05.06.2006

New cranes enables port to increase capacity

Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Malaysia has increased its container annualised handling capacity to six million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) following the addition of three new-generation super post panamax ship-to-shore cranes.

The new cranes means that PTP expects more new and larger container vessels of up to 12,000 TEUs to call at the port.

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PTP has invested in larger cranes to deal with the increasing size of new container ships

"Costing RM82 million (£12/$22.5 million), the cranes allow the port to improve vessel turnaround and increase the port’s capacity," PTP deputy chief executive officer Ismail Hashim said.
The cranes will be operational next month.

Manufactured by Impsa (Malaysia), the new cranes are thought to be the country's first and one of the world’s largest cranes. Weighing in at 1,800 tonnes each, the units can handle ships with 22 rows of containers across.

Each of the new cranes would be able to lift two forty-foot long containers at the same time, thus increasing the port’s handling capacity to six million from five million TEUs last year.

“PTP unloaded 400,000 TEUs from 280 vessel calls in April, an average of 1,400 TEUs per vessel; we do about 32 moves (unloading a container from ship to shore and vice versa) per crane per hour,” said Hashim. "PTP is the first port in Malaysia to operate such a technologically advanced crane."

Hashim also said that the port had also ordered five similar cranes from IMPSA Malaysia - which manufacture the cranes at its plant in Lumut, Perak - for adjacent berths 9 and 10. The new orders are expected to be ready in the first quarter of next year.

Not counting the three new cranes, PTP already has 24 super post panamax cranes which can lift up two 20-footer containers at the same time.

Hashim said with the new crane, PTP could now accommodate the bigger container vessels which are currently under construction. PTP is currently operating seven berths at its wharf with a ratio of 3.5 cranes per berth.

"The new vessels are going to be bigger and carry more containers but the ship operators still want their vessels to stay at the port at the same length of time as the current vessels," Hashim said.

The total height of a completely built-up crane is 89 metres and its total length 150 metres. The upper structure was lifted from the barge used to transport it from Lumut using the largest floating crane in Asia - the Asian Hercules II - and mounted at 55 metres high onto the top of the crane legs.

The largest container vessels currently operating are now about 9,000 to 10,000 TEUs and accommodate up 17 rows of containers across The new vessels, which are expected to come into operation in the first quarter of next year, would be as high as 12,000 TEUs and could carry 21 rows of containers.

The new cranes could serve ships carrying 22 rows of containers compared to existing cranes which deal with up to 18 rows of containers. Such ships are still under construction.

Impsa Malaysia, a subsidiary of Argentina-based conglomerate Impsa, is the only ship-to-shore crane (STS) and rubber tyred gantry crane (RTG) manufacturer in Malaysia. It has built more than 100 cranes in Malaysia for the local and export market over the last 15 years.

Its operations director Sergio Evan Ciner said the new crane would be able to deal with the largest vessel in the world of more than 12,000 TEUs.

To date, Impsa Malaysia has supplied 17 STS cranes and 15 RTG cranes to PTP.