OTAL to move its port operations in Amsterdam

OT Africa Line (OTAL), the specialist West African shipping line, is to move its port operations in Amsterdam from the Ceres Amsterdam Marine Terminal to the USA Terminal, a new deep sea terminal and multimodal distribution centre operated by United Stevedores Amsterdam (USA). As of September 2002, OTAL vessels will call at the USA Terminal, which is located in the Amerikahaven within Amsterdam Westpoort.

The move will enable OTAL customers to take advantage of a range of new facilities including:

* Warehousing facilities which are fully equipped with modern loading docks for the efficient handling of trucks and trailers;
* Over 500m of deep water quay (water depth 13.5m);
* Long quays for coastal vessels (water depth 7.5m);
* A separate 150m long jetty (water depth 4.5m) to accommodate inland water traffic;
* Mobile multipurpose cranes (with lifting capacities of up to 100 tonnes) for the loading and unloading of cargo;
* A fast, daily shuttle connecting Amerikahaven to container terminals in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Duisburg.

Vessels on both OTAL’s weekly container service and weekly ro-ro service will call at the USA Terminal every seven days en route to West Africa. The first OTAL vessel to call will be Rokia (337) on 2 September 2002.

USA is a member of the Ter Haak Group and its Amerikahaven facility is able to handle a variety of cargo including: bales, bundles, crates, cases, drums, barrels, pipes, cars, trucks, and of course, containers. The company is particularly renowned for its ability to handle the import and export of cocoa, coffee and other related products.

OTAL’s Marketing Manager, Rachel Bennett, comments:

“Our customers will benefit enormously from the move to USA’s Amerikahaven terminal. It has first class facilities and excellent connections to its hinterland. The Port of Amsterdam itself is particularly important to OTAL given its long tradition of handling commodities such as coffee and cocoa, two of OTAL’s main European import cargoes from West Africa.”

OTAL’s Agency for the Netherlands
Slavenburg & Huyser
Vasteland 38J
3011BM Rotterdam
Tel: +31 10 403 2800
Fax: +31 10 411 0077

UNITED STEVEDORES AMSTERDAM contact details :

United Stevedores Amsterdam
Cacaoweg 20
Westpoort 7859
PO Box 8186
1005 AD Amsterdam
Tel: +31 20 4973132
Fax: +31 20 4978272