This week: Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH: The Seaports of Niedersachsen are logistic hubs for the offshore-industry

The ports of Brake, Cuxhaven, Emden, Nordenham, Stade and Wilhelmshaven are already today leading in production and logistics for on- and offshore windmills.
There are almost ideal preconditions for production, logistic-services, installation or research and development of windmills available in the Seaports of Niedersachsen. The offshore-base-ports of Cuxhaven and Emden, as well as the ports of Brake, Nordenham, Stade and Wilhelmshaven are offering superb structures for the installation of wind parks in the north-sea.

Cuxhaven, with its ideal location right at the Elbe Estuary and a direct, free of locks, access to the north-sea has a prime position to reach the offshore-wind parks. Cuxhaven is offering excellent infra- and superstructures, such as the Cuxport multi-purpose terminal with its four berths and the 24 hectares of heavy-lift proved areas. The partly extremely high and heavy components of the windmills can be stored, pre-assembled or mounted here and later loaded onboard the installation-vessels or feeder barges. Two available RORO-ramps with a loading capacity of 350 tons each offering a cost-effective handling possibility of these components. Since 2007 the Cuxport-terminal is offering a 1.500 sqm heavy-lift platform with a capacity of 90 to/sqm! Even the handling and shipment of fully erected windmills can be handled over there.
A heavy lift road is connecting the terminal with the adjacent production plants. The Cuxhaven subsidiary of the BARD-group, CSC Cuxhaven Steel Construction, is producing it’s foundations in Cuxhaven. Besides, the company AMBAU is producing steel-towers and other steel segments for the offshore wind parks at this location.
The offshore-terminal Cuxhaven at the so called berth no. 8, which was built by the Federal State of Niedersachsen with an investment of 48 Million Euro, has been equipped by CSC, Cuxhaven Steel Construction, with a high-capacity gantry crane, capable to handle the 450 tonnes weighing tripiles, produced by CSC.

AMBAU is planning an extension of its production site. A second factory will be erected in Cuxhaven for the production of their components. This confirms the outstanding meaning of this location for the on- and offshore wind-industry. The easy access of the port for all kind of vessels, short distances to the planned wind parks, a three-modal hinterland connection and the high specialization for the handling of high and heavy goods is beginning to pay off for Cuxhaven. Exactly this excellent access is so important for the producing industry, which has to be supplied with raw-materials. Regular steel deliveries from abroad are expected, which will enable AMBAU and CSC to produce sufficient volumes of towers and foundation-structures for the wind parks in the north-sea.

A similar, excellent situation is given in the port of Emden: Since many years, ENERCON is shipping it´s windmills via the EPAS-terminal in Emden into worldwide destinations.

EVAG, Emder Verkehrs and Automotive GmbH, a subsidiary of DB Schenker, is offering the classical handling for wind-energy plants, as well as forwarding- and agency services together with complete logistical concepts for the on- and offshore-industry. Besides a 30.000 sqm sheltered storage area and additional open storage areas EVAG is offering an enamelling line for wind-energy components made of metal or synthetic materials. Pieces up to 16 meters length, 5 meter width and 5 meters high can be varnished.
Beside this, Emden is well prepared for the demands of the on- and offshore-industry: Messrs. BARD, a very ambitioned offshore-wind energy developer and –operator moved its headquarter in 2005 from Bremen to Emden. The BARD-group is producing own designed rotor-blades as well as glass fibre reinforced plastic components in Emden. Furthermore BARD is delivery completely mounted windmills. Since mid April of this year, the company is erecting it´s offshore wind park “BARD Offshore 1” with 80 windmills of the five megawatt-class about 100 km north-west of the Borkum island. In total about 240 complete windmills of the multi-mw-class will be shipped via Emden into different wind parks of the north-sea.
Increasingly also the handling of cables for the offshore-industry is to be seen in Emden.

Another Emden based service provider, the AG “EMS”, is offering a variety of services for the offshore-industry. Via its subsidiary “EMS Maritime Offshore” they specialized on supply-services for wind parks. Specially designed vessels are transporting crews and others are securing the vessel-traffic on the offshore-plants at the open sea. Port- and storage logistics are offered besides.
Under the brand name “Northern HeliCopter and OLT AG “EMS” is offering crewing and supply-services for offshore wind parks via air.

Since about ten years, the port of Brake is handling onshore-components. Now the port is reaching out for new aims: For the offshore-industry a new terminal has been built, which is specially designed in accordance with the demands of the offshore-industry in respect of infrastructure, superstructure and other technical demands.
n the northern part of the port, the Federal State of Niedersachsen and the terminal operator, J. Müller Group, jointly developed the so called “Niedersachsen-Quay”, a specially for the handling of high and extremely heavy components designed 30 hectare area. As of this year, a 450 meter long pier with sufficient space for two big project-carriers at the same time is available. The current draught at the pier of 11,90 meters will be extended to 12,80 meter within 2012. 120 meter pier out of the new 450 meters have been especially prepared for extreme heavy-lifts of up to 1.000 tons piece-weight. A 30 meter wide barrier free heavy-lift road is connecting this h/l-pier with the special storage areas in the backyard, where 110.000 sqm open storage are available.
Beside of this already for h/l-storage prepared area, some additional 20 hectares are ready for use.
Two gantry-cranes with a handling capacity of 60 tons each, plus a 140 ton mobile-crane and different heavy-lift forklifts, sufficient equipment for the handling of heavy-lifts can be offered. Especially for those heavy-lift components, but also for other goods, the J. Müller Group is offering under the brand name “J. Müller WIND Services & Logistics” tailor-made handling- logistics- and storage concepts. Due to these facts, the Niedersachsen-Quay in Brake will fulfil the function of an offshore-hub for receiving, storing and later loading of components for the offshore-industry. Jack-up possibilities for all kinds of installation vessels currently in the market are available.

Rhenus MIDGARD as operator in the port of Nordenham and the Cable-specialist Offshore Marine Management (OMM) recently signed an agreement for the joint development of a storage facility for ocean-cables at Nordenham. OMM is planning together with Rhenus MIDGARD to supply the wind parks in the north-sea via this storage area with the necessary cables. Rhenus MIDGARD will supply and organize sufficient storage capacities for the complete duration of the wind-parks operation. No doubt, that beside this also all kind of port services will be offered as well. The cable producer OMM will profit from the available know-how in port operations of the Rhenus MIDGARD, as well as from the short distances between the cable-storage facilities and the wind farms.

The port of Stade is active as a production location for the component producers AREVA and Prokon. End 2011 a new break-bulk terminal will into operation in the port of Stade, which will enable those two producers to transport and ship their components in the near future via this port directly to their customers.

The port of Wilhelmshaven has already been involved into the erection of the first German offshore-park “Alpha Ventus”, which has been opened about 45 kilometres north of the island Borkum in April this year.
From the inner port in Wilhelmshaven the gigantic foundations have been transported into the wind field. Beside this, the transformer-station for “Alpha Ventus” has been partly mounted and was transported from Wilhelmshaven. This port is focusing on structural steelwork and the assembling of parts for the on- and offshore- industry. Short distances to the wind fields, a maximum draft of 11,50 meters (free of tide) in the inner port behind a 350 meter long and 57 meter wide twin-lock together with an available Ro/Ro-ramp are advantages which the offshore-industry should not deny.
Wilhelmshaven is also offering a helicopter basis with services for the supply and crewing of offshore-wind parks.

n order to inform interested energy- or logistic companies about the excellent possibilities, which the Seaports of Niedersachsen are offering to the industry, a new web-site has been launched.
Take a look and inform yourself under www.seaports-offshore.de about the logistical competence, availability of areas for settlement, superstructures and other interesting issues surrounding the on- and offshore wind energy-industry in our ports.