APM Terminals handled 9.3 million TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units) during the third quarter of the year, which it said was a new company record for container volumes passing through its worldwide portfolio during one quarter.
The Netherlands-based global port operator recorded a strong quarterly profit of US$203 million, from $156 million year-over-year, that it attributed mostly to operational improvements and continuous investments particularly in high-growth emerging markets lacking access to modern port infrastructure.
APM Terminals has set yearly profits of $1 billion from 2016, and is “well under way to reach this target,” according to CEO Kim Fejfer.
Several terminals under the operational control of the company achieved record productivity levels. “Specific all-time-high performances were established at APM Terminals’ operations in Rotterdam, Gothenburg and Tangier on the 18,000-TEU capacity Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, which made its maiden voyage to Northern European ports in August and September,” an official company statement read.
Fejfer said that the focus on continuous operational improvement was not a “mere race to impress,” but a direct consequence of elevated demands from customers.
“The cascading of bigger vessels will take place at an even faster place. Bigger vessels than ever will come into smaller terminals,” he explained. “Port operators must handle fewer but larger calls, and the demands for efficiency, reliability, and speed will be even higher.”
This, he said, was going to be a challenge. “This will lead to cost increases—partly due to lower berth utilization, partly to investments in more equipment and adaptation. The burden of these rising cost will have to be shared between the customers and the port operators.”
