Khalifa Port expands capacity with three quay cranes
World’s largest Super Post Panamax quay cranes were delivered on specially-constructed ships
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Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) and Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) announced the addition of three quay cranes at Khalifa Port.
ADPC, the master developer of ports and industrial zones and ADT, the container terminal operator revealed three of the world’s largest and most modern ship-to-shore Super Post Panamax quay cranes, delivered from China over the weekend.
“The start of the new year has already been promising and signaled a significant increase in the emirate’s import and export activities over the next twelve months,” said Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of ADPC.
“By investing in our state-of-the-art infrastructure we are further establishing Khalifa Port as one of the best equipped and most technologically advanced ports in the world.”
Produced by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd in China for $28mn, the cranes reached Khalifa Port’s semi-automated container terminal via specially-constructed ships.
One STS crane is 126.5 meters high and weighs 1,932 tons, and has an outreach of 65 meters (22 containers) and a lifting capacity of 90 tons.
“The new STS cranes will further increase Khalifa Port’s capacity adding 750,000 TEUs of throughput capacity to the terminal,” said Martijn Van de Linde, CEO of ADT.
“We have continued to register double digit growth in 2013 and the new capacity is required to keep pace with the rapidly growing Abu Dhabi and UAE markets.”
The new cranes are the latest addition to the already operational six cranes at the Port’s current 2.5mn TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) capacity container terminal, making it a total of nine STS cranes. With the six newly delivered and six expected automated stacking cranes (ASCs), the overall stacking capacity at Khalifa Port’s container yard will increase by 40%.
