Re: Container Transport

["Robert Bushby" <romanabt@tassie.net.au>]

5,500 TEU = 5,500 Twenty foot Equivalent Unit - standard ISO 20 ft boxes.

I'll let you know some sample dimensions when I can get them confirmed. The
"Tasman" is 69,000 dwt (deadweight tonnes), double the tonnage of the
present "big" box ships that visit Oz ports, and she cruises at 26 knots.
That equates to about 68,000 tonnes maximum of cargo onboard every voyage -
2,800 semi trailers, 1,500 B Doubles or 25 trains.

There are even feasability studies being done for 12 - 16,000 TEU ships, but
at the moment, suitable ports are the problem.

There are a number of these new generation ships now  just starting to enter
service around the world on the busy routes. Ports with good water depth and
good infrastucture, especially transport will get to see these ships whilst
other ports will miss out. In Europe, the big ports are offereing all sorts
of deals to become the ports of choice for these ships, as they reduce the
number of ports that they will visit. In some areas without good land
transport infrastructure, it will lead to an increase in feeder container
ships shuttling between the major terminals and other ports, especially in
Asia.

Rod Young is right about the potential for Darwin as a landbridge port for
Asia. Be interesting to see once rail is back there - will our "Road Based
(Biased)" Pollies allow it to happen! The Asian routes are different to
Europe, and I would expect to see more the feeder type ship operations
running in that region as the big companies try to develop this concept,
based on ports like Singapore and Hong Kong, already the two busiest
container ports in the world. Good links through hub ports will allow a
multitude of good services with many frequent departures - just what the
customers want. Just look at the way the airlines have developed this
concept! Hopefully, direct Europe and US shipping will stay much the way it
is now, but with reduced port calls as the ships get larger.

I know shipping is a bit off topic, but there are major opportunities to
work with rail, as we are already seeing in Australia (Patricks, Coastal
Express etc).
There will be plenty more new ones as transport logistics change, and
hopefully our rail gurus will go after these opportunities. Just watch the
containers roll along the Hume for a day, and you will see how many rail is
missing out on already. One of our suppliers had a preference to send 20
footers from Newcastle to Melbourne by road (3 a week just for us) because
rail couldn't care a less whether they carried them or not (and their plant
has a rail siding). Anyway, both road and rail lost, and they are now roaded
to Sydney and shipped on a single voyage permit basis on a Malaysian Lines
container ship direct to Burnie. Any rail genuine salesman want to know
about this
lead, please contact me and I will give you the details, and you can set to
work on it.


Let you know more about the big ships as more details emerge,


--
Rob Bushby
South Coast Extended (HO - NSWGR)
(under construction)
Queenstown, Tasmania.
romanabt@tassie.net.au