Jamaica port authority orders 30 stacking units from Kalmar
The Port Authority of Jamaica has ordered 24 four-high straddle carriers and six seven-high empty container handlers from Sweden’s Kalmar Industries for use at the Port of Kingston. No financial details were disclosed.
The port authority said that the units were need to cope with the increase of new business at Kingston that will boost the Caribbean port’s annual throughput by about 500,000 TEUs.
“The additional throughput will exceed the 1.5 million TEU theoretical terminal capacity. However, because land expansion is unfeasible in a short time frame, we decided that the optimal solution would be additional stacking density,” the Port Authority of Jamaica said.
The first units are to be handed over in April with delivery completion scheduled for July. The order will bring the total number of straddle carriers in operation at Kingston to 74.
A.P. Moller-Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals operates the two terminals at Kingston — Port Bustamante North Terminal and Gordon Cay South Terminal.