Sphere
#37
2015
18
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Building blocks of communities
supervision spanning over 26 countries,
HPH’s cumulative knowledge of the ports
and shipping industry is unrivaled. Hong
Kong is the lighthouse and command post
for HPH’s many terminals abroad.
Global incubator
Hongkong International Terminals Limited
(HIT) was established in 1969 to manage
cargo handling facilities in Hung Hom,
Kwun Tong and North Point. By the 1980s,
HIT had grown exponentially, rising to the
top of the world in throughput rankings by
the end of the decade.
Upon that foundation, Hutchison has
expanded its reach globally through
operations that mirror the success
of its home base in Hong Kong. With
each acquisition, HPH has accumulated
valuable expertise in every aspect of
terminal management, including financial
planning, design, development, training,
IT and operations. For example, teams
from Hong Kong planned every detail of
the automated system that would define
Barcelona’s port.
Spreading talent
The talent that has grown out of HIT
has helped to build HPH’s network of
terminals all over the world. Patrick Lam,
now General Manager at YICT, was
groomed under the HIT banner early in his
career. Originally a stalwart of HIT’s HR
department, Mr Lam was entrusted with
full reign of YICT, leading the world-class
port to record-breaking levels of business.
Having the experience of cultivating
and being cultivated in HIT, Mr Lam has
insight into the success of HIT as a talent
incubator for the broader HPH network.
The Best of BARCELONA
The romance between Barcelona and
its port can be traced back to the
Roman era, when the most popular
Catalan products were stone blocks
for grand building projects, fish paste
and wine for festivities across the
Mediterranean.
When the Industrial Revolution shook
Europe in the 19th century, steam-
powered vessels were introduced,
leading to major modifications of the
ports. With the establishment of the
Suez Canal in 1869, Barcelona’s port
gained significant ground against ports
on the Atlantic coast, becoming a key
port of call for ships from the Far East.
The port truly took flight at the
end of the 20th century and continued
to expand in the new millennium.
When the Llobregat River was
diverted to relocate its river mouth
two kilometres away from the port,
effectively doubling the port area,
HPH came into the picture. Initially
in a joint bid with a local group, HPH
was granted the contract to build and
operate a new container terminal in the
Port of Barcelona. Barcelona Europe
South Terminal (BEST) was officially
inaugurated on 27 September 2012.
BEST has since become a worldwide
reference for terminal operations,
exceeding expectations and
standards. The terminal brings the
latest technological developments
to Southern Europe, including nGen,
which was developed in Hong Kong.
The scalable system is tailored and
adapted to the needs of each terminal
to achieve high productivity rates.
When the system was customised for
deployment in BEST, the ODT team
from Hong Kong was on site to support
the new automatic yard cranes.
Barcelona’s nGen system was also
configured to factor in daylight saving
functionality, something not required in
nGen’s Southeast Asia systems.
Since then, the advancements in
Barcelona have influenced the broader
HPH community, as senior executives
look to bring its success to other
HPH ports. As a result of BEST’s
increased productivity, HPH decided to
implement the semi-automated system
to other terminals within its portfolio.
The port is an essential economic
driver of Catalonia and a leading
logistic hub for the Mediterranean.
Cargo passes through Barcelona
onwards through Spain, the south of
Europe and North Africa. BEST is
the logistics gateway that links
markets in the Far East and Latin
America. With more than 100 regular
shipping lines connecting Barcelona
with 300 ports in the five continents,
Barcelona is one of Spain’s main ports
for international traffic.
