The Seaport of Emden is the third largest German North Sea port. It is situated on the northern banks of the River Ems and consists of two parts: the Outer Port, which is exposed to the tides and the Inland Port, accessible through two sea locks.
Emden is a modern and highly productive universal port.
Throughout the past 25 years it has evolved into one of Europe‘s most significant RoRo ports. New cars, destined for export, comprise a large portion of the cargoes handled.
Emden also plays a vital role in the emerging market of regenerative energies, particularly wind energy. Thus far, components for both on and offshore facilities are being manufactured, assembled and shipped in and out of Emden. The port’s terminals serve as a base for pre-assembly, transport and maintenance of the facilities and equipment, as well as multiple wind parks within the German Bight.
EPAS Terminal – a gateway for the future
The EPAS (Ems Port Agency & Stevedoring) terminal is located at the North Quai of the port and is also a frequent destination for BBC Chartering vessels. EPAS offers services for ocean-going vessels, inland waterway vessels, new buildings, repair vessels, and the local tugboat associations along the Ems River in Emden, Leer, and Papenburg. EPAS offers agency, warehousing, stevedoring and freight forwarding services. Located in the inland port of Emden, EPAS can be accessed through the large lock for vessels with maximum length of 260m and width of 40m. With excellent hinterland connections, the terminal provides direct access to the railway network, inland waterway system and the German ‘Autobahn’.
Enercon – Energy for the world
ENERCON began on its path to success when founder and wind pioneer Aloys Wobben started the company in 1984. A small team of engineers developed the first E-15 / 16 wind turbine with a rated power of 55 kW. In the early days, ENERCON systems still featured gearboxes. Later in 1992, the gearless technology found its first application in the ENERCON E-40 / 500 kW turbines. This new drive system with few rotating components helped to minimize friction and resulted in higher energy efficiency, increased performance and reliability of wind turbines.
ENERCON gained their reputation as an innovation leader providing customers with state-of-the-art wind converter technology. By improving blade geometry, ENERCON’s goal is to increase energy production, minimizing noise emissions and load impact on the wind energy converter, thus setting new standards in technological design.
With more than 20,000 wind turbines installed in over 30 countries to date, it’s no wonder that ENERCON is recognized as one of the leading manufacturers globally.
As growth continues, the company expects an export
share of more than 60% in 2013 and estimates this to gradually increase even further in the years to come.
Partnering for efficient export logistics
With a business dependant on export markets, ENERCON relies on logistical partners that efficiently manage the company’s handling of cargo for international dispatch.
Emden is a central hub for ENERCON and the EPAS terminal is the one-stop shop where all overseas exports for ENERCON are handled.
On a pier length of 450m EPAS can accommodate vessels with a maximum draft of 11.50m. About 120,000m² of quay space belongs to the terminal including a 3,900m² storage hall located directly on the pier. A 100mt Gottwald mobile harbor crane, an 80mt container crane and two 15mt gantry cranes help to handle cargo at EPAS. With a 600m siding track and Ro-Ro facilities, the terminal is able to cater to almost any logistic need that ENERCON may have.
Through EPAS, ENERCON consolidates German export shipments from production facilities in Aurich, Emden, Haren and Magdeburg. Other international production facilities are located in Sweden, Brazil, Turkey, Portugal, Austria, France and Canada. ENERCON’s sales organiza-tion consists of 24 sales offices, of which 16 are inter-national. Today, the installed capacity amounts to over 28GW of the 20,000 ENERCON wind converter units globally. Service and maintenance for these units is provided through some 300 ENERCON service stations around the world.
Green energy is transported by BBC
As the global energy mix increasingly relies on the installation of larger and more efficient wind power plants, BBC Chartering is a proud provider for the wind industry’s global transportation needs. In thousands of shipments to date, the carrier has proven their ability to deliver the highest levels of performance for the ocean transportation of leading turbine producers. In Germany BBC Chartering vessels are frequent visitors at the EPAS terminal while loading ENERCON wind turbine compo-nents for global dispatch.
This past April, the ‘BBC Seine’ and the ‘BBC Maine’, called the port of Emden and berthed at the EPAS pier to load 33 sets of E-70 and E-82 ENERCON wind turbines.
Eleven wind converters were loaded on the 143m long ‘BBC Seine’ for Trois Rivieres, Canada. The remaining 22 converters were loaded on the ‘BBC Maine’ for transport to Becancour, Canada.
The ‘BBC Seine’ was built in 2010 and is a member of the recently completed ‘BBC Congo’ series with 17,000dwt and 2x 250mt and 1x 80mt lifting capacity. The 2007 built ‘BBC Maine’ belongs to the popular 12,800dwt mid-segment of the BBC Chartering portfolio and offers 2x 150mt lifting capacity.
Wind energy shows strong progress worldwide
Wind energy has managed to acquire a great deal of momentum in recent years. Much of the world is beginning to become more environmentally conscious, hence a rise in the support surrounding renewable energy. However, clean power has prospects beyond the environment and many countries have been turning to solar and wind energy to establish some economic stability amidst turbulent financial times. Wind energy is set to hit a major milestone in the coming months that will show how much progress this form of clean power has made over the years. The European Wind Energy Association claims that global wind energy capacity will surpass 300 GW (Gig watts) by the end of this year.
Wind energy supported by Germany’s Northwest
The Northwest of Germany, in particular ‘Ostfriesland’, has shown a great deal of support for wind energy in recent years. The ongoing financial crisis has caused turmoil throughout the region and put emphasis on the benefits that could be had through the use of renewable energy. We may conclude that there is a great network of competences available that combine wind power converter technology, production, logistics and other associated services. As proud partners of this local network, BBC Chartering and its affiliate companies constantly work on ‘getting things done’.
For more information please visit www.epas-emden.de and www.enercon.de.