Three giant cranes with a waterside oureach capability of 24 rows acorss have arrived fully-erect in the TIL-operated transhipment port in Reggio Calabria
Following our earlier speculation the July 2019 STS crane survey, WorldCargo News was able to confirm in Ocober that the cranes were built by a complete outsider for this size of STS container crane, Dalian Huarui Heavy Industries Ltd, although neither TIL nor Contship Italia - the latter was still involved as a 50% partner of MSC Group in MedCenter Container Terminal when the cranes were ordered - has ever made any comment on this.
We have been unable to ascertain whether and, if so, which third party firms were engaged in the project either in the design and/or construction supervision.
The first three cranes, out of an order for six, were shipped from Dalian Quanshi port fully erect on board ZHI XIAN ZHI XING and have now arrived in Gioia Tauro, having travelled by the Cape of Good Hope rather than via Suez, because of their hight.
The cranes are 87m tall, or 132m when the booms are in the stowed position. They have an SWL in twin 20 mode of 65 tons.
The unloading at MCT will take one week, which wll be followed by a testing period. The second shipment of three cranes will be made early next year.
In order to maintain the port channel at a depth of 18m, the port authority has begun a triennial dredging programme to smooth two underwater sand dunes in the channel that have been created by the propellors when ships are carrying out berth arrival and departure manoeuvres. Meanwhile, the terminal surface and roadways have been repaved.
MSC’s strategy to relaunch MCT was kicked off a few months ago with the acquisition of 32 new straddle carriers from Kalmar. Completion of deliveries is due by the end of this year.
MSC wants to insert Gioia Tauro into the schedules of 2M. Between April this year, when the purchase of Contship Italia’s stake was completed, and October, 65 calls by ≥ 19,000 TEU ships were made at MCT. In that 6-month period, throughput increased by 15.5% compared to the same period of 2018.
Source: WorldCargo News