Hutchison Ports Sohar has signed a deal with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd (ZPMC), a leading Chinese heavy-duty equipment manufacturer, for the supply and installation of a two new remote-controlled super post-Panamax quay cranes at its Container Terminal C at Sohar Port.
The agreement signing coincided with the announcement that Terminal C has reached a new containing handling milestone, having logged 3 million TEU since operations began in 2014.
Also present at the signing ceremony was Said Hamdoon al Harthy, Under-Secretary of Ports and Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications of Oman.
The new cranes have an outreach of 24 rows and are capable of handling the largest vessels currently in operation. Following their delivery, Hutchison Ports Sohar will have a total of six remote-controlled super post-Panamax quay cranes and seven manually operated cranes for a total of 13 ship-to-shore cranes.
As part of the same order, Hutchison Ports Sohar will acquire eight new automated rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which will be operated remotely from a centralised operations centre. This will further enhance the safety and efficiency of operations. All cranes will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2019.
“Upon delivery of these cranes, the capacity of Terminal C will rise to 1.8 million TEU per year,” said Anacin Kum, CEO of Hutchison Ports Sohar. “I’m confident that these investments will add further weight to Hutchison Ports Sohar’s standing among the world’s leading ports. Additional investments over the coming years will further contribute to the growth of the shipping industry in the region and in the Sultanate of Oman.”
Hutchison Ports Sohar is a joint-venture between Hutchison Ports, the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, Steinweg of the Netherlands and a number of well-established Omani investors. Hutchison Ports Sohar is a modern container-handling facility capable of accommodating the latest generation of mega-vessels.
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