The handling of components for wind energy plants is gaining further importance for BLG Cargo Logistics in Bremen. Customers from the shipping and industry sectors are increasingly using the 450,000-sq-m bonded warehouse facilities at the Neustadt port and its numerous main-line departures. The Neustadt port is Europe's largest terminal for conventional cargo.
Managing director Reinhard Raab: "We have for many years been a reliable partner for our customers when it comes to project loads with large volumes. The fact that our capacities and know-how is also being used by customers from the wind energy sector further proves the quality of our work." Raab wants to further develop this field of business together with its clientele, and is also focusing on services extending beyond handling, e.g. assembly work, which is being outsourced due to capacity shortages at the manufacturers' end.
Raab believes the Neustadt port's advantage lies in its numerous main-line connections, which also enable small batches to be loaded: "The Mediterranean, Middle East and USA are traditionally destinations which are always accessible from Bremen using liner vessels. At Terminal 23, we recently loaded Danish-made components for wind turbines onto a Grieg Star Shipping vessel bound for the US Gulf Coast, while a larger batch was simultaneously loaded on charter tonnage for the Black Sea project at Terminal 22."
The managing director expects the positive trend experienced at the Neustadt port to continue in 2011, for around 75 percent of the wind turbines made in Germany are exported. He believes the worldwide demand for "wind power made in Germany" will grow significantly over the next few years