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TRADE
volumes from Asia to Europe and Asia to
the Mediterranean were weak throughout 2012
and a similar story appears to be emerging
this year.
In
fact trade contracted in 2012 for only the
second time on these routes for only the
second time since containerisation began
over half a century ago.
But
for the Spanish port of Barcelona, it managed
to record some impressive figures from an
unlikely sourceˇXexports.
This
is not to say that Barcelona's volumes were
spectacular, but there was some positive
movement in the so-called backhaul business,
which is at least encouraging.
But
this growth in exports did not come without
hard work.
Barcelona
Port Authority commercial director, Rosa
Puig, told this publication that the increase
has come from some innovative thinking on
the part of the country's entrepreneurs.
"The
entrepreneurs in Spain knew they had to
find a solution as the domestic consumption
market was not so healthy. So they decided
that they had to look outside of their own
local market and sell to the world. And
they have been really successful in getting
overseas orders for Spanish products,"
she saidˇK
Containerised
exports from SpainˇXparticularly to Asia,
which is the largest market for the port
comprising around 25 per cent of total throughputˇXvary
from the usual low-value backhaul commodities
like scrap paper to high-value items such
as wine.
Ordinarily
the port of Barcelona boasts a healthy balance
between imports and exportsˇXa fact that
has attracted many shipping lines to its
berths over the years. However, of late
exports have been greater than the import
volumes.
Another
area of growth for Barcelona has been in
transshipment traffic, which Ms Puig believes
is only going to get bigger at the port
in the coming years. This is particularly
due to its strategic location that enables
it to not only serve the Spanish hinterland
but also into France as well.
While
it may seem odd to talk about trade growth
at this point in time, particularly at a
Europe-based Mediterranean port, the Barcelona
Port Authority knows that the current lull
won't last and that growth will commence
again.
And
when it does, Barcelona plans to be ready.
"We
are now in the middle of an expansion that
is the biggest in 600 years of history at
the port," Ms Puig said.
In
late September the port officially opened
its newest container terminal, the Barcelona
Europe South Terminal (BEST), which is owned
and operated by Hong Kong-based terminal
operator Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) through
its TERCAT (Terminal Catalunya) unit.
While
the facility is open for business now, further
construction will continue through to 2016
at which time the third and final phase
of development will be completed.
The
entire development has been conducted in
keeping with strict environmental guidelines
to ensure that the impact on the local community
will be kept to a minimum, the commercial
director explained.
"We
went through all of the precautions to make
it environmentally friendly and sustainable
and now we are very proud that we have finished
this first terminal. We are also very pleased
to have an investor like HPH with us in
this development.
"They
won the tender for that concession and they
are really making a very new and modern
terminal," Ms Puig said.
The
commercial director added that productivity
has also been very high at the terminal
in early testing, clocking up to 30 moves
per crane, per hour.
"This
is a very high standard in Europe,"
she said.
Today
the terminal boasts 1.5 kilometres of berthing
space with a minimum depth alongside of
16.5 metres. The quay length will be approximately
double that upon completion of phase three
in 2016, at which point the facility will
be capable of handling up to two million
TEU per annum.
BEST
will also contain the biggest on-dock railway
terminal in southern Europe.
According
to a statement issued by HPH it will hold
eight rails of 750 metres each.
Intermodal
connectivity has been and will continue
to be a major drawcard for the port of Barcelona.
"We
have a very good network of rail connections
to all places along the central corridor
in the Iberian Peninsula to the northern
corridor and through to southern Europe
up to Lyon, Toulouse and Bordeux,"
Ms Puig said.
Zaragoza,
in the Spanish northwest, is an important
rail link from Barcelona as it located strategically
between Bilbao in the north, Madrid, Valencia
and Barcelona.
"It
is a very strategic point for us and we
have three trains running from Barcelona
to Zaragoza every day. So we are well connected
to this place and that gives us an advantage,"
Ms Puig said.
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