Santa Marta terminal adds cranes

Santa Marta terminal adds cranes    Santa Marta International Terminal Co. (SMITCO) said it has spent $20 million on two new ship-to-shore gantry cranes and four electric rubber-tire gantry cranes at its container terminal in the Port of Santa Marta, Colombia, and will invest another $25 million in civil works.
   SMITCO, a joint venture between SSA International and Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta, said the equipment was built by ZPMC and arrived on March 15. The ship-to-shore cranes can work post-Panamax ships and the yard cranes are so called six-plus-one cranes that can work stacks of container stacked six high.
   “Introduction of the improved facility and the new equipment ensures better operational productivity and competitive benefits for the handling of containerized cargo,” the company said.
   SMITCO is planning a two-phase expansion to boost capacity from 100,000 TEUs to 300,000 TEUs by the third quarter, and to 420,000 when a second phase is completed.
   It also said because the cranes are powered with electricity, they will reduce pollution, be quieter, and use less energy.