Page 14 - Port Of Hamburg Magazine 04.2019

■ INNOVATIVE INDUSTRY
Kiel Canal offers industrial firms logistics advan- tages. With an annual throughput of around 13 mil- lion tons, Brunsbüttel is Germany’s sixth largest port and one of its most dynamic.
The wide range of port facilities are designed to han- dle general/liquid cargo as well as bulk/heavy freight of all types. The trimodal terminal guarantees opti- mal links with trucking, rail, seagoing and inland wa- terway vessels as modes of transport. “Local indus- try uses our port as a cargo hub, to obtain raw material supplies and to export its products to cus- tomers throughout the world,” reports Frank Schna- bel, CEO of Brunsbüttel Ports.
Not immediately apparent for retail customers, nu- merous everyday products are manufactured here in Brunsbüttel. ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel illustrates the diversity of the automotive industry, for exam- ple. With eleven companies, virtually the entire loca- tion makes a crucial contribution towards this sector – commencing with the three Brunsbüttel ports, handling various materials serving as exhaust gas cleaners or fuel for cars.
EXPORT OF ADBLUE
Crude oil, for example, is imported through the Elbe port, being converted into various oil products, in- cluding road vehicle fuels, at Raffinerie Heide. Fuels are also shipped to Raffinerie customers via Brunsbüttel Oil Port. Yara Brunsbüttel uses Oster- moor Port to export AdBlue, a urea solution pro- duced in the Brunsbüttel plant and used to purify diesel vehicle emissions, i.e. to eliminate NOx.
At Brunsbüttel, Mercuria Biodiesel Brunsbüttel pro- duces one of the most high-quality and sustainable biodiesels on the market, almost exclusively from plant-based waste oils. Brunsbüttel-based Wintershall Dea Förderbetrieb Holstein extracts crude oil from the North Sea. This is further processed in Raffinerie Hei- de and by other industrial concerns.
The appearance and smell of a car play an important part for the driver. Sasol Germany ensures a classy re- sult here. Based on linear alcohols, in all manner of cli- matic conditions Sasol’s softeners remain virtually odourless and colourless, giving PVC elements throughout a car’s interior a pleasantly soft feel.
LIGHTWEIGHT CAR SEATS
Covestro Deutschland provides a further example of feel-good driving. Car seats made of its moulded polyurethane foam offer distinct ergonomic advan- tages over those made of other materials. MDI, one of the raw materials used, is produced in Brunsbüt- tel. In addition, Covestro has set itself the target of making polyurethane foams still lighter to reduce the vehicle’s fuel consumption.
Only a brief mention of selected products of one sec- tor of industry underlines the relevance of this indus- trial site in Schleswig-Holstein. One key topic for its future viability is the need to ensure an economical and uninterrupted energy supply for industry. Around
one percent of all the natural gas used in Germany is consumed by industrial companies based at Chem- Coast Park Brunsbüttel, so a secure supply of it will remain a basic requirement in the future, too.
PLANS FOR LNG TERMINAL
Local industrial demand is therefore helping to boost continuing progress on plans for constructing an LNG terminal on the spot. A terminal would provide sustained assurance of energy supplies for shipping and industry. “The planned LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel offers the site great opportunities. Apart from the positive effects for possible supply to local industry, an LNG terminal could spawn further new settlements by energy-intensive industrial compa- nies in ChemCoast Park and create additional syner- gies,” as Frank Schnabel concludes. Emphasizing its potential for the Port of Hamburg and the entire Lower Elbe region, the port expert recognizes the positive effects of an LNG terminal outside Schleswig-Holstein’s borders.
14 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | December 2019
COVERING 2,000 HECTARES, THE INDUSTRIAL ZONE AND PORT FACILITIES GUARANTEE MORE THAN 12,600 JOBS