May 11 - Zeeland Seaports' BOW terminal in Vlissingen's Westhofhaven says that business really started to move in the first quarter of 2011 and the company, which began its operations in 2010, concluded various contracts for the handling, transhipment and
Zeeland Seaports, which has made no secret of its wish to develop as an operating base for project cargoes, says it expects to attract several projects for the period 2012-2014.
Currently, BOW terminal is providing support with the construction of three large wind farms close to the English coast. One of the projects was commissioned by Norway's Statoil, which is responsible for the development of theSheringham Shoal Offshore Windfarm. Recently, BOW terminal was called for the first time by Seaway Heavylift's Oleg Strashnov - seen below on the berth - in connection with this project.
On its maiden voyage, Oleg Strashnov called in Vlissingen to pick up bedplates. With a hoisting capacity of 5,000 tonnes and a length of 183 m, it is one of the biggest crane ships of its kind, and is likely to make more visits to Vlissingen since some 71 bedplates in total will have to be shipped in connection with the project.
BOW terminal says that it expects to perform around 500 heavy lifts in 2011 for the offshore wind industry with a total volume of around 15,000 tonnes.
As part of the expansion of its operations, the company took over a further seven hectares of land from Zeeland Seaports at the beginning of this year.
An official statement from the port authority states that with wind farms being built across the North Sea, builders are starting to value the Zeeland ports as the operating base for transporting the various components, valuing their open North Sea connection, water depth of 16.5 m, and hardly any tidal restrictions.
