Hamburg terminal meets certification standard

Hamburg terminal meets certification standard    Hamburger Hafen und Logistik's Altenwerder facility at the Port of Hamburg said today it is the first marine container terminal in the world to be certified according to international standards.
   The performance standards were developed by the non-profit Global Logistics Institute and released in February. The tool was designed as a way for shippers and others to benchmark a container terminal's ability to efficiently and safely move cargo through its facility.
   To first qualify for a Container Terminal Quality Index (CTQI) audit a terminal has to implement a management system to ensure a continual improvement process. Auditors then assess 40 aspects of a terminal's performance including equipment quality, such as the average age of cranes; and operational standards, such as the opening hours of the road gate, amount of time shut down, ship productivity and intermodal and inland waterway connections.
   German certification society Germanischer Lloyd Certification conducted the audit under an arrangement with the New York-based Global Logistics Institute. Audits are good for one year and Altenwerder will be re-evaluated in June 2009.
   Terminals are scored on a 100-point scale and receive certification if they achieve 50 points or more. Outsiders will only know that a terminal met the minimum score for certification because the results are confidential and only shared with the terminal itself.