Suez terminal expands with more cranes

Suez terminal expands with more cranes    APM Terminals-operated Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) said last week it has taken delivery of four ship-to-shore cranes and 10 yard cranes as part of its ongoing expansion.
   The four ZPMC super post-Panamax cranes are able to tandem lift boxes and bring the total number of super post-Panamax gantries at SCCT to 16. The new cranes are designed to serve containerships carrying up to 12,000 TEUs and have the capability to handle two 40-foot or four 20-foot containers at a time.
   'This is rare in the Mediterranean market,' said Jens Floe, the terminal's chief executive. “As a big player in transshipment business on the east/west trade lane we have been dealing with more and larger vessels over the past few years than ever before.”
   SCCT also said shipping line UASC has started calling the terminal from mid-April.
   “Although the ports and shipping industry was quite severely affected by the global crisis, it is important that we continue to increase the service to our customers and prepare for the future,' Floe said. 'Besides the transshipment market we are serving, we believe there is also high potential in Egypt for an increased local product, which further strengthens us as a hub.'
   The expansion will take capacity at SCCT from 2.5 million TEUs per year to 5.1 million TEUs by 2012. COSCO Pacific holds a 20 percent stake in SCCT.