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58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • DECEMBER 2014 PORT & LOGISTICS I n many parts of the world, offshore ports are a good so- lution for meeting the require- ments of the rapid changes in the international container and bulk shipping industry. Bigger ships, changing routes and destinations require larg- er and deeper ports, which port own- ers and operators can be confi dent will be capable of handling ever-increasing sizes of vessels for many years to come. Changing Shipping Routes One of the major challenges in the cur- rent container shipping industry is to bundle and organize capacity in the most economical way. In terms of vessel size, Maersk is leading with its Triple E ves- sels, but the capacity of these new, larger ships needs to be combined with other main carriers in order for it to be effec- tive. Various alliances have been formed, and new ones are being developed. As part of this process, capacity is being shifted to routes which haven’t changed for many years, for example in West Af- rica. Due to the so-called cascading down process, ships which were never origi- nally intended for use in West Africa will now soon be there. Ports like Abidjan are already anticipating these changes and Offshore Ports The benefi ts of Offshore Ports in the U.S. & Africa BY MARCO PLUIJM, PORTS AND MARINE SECTOR MANAGER, BECHTEL MR #12 (58-65).indd 58 12/2/2014 2:36:04 PM
