Brake expansion continues with second new berth
s growing Lower Weser port of Brake is expected to start before the end of the year and be completed by the end of 2010.
Approval of the €17.5m berth follows completion of the port’s new Niedersachsenkai terminal in August. Involved are the state of Lower Saxony, its port grouping
and local handler J.Mueller. Answering critics of the controversial Niedersachsenkai development, which cost €37.5m, state premier Christian Wulff said, ‘Holding back investment would send the wrong signal. We are looking to the end of this recession.’
The second berth will add 180m to the Niedersachsenkai and create a 450m quay for two ships of up to 210m drawing a maximum of 11.90m, increasing to 12.8m when planned deepening of the Lower Weser is completed.
The Niedersachsenkai has taken just over two years to build. The site covers 30 hectares, including about 60,000 sq/m of asphalted stowage and seven km of rail track leading directly to the quayside, as well as roads and a 140 ton quayside mobile crane. Two cranes for iron and steel handling are also being installed. The overall infrastructure cost to Lower Saxony was €37.5m, with the berth itself costing €14.5m.
Officials said the Niedersachsenkai and its extension were urgently needed to increase project and industrial as well as wind turbine plant handling. Giant customer Salzgitter was also anxious to have it built to load large quantities of steel and iron and avoid long waiting times, the port officials said. They noted that the provision of quayside rail loading points was an essential part of that.
Brake is one of north Germany’s leading ports for timber and iron and steel products. Last year it turned around about 7m tons, with sea trade accounting for 5.7m tons of that.
By Tom Todd
