Broken Record: “Mega Ships” will challenge port infrastructure.
February 13, 2007 by SwizStick
Filed under Seafreight, Supply Chain Management
Via Logistics Today:
Mega ships are playing a greater role in transportation efficiencies, Abdulla Bin Damithan told the Middle East Port Development Conference. The commercial director of DP World said ports have had to factor in the need to cater to these larger vessels. The comment was part of broader message that extra attention must be paid to planning and deploying the right mix of tonnage and routes. He stressed the need for proper infrastructure to maintain the handling capabilities of ports. Container port capacity peaked at 455.9 million TEUs in 2006, said Bin Damithan, and total demand is forecast to reach 490.28 million TEUs in 2009, which means continued expansion is necessary.
Sorry for sounding like a broken record, but this is something we have been harping about for some time. The “mega ships” will tax port infrastructure like never before and you can add all the container capacity you want, but it won’t do you a bit of good if the ports can’t keep up, which they aren’t and it looks like won’t be able to in the future.
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