In-focus
Facility profile
Ceres Container Terminal
Halifax’s Fairview Cove Container Terminal, managed by Cerescorp/NYK, is a facility that services shipping lines in and out of the Port of Halifax.
Impressive infrastructure characterizes Ceres, which can accommodate containerized, ro/ro, breakbulk, heavy lift and reefer cargo. Two brand new super-post-Panamax cranes bumped the total to three post-Panamax cranes in addition to their three forty and three sixty tonne gantry cranes.
Ceres is a busy location with 70 acres of land and capacity for 9,000 TEUs daily. Stevedores on-site are also busy operating the 7 yard gantries, 5 front-end loaders, 2 side loaders, 19 yard tractors, 3 ro/ro tractors and the 100 foot ro/ro ramp.
Excellent intermodal connections connect the Fairview Cove Container Terminal to major North American markets. Ceres boasts on-dock, double stacked rail which significantly decreases transit time because cargo can be loaded immediately to waiting rail cars. The on-dock rail at Fairview Cove has been recently doubled to nearly 12,000 feet so the terminal remains uncongested with plenty of available capacity.
Service / shipping line profile
Hapag-Lloyd Shipping Line
Hapag-Lloyd continues to be a hit in Halifax. On January 31 Hapag-Lloyd was recognized for the third consecutive year as Top Volume Carrier in the Port of Halifax.
Calling the Port since 1968 Hapag-Lloyd is truly a global enterprise, focusing on container liner shipping. With 340 sales offices in over 100 countries Hapag-Lloyd is one of the leading asset-based logistics providers in the world. The Halifax office is one of four Canadian locations and is responsible for managing business here at the Port. Hapag-Lloyd participates in all six vessel calls at the Ceres container terminal as a member of the Grand Alliance, a three member group of shipping lines. The two other Grand Alliance partners that call the Port are OOCL and NYK Line.
With 140 container vessels currently deployed Hapag-Lloyd is one of the top five container lines in the world. Shipping capability for all varieties of cargo including temperature-sensitive containers, oversized, heavy or bulky cargo makes the line versatile. Cargo owners can ship fresh seafood, pharmaceuticals, steel, rubber or wood pulp with Hapag-Lloyd; they have capability to ship any type of product.
Hapag-Lloyd is also a topic supplier of premium and luxury cruises. In 2008 the MV Bremen, a Hapag-Lloyd cruise vessel will be homeporting with Halifax, beginning and ending the trip at the Port of Halifax.
Shipper Profile
Importer's Profile: Michelin
Credited to the Port of Halifax magazine, March 2008 Edition
To receive a copy of the Port of Halifax magazine contact Metro Guide Publishing at (902) 420-9943 or visit their website at www.metroguide.ca
A leader in tire technology and the second largest tire manufacturer in the world, Michelin is an important user of the Port of Halifax. Though Michelin's Canadian headquarters are in Quebec, Nova Scotia is an important cog in the company's North American operations. Plants in Bridgewater, Waterville and New Glasgow are key tire producers for the company's industrial product line and combine to employ about 3,500 people in the province.
The France-based company has been in the tire business for 110 years and is an important innovator in the industry. "Michelin invented and patented the radial tire back in 1946," says Grant Ferguson, plant manager at the company's Waterville facility.
Having good access to the Port of Halifax is one of the big reasons the company has been operating in the province for 37 years. "It's quite critical for us," says Ferguson. "If you look at where our three plants are located in Nova Scotia, all are in close proximity to the Port. It helps with our overall logistics costs, particularly when dealing with raw material suppliers."
Tire production requires massive amounts of natural rubber, which the company imports from Brazil. "It's tapped out of rubber trees like a sap and then is coagulated into rubber sheets," says Ferguson, noting that he Port receives the rubber in 250-kilogram bales, which are similar in colour and shape to bales of hay. "Natural rubber is an agricultural product after all," he adds. The Port handles about 200 tonnes of rubber each day in a mix of bulk and container cargo.
Steel is another important commodity Michelin imports through the Port, handling about 120 tonnes per day at Ocean Terminal's Shed 26. Two-tonne steel coils of wire arrive in containers from a variety of countries, including Germany, South America and Japan. Michelin transforms the steel at its facilities, plating it and fashioning it into cable that is then used to design steel belts for tires.
The company's plant in Waterville makes off-road tires for front-end graders and loaders, which the company exports to markets around the world through the Port. "We make them here and supply manufacturers in Sweden as well as shipments of truck tires to Mexico and Cuba and next year, to the Middle East," says Ferguson. "The Port is very important for our offshore shipping. If we had to transport tires to Mexico by rail or land, it wouldn't be as efficient as it is by sea."
Ultimately, the Port plays a key role in ensuring that Michelin's import commodities and export goods reach their final destinations. "By and large, we have a good relationship with the Port," says Ferguson. "They're a key part of our business for raw materials and for our exports."
