Port of Duqm commissions ship-to-shore container cranes
Published: 03:08 PM,Aug 01,2023 | EDITED : 07:08 PM,Aug 01,2023
Adding new heft to its cargo handling capabilities, Port of Duqm has announced the successful commissioning of its fleet of Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes designed to enable a new generation of mega containerships to call at Oman’s biggest industrial and maritime hub.
Designed, manufactured and installed by leading Irish crane manufacturer Liebherr, the fleet of four STS cranes is among the most-modern of its kind currently in operation around the world. With a forward reach of 71 metres and a back reach of 18 metres, they are equipped to handle port calls by giant container vessels with capacities in excess of 20,000 TEUs.
”Port of Duqm commissioned the new state-of-the-art STS cranes, which will allow Duqm Port to cater to all the latest containerships of the world,” the port stated in a recent post.
The new STS cranes supplement a large array of container handling hardware that was procured in recent years and is currently in various stages of installation and operationalization. It includes a fleet of 12 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, also from Liebherr, and forklift trucks.
With the commissioning of the STS cranes, Port of Duqm is preparing to bring into operation part of its dedicated Container Terminal, which is being developed in two phases across a 1600-metre section of the Commercial Quay. The facility will not only drive the growth of localized containerized cargo traffic linked to Duqm SEZ’s growing industrial and economic base, but also unlock new opportunities in transshipment volumes.
Given Duqm’s strategic location abutting key international shipping lanes serving the wider Middle East, Indian sub-continent and East Africa, the port is well-positioned to attract container transshipment volumes particularly cargoes destined for the Arabian Gulf. Aggregate capacity of the Container Terminal, across the two phases of its development, is envisioned at 3.5 million TEUs per annum.
As revealed earlier by Asyad Group, representing the Omani government’s stake in the port, plans are afoot to appoint an international port operator with expertise in the operation of container terminals to work in partnership with a subsidiary of Asyad Group to develop and operate the first phase of the Container Terminal.
Asyad Terminals-Duqm, a partnership of Port of Duqm Company and Asyad Ports-Duqm, is currently operating three other commercial berths at Duqm: the multi-use general cargo berth, the bulk cargo berth, and the Ro-Ro berth for vehicles.
Significantly, the Ship-to-Shore cranes now installed at Port of Duqm are high-tech. Featuring 5G technologies, remote control and other high-tech capabilities, the cranes are part of a package that includes an automatic driving system, yard monitoring system, and automatic landing system. They are the first cabinless STS cranes to be deployed in the region, each connected to its own dedicated remote operator station.
Designed, manufactured and installed by leading Irish crane manufacturer Liebherr, the fleet of four STS cranes is among the most-modern of its kind currently in operation around the world. With a forward reach of 71 metres and a back reach of 18 metres, they are equipped to handle port calls by giant container vessels with capacities in excess of 20,000 TEUs.
”Port of Duqm commissioned the new state-of-the-art STS cranes, which will allow Duqm Port to cater to all the latest containerships of the world,” the port stated in a recent post.
The new STS cranes supplement a large array of container handling hardware that was procured in recent years and is currently in various stages of installation and operationalization. It includes a fleet of 12 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, also from Liebherr, and forklift trucks.
With the commissioning of the STS cranes, Port of Duqm is preparing to bring into operation part of its dedicated Container Terminal, which is being developed in two phases across a 1600-metre section of the Commercial Quay. The facility will not only drive the growth of localized containerized cargo traffic linked to Duqm SEZ’s growing industrial and economic base, but also unlock new opportunities in transshipment volumes.
Given Duqm’s strategic location abutting key international shipping lanes serving the wider Middle East, Indian sub-continent and East Africa, the port is well-positioned to attract container transshipment volumes particularly cargoes destined for the Arabian Gulf. Aggregate capacity of the Container Terminal, across the two phases of its development, is envisioned at 3.5 million TEUs per annum.
As revealed earlier by Asyad Group, representing the Omani government’s stake in the port, plans are afoot to appoint an international port operator with expertise in the operation of container terminals to work in partnership with a subsidiary of Asyad Group to develop and operate the first phase of the Container Terminal.
Asyad Terminals-Duqm, a partnership of Port of Duqm Company and Asyad Ports-Duqm, is currently operating three other commercial berths at Duqm: the multi-use general cargo berth, the bulk cargo berth, and the Ro-Ro berth for vehicles.
Significantly, the Ship-to-Shore cranes now installed at Port of Duqm are high-tech. Featuring 5G technologies, remote control and other high-tech capabilities, the cranes are part of a package that includes an automatic driving system, yard monitoring system, and automatic landing system. They are the first cabinless STS cranes to be deployed in the region, each connected to its own dedicated remote operator station.