Igor van den Essen, CEO of APM TERMINALS, addressed the challenges of port infrastructure at his recent conference and raised the necessity of simultaneous development of these infrastructures with new capacities. He stated that the capacity of ports and the related supply chain are two different numbers, and this issue requires special attention.
Increasing port capacity and infrastructure challenges
Last year, the ports of Northern Europe handled about 46 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) at nearly 100% capacity. It is expected that this capacity will need to reach at least 53 million TEU by 2030 and 62 million TEU by 2035. In the African continent, some gateways need new capacity to support growing economies, while others need to make better use of existing capacities.
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Infrastructure development and new investments
Igor van den Essen emphasized that the clear response to these challenges is construction. However, he believes that construction alone cannot fill the existing gap. For example, at Pier 400 in Los Angeles, the largest terminal in the Western Hemisphere, the average truck turnaround time has decreased by 55% since 2023, reaching about 39 minutes. Meanwhile, rail movements have more than doubled.
At the Port of Rijeka in Croatia, terminal capacity development and internal connections have been carried out simultaneously, and after one year of opening, trucks require an average of 15 minutes for turnaround. This helps businesses across Central Europe.
Investments in the APM TERMINALS network are aimed at strengthening the position of ports in global trade. For instance, at the Port of Rotterdam, together with Hapag-Lloyd, 1,000 meters of deep-sea quay is being added at Maasvlakte II. In Spain, new investments are underway at the Port of Valencia to strengthen these ports in global trade.
Igor van den Essen noted that none of these efforts will be effective if terminal operators, governments, and infrastructure providers plan separately. Therefore, he has urged his partners to plan the supply chain integrally so that terminal capacities align with rail and road connections. This can prevent major problems arising from small disruptions.
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