The Spanish ports of Bilbao and Santander, along with the port of Quebec in Canada, have been named as the top three bulk terminals in the world in terms of performance.
This is according to BIMCO’s 2017 Dry Bulk Terminals Vetting Report, released yesterday (Thursday), which evaluates terminal and port performance from around the world to improve safety standards and the turnaround time of ships calling ports.
Santander was rated first in all four major categories: terminal handling of loading/unloading; terminal mooring and berthing arrangements; information exchange between the ship and the terminal; and terminal equipment.
“In general we see a good standard across the world, but with some complaints, for example due to language problems. But even with an increase of 35% of reports coming in this year compared to 2016, we still need more data to make valid global statistical analysis,” said Aron F. Sørensen, head of Maritime Technology and Regulation at BIMCO.
BIMCO’s goal is to get 1000 ships participating in the survey, mainly through networking with members, the media and through speaking about the report at conferences.
“We need to get the word out all the way to the shipmasters. That is the crucial challenge. Because the more reports we get the more valuable it becomes for all the participants and the shipmasters themselves,” Aron said.
