IHS: Ports struggling to keep up with ULCs

The ever-increasing size of containerships has led a decrease in average number of containers moved per hour in port and, in turn, to increased vessel delays, according to a new JOC Port Productivity study from IHS Inc.    Container port berth productivity decreased dramatically on a global basis in 2014 as ports began to handle more ultra-large containerships, according to a new JOC Port Productivity study from IHS Maritime & Trade.
   The average number of containers moved per hour for “mega-container ships,” which IHS defined as having capacity for at least 13,000 TEUs, fell from 118 in 2012 and 2013 to 116 in 2014.
   “The lack of improvement in berth productivity means ships are staying in port longer, forcing other vessels to wait at anchor, creating delays in the transfer of containers between feeder and line-haul ships, and forcing carriers to speed up — and burn more fuel — to maintain schedules,” the maritime industry analyst said in a statement.
   Ports in Asia and the Middle East continued to be the most productive in terms of container moves per hour.  The Port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates ranked the highest among all ports, improving its productivity from 119 moves per hour in 2013 to 131 in 2014. The ports of Tianjin and Qingdao in China ranked second and third with 127 and 126 average moves per hour, respectively.
   APM Terminals Yokohama and Tianjin Port Pacific International Container Terminal ranked highest among individual container terminals, averaging 136 moves per hour.
   “The issue of lengthy port stay times on the largest container ships is becoming a growing concern for container lines seeking to cut costs and operate efficiently, and for exporters experiencing chronic delays in their supply chains,” said IHS. 
   “Every time I meet with a port operator I stress productivity to get the bigger ships in and out — we have not seen any increase in berth productivity over the last six or seven years, and with productivity at current levels, sooner or later we are going to run out of space,” Soren Skou, CEO of ocean carrier giant Maersk Line, said at the JOC’s TPM Conference in March.