Tanger Med 2 officially launched

The new two-terminal complex will triple installed capacity at Tanger Med Port to 9M TEU

Crown Prince of Morocco Moulay Hassan, son of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, officially inaugurated Tanger Med 2 on Friday, 28th June. Other VIPs engaged in the launch included Tanger Med Special Agency chief Fouad Brini and A P Moller-Maersk CEO Morten Engelstoft.

Tanger Med 2 is the third phase of development of the Tanger Med port complex, alongside Tanger Med 1 container terminals and the passengers and ro-ro terminal. It corresponds to public investment in infrastructures of €1.3B with more than 4,600m of breakwaters and 2,800m of berthing space.

TC3 will be taken forward by Marsa International Tangiers Terminals SA, a combination of Eurogate Group, which already operates TC2 in TangerMed 1, and state port company Marsa Maroc, while TC4 will be developed by TC1 operator APM Terminals, under 30 year concession agreements.

Source: WorldCargo News

Belfast Harbour Commissioners receive Mantsinen 300M

Cooper Specialised Handling has confirmed the delivery of the giant Mantsinen rubber-tyred, hydraulic crane, developed specifically for port operations, to Belfast Harbour and that it has entered service

The 300M, the first 300 series crane for a UK customer, was ordered by the port last autumn.

The machine was delivered fully-assembled from Finland. Although at the time of writing, the shipping method is not known to WorldCargo News, Mantsinen has made similar deliveries to customers in Belgium and elsewhere using Meri Shipping’s flat deck ro-ro ships, MERI and AURORA (also very popular with Liebherr for deliveries to the UK and other short sea destinations of mobile harbour cranes from Rostock).

The 300M is generally recognised as the world’s largest hydraulic crane, (although recently Sennebogen has claimed that its new 895 E launched at BAUMA this year is bigger).

The 300M can reach 460 tonnes in unladen weight, although the Belfast Harbour 300M weighs in at 370 tonnes without attachments. It has been specified to lift 30 tonne steel coils from the far side of vessels that visit the port, as well as handling bulk and breakbulk cargo in and out of vessels as large as 36,000dwt.

The 300M will build on the success in Belfast of the 160M supplied in 2016

The undercarriage has six axles with a total of 24 rubber tyres. Weight distribution and stability in operating mode is assured by four double-pads, each measuring 14 m2. The 300M will join another rubber-tyred Mantsinen machine, a 160M, supplied through Cooper’s in 2016. This has become a popular crane because of its speed of operation, reach and capacity.

Speaking on behalf of Cooper SH, David Cooper Executive Director, stated: "The new 300M is much more than a single crane supply. Belfast Harbour, through their experience of the 160M, identified the speed and productivity advantages that these type of machines provide and now, with this super-capacity crane, the customer can enjoy the reach and capacity more commonly associated with mobile harbour cranes, but with the operational speed of a material handler.

“This enhanced productivity will reap dividends for Belfast Harbour and its customers and they should be congratulated for their vision and creativity in selecting this option.”

Michael Robinson, Port Director, Belfast Harbour, said: “The additional reach, productivity and general versatility of the Mantsinen 300 means it is a very welcome addition to our cargo-handling portfolio and will assist in our ambitions to provide our customers with highly efficient and flexible cargo handling solutions.

"It is an impressive machine and we are delighted to bring yet more modern, cutting edge equipment for our port customers having invested more than £20M in new cranes over the last 10 years.”

The crane was assembled in and shipped from in Mantsinen’s new facility in the Port of Rauma on Finland’s West coast. The sub-assemblies were manufactured in Mantsinen’s production facility in Liperi, Central-East Finland but final assembly and function testing was completed in Rauma this facilitating a direct port-to-port sailing which took six days. Actual transfer of the crane onto the quay in Belfast, using its own long-travel drive motors, took just 30 minutes.

David Cooper added “This represents the future of crane deliveries. Large cranes can take five days of building and expensive twin-lift mobile cranes to assist in the build function. This method eliminates the need of disassembly for shipping and re-assembly on arrival, which ties up quay areas as build areas for a long period of time. For our port customers, we can see all future deliveries, large and small, being completed this way.”

Source: WorldCargo News

Tilbury-Grangemouth intermodal rail

Forth Ports, Eddie Stobart and Direct Rail Services have announced a new weekend service linking, for the first time by rail, the ports of Tilbury and Grangemouth

The new two-way rail service will commence on Friday 28th June and has been launched on the back of customer demand to open up the rail link between the South of England with Central Scotland. The first train will leave Tilbury on a Friday and will travel via Daventry overnight arriving into Grangemouth on a Saturday. Roundtrip distance for the rail trips is more than 800 miles.

The service, which uses the DRS locomotives and wagon fleet, has a capacity to travel with 36 45ft containers and will be managed by Eddie Stobart working closely with both Forth Ports and DRS. Northbound loads will include retail goods, food and drink. The southbound journey from Grangemouth will support the Scotland’s export market with the movement of spirits, chemicals and fresh food including potatoes.

Peter Ward, Commercial Director at The Port of Tilbury, said: “Linking our ports in the South East and Scotland by rail has been a priority for us and we are pleased to partner with Eddie Stobart and DRS on this new service.

"The service comes on the back of an increase in business at our busy container terminals and underpins our commitment to provide sustainable and cost-effective logistics solutions for our customers, aiding growth and competitiveness in the supply chain.

"This is the first time that a rail service truly links our ports in Tilbury and Grangemouth, which opens up a number of import and export opportunities for our business and customers.”

Source: WorldCargo News