A booming Danish export market is not the only factor driving volume growth at Denmark’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Aarhus. The terminal continued to attract new services in 2021 and last week completed the installation of a further 180 reefer plugs to ensure it can continue to offer the service and flexibility that customers are looking for.

Despite supply-chain disruption caused by the global pandemic, volumes at the terminal grew by around 13% in 2020. This trend accelerated further in 2021 when the terminal handled a record 397,121 container moves – an increase of +20% over the previous year. Reefer volumes alone were up 7% in 2021. In 2022, reefer volumes are forecast to grow further as the terminal starts to handle a growing share of Royal Arctic Line reefers.

Accurate forecasting enabled APM Terminals Aarhus to plan ahead with phases 1 & 2 of its reefer rack expansion already completed in 2020 and phases 3 & 4 completed in December 2021 and January 2022 respectively. This latest addition increased capacity by 360 plugs, bringing the total capacity at the terminal to 1,548 reefer plugs.

“The additional reefer capacity will allow us to plan for additional reefer cargo,” says Helle Almind, Commercial Manager at APM Terminals Aarhus. “The reefer racks are strategically located in the yard and therefore we also expect an improvement in operational efficiency, which will benefit both landside and shipping line customers.”

APM Terminals Aarhus handles more than 60 percent of the container volumes in Denmark and continually ranks among the most efficient and productive container terminals in Europe, delivering over 33 gross moves per hour (GMPH).