[040417.EN.BIZ] APM Terminals Mobile to Benefit From Walmart's New Distribution Centre

INVESTMENTS from Alabama State Port Authority and APM Terminals continue to pay off in 2016, and 2017 promises better results with the opening of Walmart's announced import distribution centre in Mobile, which will bring additional new business in 2018.

APM Terminals Mobile increased its container traffic at the port by 19 per cent last year to a record 277,307 TEU, the American Journal of Transportation reported.

"Regional manufacturing growth and now landing retail giant, Walmart, is strengthening a vision we launched back in 2001 to create state-of-the-art container intermodal facilities to fuel regional investment and jobs creation," said James K Lyons, director and chief executive officer for the Alabama State Port Authority.

To keep pace with current growth and expanding market opportunities presented by the larger vessels now transiting the widened Panama Canal locks, APM Terminals announced last year a US$47.5 million, Phase 2 expansion at the container terminal to increase annual throughput capacity to 500,000 TEU.

The 95-acre facility, which opened in 2008 with a depth of 45 feet and two STS cranes capable of an 18-row reach, will add two new super-Post Panamax STS cranes with a 22 container-row reach, and expand the container yard by 20 acres by this June.

The new cranes will be able to handle ships up to 14,000 TEU capacity now able to call the Gulf Coast from Asia via the Panama Canal. The port recently widened its turning basin to accommodate vessels of up to 1,300 feet in length.

The Alabama State Port Authority and APM Terminals have also invested over $55 million in a new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which opened in June 2016 with the Canadian National/Illinois Central providing direct rail service to Memphis, Kansas City, Decatur, and Chicago, as well as Canadian locations.

In the past year, APM Terminals has gained new service calls from the Far East, with three weekly direct container services linking Mobile with China, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. In April, another weekly container direct service between Mobile and Northern European ports will begin.

In 2015, European airplane manufacturing consortium Airbus began importing large plane components by multi-purpose cargo ships from Hamburg, Germany through APM Terminals Mobile for final assembly of the A-320 jetliner at the first American Airbus factory, at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, Alabama, near the port.

"With near 20 per cent growth last year, the Port of Mobile is the growing port in the gulf. With recent developments in Alabama and the Panama Canal we are getting to grow even more", stated APM Terminals Mobile director, Brian Harold.

Source : HKSG.