The Netherlands: EECV Invests 20 Million Euros in Coal Terminal Expansion

EECV is investing 20 million Euros in the expansion of the terminal in the Europoort for handling coal. This increases the storage capacity by around 50% and transhipment of coking coal can increase by a third. The expansion should be ready in 2013 and is a reaction to the reduction of coal extraction in Germany which should be completed in 2018. Horst Steinhoff, director of shipping and logistics at EECV, declared this late last week during a visit by German economics journalists to Rotterdam.

ThyssenKrupp, parent company of EECV and exclusive customer, imports a good 25 million tonnes of iron ore and around 5 million tonnes of coking coal yearly. About 90% of this goes through EECV. Two thirds of the iron ore comes from Brazil, half of the coal comes from North America and two fifths of it from Australia. For the supply almost 200 ocean-going vessels, of which the largest carry around 350,000 tonnes of ore, are unloaded 24/7 every year. After intermediate storage, push-barges with a maximum of six barges transport the raw materials up the Rhine to the blast-furnaces in Duisburg, 250 kilometres further inland. The costs, at two to three Euros per tonne of steel, are compensated by the proximity of the customers. Around 40% of the turnover is made in a radius of 250 kilometres of the Rhine-Ruhr region.

Intercontinental slabs

ThyssenKrupp has built a blast-furnace in Brazil and rolling mills in the United States (Alabama) at a cost of around 8 billion Euros. The intention is to transport two million tonnes of crude steel in the form of slabs from South America in the future. This will significantly reduce the logistic expenses, because one tonne of crude steel requires 1.6 tonnes of iron ore and 0.5 tonnes of coal. Currently 800,000 tonnes of slabs are supplied to Duisburg via the Steinweg terminal on the Maasvlakte. At the same time, 200,000 tonnes go from Duisburg to the United States, of which 50,000 tonnes are ultimately left.

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Source: Port of Rotterdam, August 2, 2011