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Port of Bristol (UK) - The Bristol Port Company (ID: 15335)
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In 1991 First Corporate Shipping Limited, a private company owned by Terence Mordaunt and David Ord, purchased a 150 year lease of the Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock Estate from Bristol City Council. Since 1991 the tonnage throughput has increased from 4m tonnes to 12m tonnes and annual revenue from ?22m to ?60m. Over ?300m has been invested in the dock estate and the Port is now recognised as being one of the most productive and technically advanced in Europe. The key advantages of Bristol are:- 1. The Port can handle much larger ships than its competitors in the South of England - up to 130,000 tonnes dead weight. 2. Bristol is recognised as the most economical port distribution location in the UK, reaching some 42 million people within a 250 km radius. 3. Huge consumer markets in the Midlands and London, as well as the fast growing South West and South Wales, are within easy reach. 4. Bristol has the best motorway access. Both Avonmouth and Portbury have their own dedicated motorway junctions on the M5 - just seven miles from the M4 interchange and four miles from the Second Severn Crossing. 5. Bristol's entire 2,600 acre Dock Estate is zoned for industrial use and can offer spacious sites adjacent to the Port. Royal Portbury Dock is a modern facility, having been completed in 1978. 6. Both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock are rail connected. The above factors combined with creative and efficient management provide a climate for innovation, but that is not enough to ensure Bristol's continuing competitiveness. That is why we will continue to invest in the technology, the skills and the people who make it happen. Forest Products The Forest Products terminals at Royal Portbury and Avonmouth Docks offer the most economical inland distribution location in the United Kingdom. Both docks have their own dedicated motorway junctions on the M5, just seven miles from the M4 interchange, and four miles from the Second Severn Crossing. Both facilities are rail linked. Undercover Storage Royal Portbury Dock has expanded its undercover forest products storage and can offer 120,000 sq. metres of modern warehousing adjacent to berths. Facilities are designed to store pulp, newsprint, kraft liner board, tissue, plywood and kiln dried lumber products, as well as valuable speciality paper products. The seven new warehouses at Royal Portbury Dock built recently have high specification polished concrete floors especially for the storage of sensitive cargoes, and incorporate covered haulingways for the loading of vehicles. In addition, a new 30,000 sq. m. high spec. warehouse has been built at Avonmouth Dock to further improve the facilities. Outside Storage At Portbury, there are 24 hectares of paved storage located directly adjacent to the discharge berths, with a further 10 hectares at Avonmouth. Additional development land is available for expansion. Equipment The Port continues to make substantial investment in the forest products trade in order to enhance flexibility and provide the highest quality service. The objective of the Company is to maintain the most modern handling equipment available enabling the Port to service the full range of paper and wood products. The addition of one panamax and one post panamax gantry cranes in 1998 has enhanced the terminal. Quality The Terminal is accredited with ISO 9002, with all procedures established to ensure efficient, damage free handling. Added value processes are also provided as part of the warehousing service. Stock Controls The Port offers all the benefits of Freeport status. Our latest IT system tracks the movement of cargo through the Port and maintains accurate records of products in stock by individual item. Customers can take advantage of the facilities for EDI and bar code scanning. Shipping Lines Gearbulk Monthly service from Western Canada/USA Gearbulk Monthly service from South Africa Gorthon Lines Monthly service from Eastern Canada Nepa Line Regular service from Far East Saga Forest Carriers Monthly service from Western Canada/USA Seawheel Container/flat rack transhipment service to and from Ireland & Spain SAECS Weekly service from South Africa Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines Twice monthly service from US East Coast/Gulf and Canada Baltic/Scandinavia Various regular services Containers The Bristol Port Company has invested heavily in container terminals in both Royal Portbury and the recently extended Avonmouth Terminal. Both terminals now have the capacity to handle significant additional business. In providing marine services, stevedoring and quayside operations, Bristol is able to offer a complete package to both deep-sea and short-sea container operators using its permanently employed workforce. Bristol is rapidly gaining favour with container shippers because of its central location and low haulage rates. Bristol prides itself on very quick vessel and lorry turnaround. The Avonmouth Terminal The Avonmouth Container Terminal provides a service as a local railhead for both marine and domestic containers. It is run in partnership with Burford Holdings and is operated as "Cabot Park International Railfreight/Container Terminal". The terminal has a quay length of 450 metres and can accommodate vessels of up to 11 metres draft. The berth is served by two gantry cranes capable of working vessels of up to 40,000 dwt. The quay is rail connected. Containers are stacked in an integral yard and all handling is by rail mounted gantries which deliver directly to both road and rail. The yard has a capacity of 3,500 teu including reefer stacks. Avonmouth has an transhipment facility as well as adjacent warehousing. The current services are provided by Seawheel which operates to Waterford and Dublin in Ireland and Bilbao, Spain. The Portbury Terminal The Portbury container terminal has a quay length of 600 metres and can accommodate vessels of up to 13.7 metres draft (soon to be 14.5 metres). The berth is served by two quay cranes; one Panamax, one Post-Panamax. Containers are transferred to and from the container yard by Maffi trailer where they are handled by a combination of RTGs and reach stackers. The yard has a capacity of 2,500 teu and has space available to expand to 5,000 teu, including the reefer stacks. Portbury has over 1.2 million sq ft of modern warehousing adjacent to the container storage area and offers competitive transhipment and warehousing opportunities within the Port. The SAECS consortium operates a weekly service from South African ports. Container Control and Customs Clearances The Port has a fully integrated container control system with real time access for lines and operators. The container system is directly linked with HM Customs & Excise allowing shippers to obtain paperless clearances remotely and shipping lines to control container/transport release through a secure PIN number. Existing carriers: Maersk SAECS weekly service to and from S Africa P&O Nedlloyd SAECS weekly service to and from S Africa Deutsche Afrika-Line SAECS weekly service to and from S Africa Safmarine SAECS weekly service to and from S Africa Wallenius Wilhelmsen Two weekly from US Gulf and East Coast SVS Two daily service to and from Santander Seawheel Two daily service to Waterford, Ireland Weekly service to Dublin Grimaldi Weekly service to and from Mediterranean Weekly service to Wallhamn, Sweden and Esbjerg, Denmark Weekly service to Cork, Ireland Motor Vehicles The Royal Portbury Dock, with its own direct access to the M5, occupies a unique position on the crossroads of the M5 and M4, and is superbly placed for distribution throughout the UK. This modern, deep water facility can accomodate the largest side or quarter ramp RoRo vessels, with the ability for smaller stern ramp vessels to load/discharge from fixed quay cut-out ramps. Motor vehicles can be stored on the extensive paved quay areas and delivered to and from the adjacent storage compounds without travelling on public roads. Royal Portbury Dock can accomodate up to six RoRo vessels simultaneously. During 1996, the motor vehicle trade was awarded the International Quality Standard ISO 9002. In 2001, over 500,000 vehicles were handled for a wide range of customers. Imports Daewoo Cars During 1995 the port developed a 17 acre import terminal for Daewoo. DaimlerChrysler DaimlerChrysler has a storage area of 33 acres for vehicle imports from South Africa, USA and Europe. In a new concept in car transportation, South African vehicles are shipped in containers and de-stuffed by The Bristol Port Company. Honda (UK) The Honda Terminal, originally built in 1992, was extended in 1995 and now covers 45 acres. Proton (UK) Proton Cars of Malaysia established its UK headquarters at Portbury in 1991. The 28 acre site includes an inspection unit, de-waxing plant, parts centre and office headquarters. Mitsubishi Motors Mitsubishi Motors have 31 acres of storage for the entire UK import of Mitsubishi vehicles. Seaking Automotive Ltd Seaking currently operate the Honda Import and National Distribution Centre, which includes a pre-delivery inspection centre and workshop. Suzuki Suzuki is the latest Japanese car manufacture to switch all UK imports to Bristol. The Company has 20 acres of storage space. Toyota (GB) Ltd A 56 acre vehicle reception, storage and distribution facility was developed in 1994 with a capacity of up to 12,000 vehicles. Walon Ltd Walon receives a range of vehicles from Fiat, General Motors and International Motors into its 113 acres of storage. Walon also currently manages the Daewoo, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Toyota Import Preparation Centres. The Bristol Port Company The Bristol Port Company operates a 110 acre common user facility immediately adjacent to the discharge and load berths. Exports United European Car Carriers is operating an Export Terminal on a 10-acre site adjacent to Berth 3. The Bristol Port Company runs its own terminal adjacent to Berth 4. Exports handled at these terminals include vehicles for General Motors, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rover, Suzuki, and Toyota. Grimaldi uses the BPC export area to handle Ford, General Motors, Jaguar, Land Rover and Rover traffic to mediterranean destinations. Transhipment UECC has a weekly service to Dublin and Grimaldi Lines have a weekly service to Cork, Wallhamn in Sweden and Esbjerg in Denmark. Security High value products, such as motor vehicles, demand extensive security and vigilant surveillance. The Bristol Port Company has its own police constabulary. The Police Control Room is manned 24 hours a day and is located at the entrance to the Royal Portbury Dock. Computer Control The Bristol Port Company has invested in on line computer technology including bar code readers which enables manufacturers to link into the information network providing comprehensive data on imports, exports and vehicles in store. Bulk (Coal) The Bristol Bulk Terminal is a common user facility able to offer competitive services to importers of coal wishing to distribute over a wide area of the UK. The Terminal has capacity to handle additional throughput and there are no restrictions on what traffic can be handled. In 1991 a joint venture with National Power (now Innogy PLC) was formed to develop modern coal handling. This facility opened in 1993 and has a discharge capability of up to 4,000 tonnes per hour. In addition, both BPC and Innogy have invested in improvements in the rail infrastructure. The total investment is in excess of of ?120 million. Physical Parameters The Bristol Bulk Terminal can receive Cape size ships with cargoes of approximately 110,000 tonnes. Royal Portbury Dock has the largest entrance lock into any UK port accommodating vessels up to 41m beam, 290m length and 14.5m arrival draft. The largest vessel docked to date was the St John, 128,000 dwt, and the largest cargo was 111,308 te. In Avonmouth Docks, ships up to 40,000 dwt can be accommodated. Ship to Shore Equipment Ship discharge at Portbury is carried out with two Kone cranes continuous ship unloaders, with a peak capacity of over 2,000 tph each. Use of CSUs ensures the minimum of dust and spillage, consistent with the high environmental protection standard of the terminal as a whole. Current total ship discharge capacity is 7 million tonnes per year. Stockyard The Portbury stockyard has a capacity of 600,000 te following a recently completed expansion, in conjunction with the establishment of additional rail loading capacity located in the stockyard. Up to ten trains per day can be loaded in the stockyard, supplementing the capacity of the existing Avonmouth rail terminal which is connected to Portbury by a conveyor tunnel. Road loading is carried out through hoppers, which are filled by the stacker/reclaimer, and there is capacity to despatch up to 1 million tonnes per year by lorry. Avonmouth Rail Terminal The Avonmouth rail terminal is linked to the Portbury stockyard by a conveyor system under the River Avon and has two 2,500 te rapid loading bunkers. Trains are pulled under the bunkers at a steady 1 km/hr and a 1,650 te train is loaded under fully automatic control in 36 minutes. The terminal is now loading the new 102 te hopper wagons currently being brought into service by EW&S Railways. Avonmouth Facility Approximately 250,000 te of coal for the sized market is handled at Avonmouth Docks. This coal is screened, washed and blended for local distribution by E.H. Bennett - which has several coal storage and bagging facilities. Fines are despatched to cement works by train. The Avonmouth facility employs more traditional technology but achieves 10,000 tonnes per day combined with a regard for the degradation of the cargo, environmental protection and safety. Bulk (Animal Feeds) Agricultural Bulk Services (Bristol) Ltd operates as a wholly owned division of The Bristol Port Company. The division provides storage services for bulk agricultural feedstuffs and fertilisers adjacent to deep water at the most advanced multi-cargo bulk terminal in Europe at Royal Portbury Dock. Physical Parameters The Bulk Terminal occupies two berths (Berths 5 and 6) with a continuous quay of 600 m. at Royal Portbury Dock. Both berths can accomodate ships drawing 14.5m. Royal Portbury lock can accommodate vessels up to 41m. beam, 290m. length and 14.5m. arrival draft. Undercover Storage The storage area is contained in four buildings with a combined capacity of 200,000 tonnes. Each building is split into a number of bays separated by movable retaining walls, allowing effective and safe separation between products. Each bay is filled to its maximum capacity via a series of overhead conveyors running the full length of the store. The storage bays are discharged by large front end loaders direct to road transport which tare and gross across weighbridges located at the entrance/exit to the stores. All lorries are sheeted prior to leaving the shed. Ship to Shore Equipment 2 Kone continuous ship unloaders, each rated at 2,000 tonnes per hour. 1 Vacuvator, rated at 250 tonnes per hour. 1 Shiploader capable of 2,000 tonnes per hour. Quayside Conveyors Two 2,000 tonne per hour, totally enclosed conveyors, which include automatic weighers, direct to the bulk warehouses. Administration All administration is undertaken within an office adjacent to the store, with stock control and weighing records linked direct to the weighbridges. The Environment The Agricultural Bulk Services operation is linked to the most environmentally advanced bulk terminal in the world. The operating procedures and warehouse design ensure that the terminal will be a good neighbour. Bulk (Grain) Bristol Port has two grain terminals. Portbury grain terminal is designed to load Cape size ships of up to approximately 130,000 tonnes dead weight. Loading speed is up to 2,000 tonnes per hour and storage includes 6,000 tonnes of rapid discharge silos of up to 100,000 tonnes of flat storage space. The facility has been built with rapid vehicle turn around in mind and with our computer controlled system we can receive grain of up to 1,000 tonnes per hour which either conveys to ship, flat storage or silo. The terminal is currently exclusively used by Grainfarmers plc. In Avonmouth we load vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes dead weight with two BMW conveyors rated at 250 and 450 tonnes per hour. We have approximately 3,000 tonnes of flat storage adjacent to the berth with weighing and sampling facilities. This facility is open to all users. Avonmouth Dock An important mainstay of tonnage at Avonmouth is petroleum and other bulk liquids. The self-contained Avonmouth Oil Basin has 5 berths serving companies that have bulk storage on the dock estate for: petroleum LPG carbon black feedstuffs molasses liquid fertilisers feed fats orange juice. The Oil Basin can handle vessels carrying up to approx 40,000 tonnes of product. Nearly 2 million tonnes of petroleum products are imported via a 4 berth common user system delivering product to exchange manifolds and from there, onto terminal operators Esso, Bristol Oil Storage Ltd (ChevronTexaco & TotalFinaElf) and the Oil & Pipeline Agency. The common user pipe system is capable of simultaneously discharging 4 vessels at any one time using up to 4 chiksan discharge arms per berth. Most vessels discharge and sail within 24 hours of arrival. LPG - BP Gas handle both imports and exports of liquified petroleum gas from its storage facility on the foreshore and linked directly to Berth 2. Sevalco use its own manifolds on Berths 1 & 3 for the import of carbon black feed stock, which is pumped to the company's factory situated on the Port's Chittening Estate, just north of Avonmouth. SvG Intermol have two terminals handling molasses, liquid fertiliser and feed fats utilising Berths 1 & 3 on the western side of the Oil Basin. At the end of 2002 the newly built European Juice Terminal received its first commissioning shipment of 8,000 tonnes of orange juice concentrate. The juice is pumped the short distance to the storage terminal via special pipes situated at Berth 3. The port also provides berth facilities to Britannia Zinc at "X" berth (outside the Oil Basin) for exports of Sulphuric Acid. Bristol Aviation Fuel Terminal In May 2003 the first petrochemical berth (Berth 7) in Royal Portbury Dock was opened. Berth 7 has been specifically designed for the importation of aviation grade Kerosene in vessels of up to 120,000 dwt. Kerosene is discharged directly from the berth into the pipeline and storage network managed by The Oil and Pipelines Agency. The opening of Berth 7 leaves an opportunity to construct another berth for liquids, LNG or dry cargo within Royal Portbury Dock. The maximum acceptable vessel dimensions are: LOA 270.0m Beam 41.0m Draught 14.5m Deadweight 122,000t Displacement 144,000t Maximum distance from bow or stern to manifold 135m Minimum vessel dimensions 20,000 dwt The Bristol Fresh Produce Terminal In January 2003 the Bristol Port Company opened an 8,000 pallet Fresh Produce Terminal at the Avonmouth facility. The temperature controlled store has 9 chambers, each capable of being independently temperature controlled, with 8 dispatch bays. The cool store was constructed at a cost of ?8.5m. Vessels berth immediately adjacent to the facility at S Berth. Palletised cargo is moved directly from ship to a temperature controlled reception area where product is scanned into the computer system. Using Radio Data Terminals and a real-time graphical display the system tracks the location and status of each pallet until it is redelivered. Bristol's location is ideal for serving the main supermarket regional distribution centres being, on average, 40 miles closer than any other major port. The facility will be used for fruit and vegetable shipments from all parts of the world. An area of particular interest to the Bristol Port Company is the very large trade between Iberia and the UK. This is currently handled by refrigerated trucks passing through France into the South East of England. This trade can be economically handled using temperature controlled containers hence providing improved lead times. The port currently has a service between Spain and Bristol, three times per week. However, we anticipate the introduction of a daily service very shortly. Metals & Steel The excellent geographical location of Bristol, close to South Wales and Birmingham, have made it an increasingly important metals and steel port. Both Portbury and Avonmouth are motorway(M5) connected and within 7 miles of the M4 and M49. Both Portbury and Avomouth have modern rail terminals. Product Types Bristol currently handles aluminium ingots and T bar, copper cathodes, lead and zinc ingots, steel coil, plate, slab, profiles and hollow section. LME Storage Henry Bath & Son Limited operate a large warehouse within the dock at Avonmouth where aluminium, copper, lead and zinc are stored under LME warrant. Delivery from store is made to road transport and marine container as well as to vessel. Covered Storage Avonmouth and Portbury both have large modern warehouses dedicated to the storage of steel products. Deliveries can be made under cover thereby ensuring that the cargo remains protected from the elements at all times Open Storage Several acres are available for outside storage of steel profile, slab and coil at both locations. Avonmouth has the unique advantage of being able to store slab and coil in open store within the reach of the gantry cranes serving the berth thereby avoiding the necessity of double handling. Handling Equipment Both Avonmouth and Portbury have gantry cranes capable of handling hoists of up to 50 tonnes giving excellent daily discharge rates. Avonmouth additionally is well equipped with fast electric luffing cranes for the discharge of profile and hollow section. Mobile plant consists of forklifts and reach stackers from five to forty tonnes. Stock Control Our in-house computerised stock control system can provide both stock and location control down to piece number. Where product identification is by bar code, stock control and delivery notes can be produced by scanning. Delivery advices and full stock reports are available by electronic data transfer or by e-mail. The Port of Bristol is a major deep water port. The harbour and its operations are designed to accept routinely Cape size vessels of up to 130,000 DWT. The Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Centre is located on the South Pier at the entrance to Avonmouth Dock. It is operated on a 24-hour basis. All information concerning berthing, harbour conditions and safety of navigation are passed through this centre. Radar surveillance covers the Severn Estuary from Breaksea Pilot Station to the Second Severn Crossing suspension bridge, and in the River Avon as far as Black Rock. Towage Services Towage within the Bristol Channel is currently provided by Svitzer Marine (UK) Ltd. Details of the type and capacity of tugs available, published tariff and contractual arrangements are available on request from Boatmen and Linesmen The handling of vessels' mooring lines in the locks, and within the enclosed docks is usually carried out by the Pill Hobblers Ltd (Tel: 01275 372133) (Fax: 01275 374513) Enquiries should be addressed through the ships' agents. These linesmen are licensed by the Bristol Port Company. Note: Vessels may, after considering the safety implications, utilise members of their own ship's company for this purpose. However, it is generally considered an unsafe practice to disembark crew members in the lock prior to the vessel being made fast in order to handle lines. Consequently this practice is considered unsafe and masters are discouraged from this practice. The Port of Bristol is a major deep water port. The harbour and its operations are designed to accept routinely Cape size vessels of up to 130,000 DWT Port of Bristol (UK) - The Bristol Port Company