Ports Continue to Invest in Container Terminal Improvements

Konecranes, a large materials handling equipment manufacturer, had recently announced that it has received an order worth $56 million from the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) for for three Rubber Tired Gantry cranes (RTG) and four Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore cranes (STS). These STS cranes are the largest cranes that the company had ever built, which is continuing to satisfy the current trend within the shipping industry, where orders for large equipment keep coming in. The STS cranes are set to be shipped to the container port’s Barbours Cut Terminal in late 2014 and supplied during the first quarter of 2015, whereas the RTG’s will be delivered to Bayport Terminal in spring of 2014.

The Port of Houston Authority is known to be the largest container port in the Gulf of Mexico. It is responsible for eight cargo terminals and one cruise terminal along the Houston Ship Channel and handles millions of tonnes of cargo every year. Konecranes delivered its first RTG’s to PHA in 2003 and at present PHA has 49 Konecranes RTG’s in its fleet. The STS cranes have a lifting capacity of 66 tonnes, an outreach of 64 meters and have twin lift operation for maximum handling capacity. Last month, the Finnish company also received a further order from Brazilian shipyard Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguacu (EEP) for an estimated value between $6 million and $8 million.

The high-tech portal jib crane is scheduled to be taken into operation in August 2014. The order follows up the Konecranes Goliath gantry crane that the same customer ordered in March 2013 and is reminiscent of the Goliath order Konecranes. With a lifting capacity of 70 tonnes, a lifting height of 55 meters and a reach of 80 meters with high speed movement, the portal jib crane will be an effective partner to the gantry crane, which is meant for heavy duty lifting, in the material flow at the shipyard. This continuing trend of giant cargo orders by ports all over the world, is demonstrating that the global shipping industry is prospering and that investors are finding good reasons to invest an enormous amount of their capital into port improvements; that will accommodate the needs of future business.