By Gavin van Marle,

(The Loadstar) – Project logistics and out-of-gauge cargo are the most recent specialist delivery targets of container traces on the lookout for different income streams.

With customary dry container volumes exhibiting flat development, and low freight charges an more and more perennial function of the business, field carriers want to increasing into the extra worthwhile space of out-of-gauge and heavylift cargo.

The transfer can be just like their assault on the perishables sector, which started 20 years in the past and has led to an large decline within the standard reefer delivery fleet.

“The feedback of customers is that they welcome the extra competition,” David Piel, senior supervisor of particular cargo in Europe at Hapag-Lloyd informed The Loadstar.

While the German delivery line has at all times carried some out-of-gauge shipments – “we weren’t really focusing on special cargo” – it has not too long ago been investing in a particular cargo staff in Hamburg, spurred by a number of developments.

“The opening of Iran is likely to lead to a lot of investment, especially in the oil industry,” mentioned Mr Piel, “whereas a variety of the opposite oil-producing nations are additionally investing in infrastructure to diversify their economies.

“For example, we are finding that the trade between the Far East and Middle East for special cargo has great potential.”

Out-of-gauge cargo is one in all 5 area of interest sectors – reefers, harmful items, US flag companies and cabotage companies, the opposite 4 – that Hapag-Lloyd is eager to develop. The company goal is that collectively they need to make-up 15% of the group’s international volumes.

So how life like is it that container traces will be capable of penetrate a sector that has historically been the protect of specialist vessels primarily working on a tramp foundation?

“The bottleneck for us is the ports,” Mr Piel mentioned. “Container cranes in the principle ports are solely rated to deal with as much as 100 tonnes payload, after that it’s important to use floating cranes and their availability varies from port to port.

However, as a result of the cargo is carried on the corporate’s current liner community, it could possibly supply shippers significantly decrease freight charges, mixed with extra frequent sailings, he argued.

“Our benefit is having weekly sailings and providing a world community. We are calling in any respect the principle ports on an virtually every day foundation, whereas our feeder companies are going to smaller ports and we are able to then tranship at hub ports.

“For instance, in case you are an Asian shipyard and shopping for azipods in Finland, we ship from Rauma to Hamburg, tranship in Hamburg, utilizing the floating cranes there, and put the cargo onto the deepsea vessels for his or her backhaul leg to Asia.

“Sometimes it makes sense to tranship, it depends on the floating cranes,” he mentioned. Although he admitted that the port-to-port companies provided by specialist vessels outfitted with their very own cranes had been “very convenient, despite the higher prices”.

Ro-ro vessel operators have additionally tried to extend their challenge cargo volumes.

“The problem for ro-ro vessels is the capacity of the loading ramp, which is limited to 150 tonnes – although the vessels are very good for construction vehicles,” Mr Piel added.

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