Jul 06 | 2022
Creating Low-carbon, Sustainable Logistics Hub
By Simon West
After completing last year the acquisition of the Wallmann Terminal – one of two major breakbulk terminals at the Port of Hamburg – industrial goods packaging specialist Deufol has set about converting the 130,000 square-meter site into a textbook example of a low-carbon, sustainable logistics hub.Heavy-fuel oil has been ditched for liquefied natural gas, normal roofs are being equipped with solar panels and diesel-guzzling forklifts are being swapped for trucks powered by renewably sourced electricity.
Securing less-polluting equipment for heavy-duty breakbulk operations though has been a trickier task.
“If you look at the area of reachstackers or our Liebherr cranes – the big LHM 500s and 600s – it is still rather challenging to find green equipment that can replace that diesel power,” said Deufol’s Marc Hübner, head of business development and an executive board member.
“We need maximum flexibility from a location point of view.”
Deufol is targeting net-zero emissions from its operations at Wallmann by 2030, although Hübner conceded that the heavyweight cranes would unlikely be ready for carbon-neutral output by the end of the decade.
The company operates four Liebherr cranes at Wallmann, alongside more than 40 forklift trucks and reachstackers with lifting capacities of up to 50 tonnes, 80 terminal trailers and four towing vehicles.
The Hofheim-based operator is looking at hybrid systems with reachstacker suppliers such as Kalmar, and has offered its premises at Hamburg and at its other breakbulk terminal at the Port of Antwerp as testing grounds for electric MAFI tractors.
“We are putting pressure on suppliers to develop and think about those things, and we are very happy to test new products,” Hübner said.
Size Growth Complications
The terminal is also contending with the ever-increasing size and weight of components. The offshore wind industry in particular is driven by constant technical innovation, with pieces such as monopiles and turbines getting bigger and more powerful by the year.
The size of gas turbines, steel pressers and hydrogen compressors – components that Deufol frequently handles – is also creeping up, resulting in challenges for companies right across the supply chain.
“The big question is, do we buy the LHM 800s now and increase our capacity, then in two years they are outdated again due to heavier cargo? And not only because of heavier cargo, but also because then there is the technology out there that supports the cranes being carbon-neutral?”
Deufol, which has just completed an expansion of breakbulk handling capacity at its Antwerp terminal, has operations in 90 locations in 12 countries. The company is planning to expand its network and is targeting a number of breakbulk terminals around the world.
High turnover of equipment has resulted in shorter amortization periods for investments, but with such global reach, the operator can easily move older assets to other locations in its network.
“We also see that with terminal providers like HHLA – they are taking down the big gantry cranes that they had in Hamburg and they are now moving them to their Tallin port, for example. This is something similar that we are doing across our location network as well.”
Despite the challenges, Hübner said terminals such as Wallmann would learn to evolve.
“We are investing in more equipment, we are willing to invest in higher tonnages, and that is not a problem,” the executive said. “I think terminals are willing to provide more, grow further and always find solutions. We are not at the maximum limit yet.”
Simon West is senior reporter for Breakbulk
PHOTO: Deufol is putting pressure on suppliers to develop reduced carbon equipment for heavy-duty breakbulk operations. Credit: deufol
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