 2011 and heads for further expansion
Aluminium bars ElbehafenBrunsbüttel Ports GmbH, a Company of SCHRAMM group, has in 2011 continued its successful development. Due to the set-up as multipurpose port group for general cargo, bulk cargo and liquid goods in the three ports, handling figures exceeded more than 10 Mio Tons for the first time. Especially the amount of liquid goods in the Kiel Canal ports Ostermoor and Oilport has grown strongly compared to the years before. Universal port Elbehafen’s handling figures increased in some areas and stabilised in others.
Compared to the year before, the total amount handled within the port group of Brunsbüttel on all modes of transport increased by 9.4% to about 10.3 Mio Tons. Main increases were seen especially in the areas of dry and liquid bulk goods. Also gaining new customers played a major part with for example building materials for various use, road salt and pre-products for the chemical industry as well as technical constructions.
“Our focus as trimodal handling place for sea and inland vessels, as well for the regional industry within the largest complex industrial area of Schleswig-Holstein, as for transit traffic into our hinterland, is the guarantee for continuous positive growth of our port group”, says Frank Schnabel, managing director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH.
Next to the steady positive development of figures over the last years, also during the world wide economy crisis in 2009, especially the number of new customers and new business in the Elbehafen give Frank Schnabel an optimistic outlook in the future: “Over the last months we successfully gained new future business such as handling of refuse derived fuels, recycle-products and fertilizers but also handling of general cargo like for example large scale constructions including assembly work.
There is an important and fundamental focus on the logistical services for wind power stations onshore and offshore. In the Elbehafen wind power stations are handled continuously like recently for Enercon. In the medium term Brunsbüttel is to be extended to become an offshore basis port, so that also manufacturers of the wind power industry can settle within port distance.
Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH is well positioned for the future with further strategic projects:
In 2012 start of construction work is expected for extending the middle part of the Elbehafen. “We are just working on the submission for most of the building work”, tells Frank Schnabel. This two digit million Euro investment will safeguard and optimize the productive efficiency of the Elbehafen for the next decades.
At the end of 2012 the new port administration building, which will be used together with egeb:Wirtschaftsförderung and Sartori & Berger GmbH & Co. KG, shall be ready to move in. This investment also heads into the future and will not only satisfy energetic demands but also improve the employees’ work environment. Some sufficient additional capacity of rooms was planned as further growth is expected.
Another part of the strategic development at Brunsbüttel ports is the offer for vessels to bunker the environmental-friendly fuel LNG (liquefied natural gas). In 2011 Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH has closed a contract with Gasnor AS, Norway, for bunkering vessels with LNG at the Elbehafen. Gasnor AS and Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH play a leading role in supplying LNG fuels for Northern Germany. As of November 2011 bunkering can be done by LNG tank trucks. According to the growing demand for LNG the erection of a tank farm is planned and its continuous enlargement. The interim solution as well as the erection of a tank farm provide for a safe, reliable and cost effective solution for fueling sea and inland vessels with the environmental-friendly fuel LNG.
Various further regional and supra-regional request for logistic projects, also in cooperation with partners, offer additional potential for growth.
Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH’s activities beyond Brunsbüttel:
Last year Brunsbüttel Ports/SCHRAMM group gained the business to operate supply and disposal facilities for the Vattenfall power plant at Moorburg, another milestone in Company history. The contract contains the plant’s supply with around 4 Mio Tons of coal per year (discharge of sea vessels at Hamburg-Moorburg) and the disposal of around 650,000 Tons of residues (loading of means of transport). This year Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH is preparing the takeover of the operation and looks for additional staff therefore.
“At the moment we are looking into further regional and supra-regional locations to develop them for continuation of the Company group’s expansion plans. Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH, as family brand for port activities within the SCHRAMM group, will grow further by focusing on long term and stable success. The acquirement and development of even more qualified personnel is a basic requirement. So we invest intensively in training and qualification of our present staff but also in the search for new employees”, Frank Schnabel explains.
