EUROGATE GmbH & Co. KGaA, KG, Bremen, and Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), a subsidiary of MSC, have extended their joint venture (JV) of MSC Gate Bremerhaven GmbH & Co. KG (MSC Gate), Bremerhaven.
The contract between the two was originally signed in May 2004, and is scheduled to last at least until 2048.
A reassessment of the partnership and negotiations on contract adjustments between the shareholders were included in the contract at the time and have now been completed, a few months before the joint venture’s 20th anniversary.
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Michael Blach, Chairman of the Group Management Board of EUROGATE, said: “With this contract extension the basis for the continuation of the so far successful cooperation is given. This is very good news for Bremerhaven. We have achieved a lot together in the past almost 20 years.
“MSC Gate was able to establish itself as a reliable terminal partner in the network of our customer MSC. The christening of the MSC Michel Cappellini, one of the newest and largest ships in the MSC container ship fleet, a few weeks ago is proof of the importance of the terminal and the Bremerhaven location for MSC.
“We want to continue and develop this together. Discussions are currently underway regarding a joint future-oriented modernisation of MSC Gate. To this end, the adaptation of the quay and the outer Weser must be driven forward quickly in order to continue to score points in competition.”
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Ammar Kanaan, Chief Executive Officer of TiL, stated: “Extending the contract over the next two and a half decades is testament to our commitment to MSC Gate and to our partnership with Bremerhaven. MSC Gate is an important part of MSC’s growth strategy.
“With today’s announcement, we are building on the solid foundation and track record of our partnership, which has been in place since 2004. We look forward to further strengthening the port’s growth potential by investing in our terminal infrastructure and, most importantly, our people.”
Florian Brandt, Managing Director of MSC Gate Bremerhaven, added: “The new contract is a strong signal and at the same time motivation to tackle the challenges of the future together with TiL and MSC and to move Bremerhaven forward.
“To this end, we have invested in new container gantry cranes and, most recently, 35 straddle carriers with hybrid propulsion and are currently jointly examining all options for further digitalisation and gradual automation of handling operations in order to be able to meet the wishes and requirements of our customers even better in the future.”
This month, the MSC Tessa, one of the world’s largest ships, entered the Port of Antwerp with a draft of 16 metres, a new record.
