Maersk to call new JWP Wilhelmshaven terminal

The first call by Maersk at Wilhelmshavenwas was on September17, with the 2,532 teu Anna Schulte on the CRX service. It was followed on September 20 by the 7,450 teu Maersk Laguna trading on the Europe-ECSA \’Samba\’ service, which made an ad hoc call at JWP for the official opening of the port on September 21. The first AE-1 call is scheduled on September 24 with the 9,600 teu Chastine Maersk.

Maersk’s sister company APM Terminals (APMT) holds a 30% interest in JWP, while the remaining 70% is controlled by Germany’s Eurogate group. The two companies also jointly run the nearby terminal of NTB (North Sea Terminal) at Bremerhaven, the only difference being that NTB is a 50-50 joint venture. Maersk appears to be adding Wilhelmshaven to the individual service rotation simultaneously with the Bremerhaven (NTB) call. It is unclear how it will generate incremental volumes without taking away cargo from Bremerhaven.

JWP’s launch was delayed from 2011 due to the remediation works required on the first 650 m of its 1,000 m quay. A further 725 m of quay will be added by August next year, with full operating capacity at the terminal estimated at 2.7m teu per annum. The port’s launch comes at a time of significant overcapacity in the North Continent ports amidst slow growth, with Hutchison recently deciding to shut its ACT terminal at Amsterdam while PSA has failed for more than a year to attract any significant business for its new ZIP terminal at Zeebrugge.