December 18 - The DFDS Seaways terminal in Rotterdam has seen a surge in demand for heavy and project cargo handling services, says its operations manager.
"In 2013, we performed only one or two of such lifts, but this year the figure has risen to 11," said Jorik van Oosterom, DFDS' terminal operations manager at the Dutch gateway.
The majority of these heavy cargoes arrive or depart from the terminal on barges and are loaded and unloaded by a quayside crane. Cargoes handled include 20-tonne boxes, wind turbine blades and machinery weighing as much as 170 tonnes.
"Over the last months we have worked hard to attract new lift business, where before the Rotterdam terminal was mainly focused on ro-ro traffic," van Oosterom added. "By road or barge, we can accommodate units of up to 7 m wide; load and secure to most connecting vehicles or vessels."
Based in Vlaardingen the DFDS terminal is located near to major motorway connections around Rotterdam, and serves DFDS' daily ro-ro connections to the UK.
