Arrival of new STS cranes imminent

The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) is set to receive two brand new ship-to-shore cranes before the end of March – three months ahead of schedule. According to terminal manager Brenda Magqwaka, haulers and trailers that will back up the two cranes are also on order and expected to be delivered within the next few months. The new cranes are the last big pieces of equipment destined for Cape Town where port upgrades have seen major improvements in operational efficiency. The terminal will now have eight ship-to-shore cranes and a total of 106 haulers and trailers operating across four berths along a 1.3km quay. “We have already cleared an area on the quay for the delivery of the two new cranes,” Magqwaka told FTW. “With two more cranes at our disposal we are confident that we will be able to boost our productivity even further.” The terminal has managed to improve its gantry crane moves per hour significantly over the past few years - now averaging around 34 moves per hour. This is much higher than the average of 22 that was recorded in 2009. “Our target for the financial year was 32 and we are happy with what has been achieved,” said Magqwaka. “We have not only surpassed that target but managed to do so consistently. We believe the addition of two more cranes to our operations will allow us to continue working at above 30 gantry crane moves per hour.” Magqwaka said efforts to improve efficiency had been ongoing at the terminal which is considered by many to be the best in the country at present. “Of course we don’t handle the kind of volumes that some of the other ports in the country have to cope with, but we have worked very hard to improve efficiency.” INSERT & CAPTION With two more cranes at our disposal we are confident that we will be able to boost our productivity even further. – Brenda Magqwaka