• 2019 May 20 17:28

    Less storm damage in the port of Rotterdam because of Windbreakers

    "It can be very stormy in the Rotterdam sometimes. The nightmare of many a container depot and terminal, because strong winds can blow over stacked empty containers and cause serious damage. Windbreaker International has developed an effective precaution: a cast-iron coupling that connects the corners of containers, making them less vulnerable. Almost all depots in Rotterdam now use Windbreakers. And at Mainport Container Services, they have never had storm damage since,” the Port Authority reports.

    In Rotterdam, the largest container port in Europe, land is scarce and expensive, and container depots use their square metres as efficiently as possible by stacking empty containers up to eight high. When a storm is imminent, depots have their hands full with securing the containers using tie ratchets or removing layers from the stack. A time-consuming job. “I've been working with containers all my life, and especially at empty depots you'll encounter many problems during storm situations,” says Sjaak de Vos, director of Windbreaker International. “When I was still director of container depot Mainport Container Services (formerly Mainport Rotterdam Services) in Rotterdam, one of my supervisors once made a prototype of a connecting piece that connects the corners of the container - the corner castings - to each other, so the top layer becomes one solid block. It was a good idea, but nothing was done with it because there were still steps to be made in the execution.”

    Like Lego
    De Vos entered into a collaboration with research organisation TNO in Delft, which further developed the idea, tested it and searched for the most suitable material. “Steel, for instance, is much stronger, but it is way too heavy. Carbon is light, but far too expensive. We decided on the strongest form of cast iron, twenty centimetres long and weighing six kilos. The connector allows you to connect the containers in the top layer, just like Lego. It takes about five minutes extra to screw the Windbreaker into the corner castings. However, you will easily win back this time in case of a storm. Then you will barely have to worry about it.”

    Wind force 9
    The Windbreaker was launched and tested at Mainport Container Services in 2014. Other depots and terminals in Rotterdam were also immediately open to this innovative solution and some four thousand Windbreakers have now been sold in Rotterdam. Fifty units cost approximately 2,500 euros. “They offer excellent protection up to wind force 9. Our clients are satisfied, but the success depends of course on consistent use. It is a tool, not a panacea. Windbreakers reduce the risk of storm damage and at the same time make the workplace safer for employees.” Safety is a priority in the port of Rotterdam, and this argument may therefore be of interest to insurers and permit-granting parties.

    Expanding
    Spring 2018, De Vos stopped as depot manager, and now he focuses entirely on expanding Windbreaker International. After Rotterdam, the rest of the world is next. “The product is suitable for all ports where there are terminals and empty depots. We also want to start thinking about solutions that are suitable for terminals with full containers and about ways to better protect containers on board of ships.”




2024 March 28

12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
12:26 Ocean Network Express announces Transpacific service
11:48 Yang Ming announces 2025 Trans-Pacific service network
11:24 Fincantieri signs contract for the supply of two PPAs to Indonesia
10:42 Maersk transported more than 660,000 TEU using clean fuel in 2023
10:23 Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
09:48 PONANT and FARWIND Energy partner to develop green hydrogen refueling solutions

2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
17:58 The recently converted Allseas's shallow water pipelay barge starts preparations for its first commercial project
17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
15:23 SEFE to become sole shareholder of WIGA
14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
14:23 Cadeler signs offshore wind turbine installation contract for the vessel Wind Scylla
13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
17:30 Davie awarded first contract for design of icebreaker fleet under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy
17:04 Sanctions complicate Arctic LNG ship sales, Hanwha Ocean says - Bloomberg
16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
11:41 Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane granted safety permit to build world's first low emission ammonia bunkering terminal
11:16 Wartsila and Royal Caribbean Group celebrate 15 years of collaboration on digital transformation
10:46 A global carbon tax on shipping is coming, says ABS Chairman and CEO
10:21 Eni, Fincantieri and RINA establish partnership for maritime transport decarbonization

2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
17:07 Greek merchant fleet recorded slight decline in January 2024
16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels
15:34 Svitzer targets methanol-fuelled MAN 175DF-M engine for tug application
15:04 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contracts for four 9,300 CEU vessels with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
14:40 Taiwan International Port to upgrade terminal facility at Kaohsiung
13:59 Сruise ship Carnival Freedom catches fire near Bahamas
12:59 Hanwha Ocean wins 2.4 tln-won order for 8 LNG ships
11:16 Inland Ports meet in Paris to talk about the innovation potential of inland ports
10:50 IMO agrees possible outline for maritime “net-zero framework”
10:24 Hapag-Lloyd to continue to avoid the Red Sea route
09:58 QatarEnergy enters time charter agreements with Nakilat for the operation of 25 LNG vessels

2024 March 24

16:18 Inchgreen Marine Park upgraded as part of £11m investment
15:14 A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solent Rail Terminal Rail was held at the Port of Southampton
14:08 ESNA and Strategic Marine join forces to offer Surface Effect Ship (“SES”) Crew Transfer Vessels (“CTV”) to the market
13:07 First LNG powered vessel calls at HIP
12:49 Inter-array cable installation completed at Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm
11:32 Equinor ASA posts net income at USD 11.9 billion in 2023
09:25 Edda Wind announces the sale of Edda Passat

2024 March 23

17:19 Maersk opens new warehouse facility in Tijuana, Mexico for cross-border capabilities
14:01 Bollinger Shipyard marks keel laying ceremony for 10th Navajo-class T-ATS
13:55 MEYER WERFT and Disney Cruise Line celebrate keel laying
12:19 HSL completes repair work on DEME's dredger TSHD Bonny River
10:53 Turkish shipbuilder delivers RAscal 1500 ASD tug to French port

2024 March 22

18:07 Lloyd's Register releases a report on the operational and safety issues of the use of ammonia as a marine fuel
17:17 RINA supports Mongolia's to develop a roadmap for long-term strategy according to Paris Agreement
16:47 MOL Coastal Shipping to start concept study on large coastal ammonia carrier
16:23 MAN 51/60DF engine passes 10 mln operational hours milestone
15:56 TotalEnergies restarts gas production at the Tyra offshore hub after a major redevelopment
13:43 HHLA container throughput decreases year-on-year by 7.5 percent to 5,917 TEU in 2023