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Cranes Upgrade Expands Thamesport Capacity
01 Jan 2005
The UK's Thamesport set about further boosting its productivity this month when it embarked upon an ambitious modification programme to five of its quayside cranes. The five post-Panamax cranes, which are now 15 years old, will be upgraded to enable them to handle the latest generation of ultra-large container ships calling at the deep water facility.
The maximum hoist height will be increased by 3m and the outreach extended by 2.5m, making it possible for the cranes to handle ships with containers stacked seven high on deck and 17 rows across. The six month project will be completed by early summer at a cost of £2.4m.
As part of a more extensive crane overhaul, two of the five cranes have been fully repainted and all are in the process of having new operator's cabs fitted. The cabs are a modern 'ErgoCab' design from Dutch manufacturer Merford and are equipped with all the latest technology for maximum driver comfort and visibility.
Thamesport is now attracting some of the largest boxships in operation, such as Evergreen's 6,332 TEU Hatsu Envoy , and has made considerable investments in equipment and infrastructure over the past 18 months. This includes the commissioning of North Park, which provides an additional 3,270 TEU of empty storage capacity, complemented by six new Kalmar empty handlers.
An order for 11 new terminal tractors from manufacturer Terberg DTS arrived last May and September to significantly reduce turnaround times between yard and quay. Another order placed with Terberg DTS for eight additional tractors should arrive at the Port in March.
MJ Information No: 20223
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