October 5 - Several of Rotterdam's well-known project logistics specialists have been involved in the latest heavy lift shipment through the port.
CEVA Logistics is coordinating the transportation of two cement ship unloaders, a ship loader and two conveyor belt systems with a combined weight of 17,000 tonnes.
The machinery, which was built by Van Aalst Bulk Handling, was brought to the port by pontoon for shipment to the other side of the world.
It is destined for two new cement import terminals in New Zealand. At Timaru port in New Zealand, Holcim has struck a 25-year deal with PrimePort Timaru to house one of two cement importing plants in New Zealand, which will be the main storage plant for bulk cement for the South Island and the lower North Island.
The shipment is proving to be quite a logistics challenge, with the largest machine measuring some 33 m long, 15.5 m wide and 18 m high.
The machinery was taken from three different locations and assembled at the NCM shipyard in Nieuw-Lekkerland, about 20 km east of Rotterdam, where they were loaded onto a pontoon by a Bonn & Mees floating crane and taken to the RHB Stevedoring terminal in the Waalhaven.
At the terminal, the machinery was loaded onto BigLift Shipping's Happy Dragon.
René van Loon, vice president of freight management Benelux at CEVA says: "A lot of work is involved with project cargo like this. Within CEVA we have therefore set up worldwide Project Logistics centres, one of which is in Rotterdam. They focus fully on air and ocean project cargo (As reported by HLPFI on August 7, 2015).
"It is also important that all players in the supply chain are on the same wavelength. In the port of Rotterdam, all the necessary facilities and excellent service providers are available so that project cargo like this can be shipped safely, efficiently and carefully."
A video of the project can be seen on the right hand side of this page.
