15.04.2008

Eurogate plans €1.1 bn investment

Europ's largest container terminal operator Eurogate is planning massive investments to manage the rising number of very large container vessels from 10,000 teu upwards.
The Bremerhaven facility in Germany alone will receive 14 gantry cranes and 127 van carriers over the next four years. The CT4 container terminal, which is the last possible stage of the expansion, will be completed in October.
In Hamburg, the group wants to widen the third berth and is going to buy four gantry cranes and 176 van carriers by 2012.

The group, which is a joint venture of Hamburg’s Eurokai and Bremen’s BLG, said it is going to spend more than €1.1bn over the next four years, mainly in terminal capacity.

Emanuel Schiffer, who heads Eurogate together with Thomas Eckelmann said the investment is the highest ever made by the group.

The group wants to be prepared for vessels of 10,000 teu and upwards. As part of the investments, the group is going to receive 50 new super post Panamax gantry cranes by 2012. In this period, shipyards will deliver 191 very large containerships with more than two million teu capacity, co-head Schiffer said.