Interview/ CEO Jan Westerhoud of ECT

ECT, Europe’s leading container terminal, celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 7th in the Westin Chosun Hotel. President Jan Westerhoud delivered a 40th anniversary speech at the celebration. The transcript is as follows.

Celebrating the future!
Europe Container Terminals represents 3 terminals in the Port of Rotterdam. ECT City Terminal, ECT Delta Terminal and the to-be-opened ECT Euromax Terminal.

We have the ability to accommodate all types of container vessels. From the smaller North - South trade related 2,000~4,000 TEU vessels up to the upcoming 13,500 TEU vessels sailing Asia- Europe.

Our company was founded in 1966 and served its first customers already at the early stage of the containerization.

Due to the enormous growth in trade flows and of course by the continuous support of our valued customers, ECT was able to grow to more than 6 million TEU in 2007. We handle these containers with more than 2,000 highly-qualified employees.

ECT is part of the Hutchison Port Holdings group. A group operating more than 50 container terminals worldwide. Due to this extensive network and experience, we, as a group, are able to offer best practices in every respect.

We started operating the first container vessel in 1966 in the so-called Eemhaven in the port of Rotterdam. This ECT City Terminal still counts for around 1 million TEU throughput each year.

Right now, the ECT City Terminal is mainly used for North-South container trades and is also well-known as an incubator for new customers and services before transferring to the ECT Delta Terminal. Around 80% of the containers moving through our ECT Delta terminal are sourced from Asia. Every week, more than 30 deep-sea services call at ECT Delta terminal.

Our volume development shows a steady growth pattern interrupted only by Maersk getting its own terminal in Rotterdam, the take-over of Sea-Land and more recently, the take-over of P&O Nedlloyd.
Besides a great history, we also have a big future ahead of us. First of all, this year the to-be-opened ECT Delta Barge Feeder terminal.

This major extension of our current Delta Terminal will focus on inland shipping and feeder services. By this type of dedication, our natural deepwater access can be fully exploited to tranship containers to further destinations in Europe.

After the summer, the ECT Euromax Terminal will start phase-in its operating procedures. This terminal is a joint-venture between ECT and the Cosco, K-Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin alliance.

This brand new, State-of-the-art container terminal will set new standards for container terminal handling. As from 2013, it will also function as the entrance for Maasvlakte 2.

This new land, to be reclaimed from the sea from autumn 2008, will be developed into container terminal facilities and chemical clusters. As you would expect, ECT will operate on Maasvlakte 2 by its extended Euromax terminal.

Unique Selling Points are as follows:
Best Accessibility
At the Maasvlakte area we do not have any draught restrictions. We can accommodate all vessels up to 19.65 m of draft. Secondly, ECT Delta terminal and ECT Euromax Terminal are located directly on the North Sea coastline. Berthing time from sea to quay wall is only 35 minutes. Thirdly, we are not limited by any locks or tidal restrictions.

Fast Connections
All ECT terminals are able to receive and deliver containers round the clock, 365 days a year. Our rapid connections through a dense road, river and rail network secure delivery just-in-time. The highly frequent departures every day and short distances to all major economic centers in Europe.

Fast Handling
All containers can be delivered within half an hour after unloading without any time consuming intra port traffic. Near-dock access to depots and distriparks also offer ancillary services to carriers and shippers of goods.

Hinterland
Our Rotterdam terminals do serve the whole North West European region, but equally important are the Hinterland connections to the North West European continent. ECT developed its natural Hinterland regions already in a very early stage by operating inland barge and rail terminals. We set up highly frequent connections to and from Rotterdam guaranteeing just-in-time delivery of the containers.

We operate inland terminals in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, all in the middle of important economic zones in continental Europe. One of the strengths of the Port of Rotterdam is the River Rhine from which major industrial areas can be reached by inland vessel. The inland vessel is a very cost-efficient mode of transport and can carry up to 400 TEU.

As not all destinations can be reached by inland vessel and some cargo needs a quicker transit time, ECT is also connected through a very dense rail network. As from 2007, the Betuweroute, a dedicated 150 km rail-freight track, is operational and links ECT directly to the German Hinterland.

Every day, around 30 trains are handled at our rail terminals and transported more than 600,000 TEU in 2007. We hope you got an idea of the possibilities we offered you in the past and will offer you in the future.

We would like to thank you for your support over the past 40 years and we sincerely hope that we can extend our cooperation in the future!<Korea Shipping Gazette>