APM Terminals Barcelona welcomes first Gemini call

APM Terminals Barcelona this week welcomed the first call of the MED2 service linking the Mediterranean with the Far East, part of the East-West Network of the Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. To celebrate, plaques were awarded to the captain of the vessel Porto Germeno. The container ship — which is 280 metres long and 40.1 metres wide and can hold 14,000 TEU — arrived at the quay at 20:00 on Wednesday, 2 April, and is expected to make 1,355 movements in the terminal before leaving for La Spezia.

“At APM Terminals Barcelona, we are delighted to play our part in the groundbreaking approach introduced by Gemini, catering to the increasingly rigorous demands of the market, in an unprecedented approach to shipping and port operations. We have geared up for this by investing in and enhancing a new quay and yard equipment as well as civil works while improving our operational processes, with the goal of meeting top industry standards for our customers and assisting this cooperation between Hapag Lloyd and Maersk in reaching its ambition of over 90% reliability”, said Julián Fernández, Managing Director of APM Terminals Spanish Gateways.

During Porto Germeno's call, both APM Terminals and the Barcelona Port Authority gave plaques to the vessel's captain, Vladymyrov Mykola. On behalf of APM Terminals, Julián Fernández, Narcís Pavón (Chief Operating Officer) and María García (Chief Commercial Officer) of APM Terminals Spanish Gateways participated in the event. Carlos Díaz and Raúl Alemany from the Operations team at APM Terminals Barcelona also attended. Carla Salvadó, Commercial and Marketing Sub-Director; María Cano, Head of Market Promotion and Communication, and Eduard Cubet, Commercial Analyst, represented the Port Authority. Albert Lorente, Sales Director Iberia, represented Hapag-Lloyd.

The first three triple-E ship-to-shore (STS) cranes — of the five ordered from ZPMC — are set to arrive in the next few days. These represent the next step in APM Terminals' long-term commitment to the Port of Barcelona and make up part of the investment plan to reinforce the role of the terminal in the Mediterranean and its capacity to service the largest container ships. This project also includes work to reinforce the quay, channelling and protection, which will be used both for unloading the cranes and for berthing the larger ships of the terminal's customers.