Durban to get seven cranes in October

Seven tandem lift cranes, set to be delivered to the Port of Durban in October this year, will ease congestion at the container terminal, according to Transnet GCE Brian Molefe. “The seven cranes will improve operations at Pier 2 from 23 gross crane moves per hour to around 35. We have taken note of the congestion at Pier 2 and already we are implementing measures to address this area and improve efficiency.” Molefe said the cranes, which will be able to load and unload four containers at a time, will however not be operated at their full capacity for several years due to the quay walls not being able to hold the weight. “Once we receive them in October they will be deployed at Pier 2 but we will use them as twin lifters.” But, he said, they would ease some of the congestion even when used as twin lifters. “The plans for the strengthening of the quay walls have been approved and we will start dredging the area around the walls as soon as possible. We hope to have all the interventions in place at Pier 2 by no later than 2016.”