New stacker operates as crane and container lifting device

Counteracting increased port charges is the motivation behind the introduction by Celtic Freight of a new stacker at its Durban premises. Better equipment allows the company to increase its operational efficiency, said Celtic managing director Adrian Friend. Until recently container handling was reliant on only a hammar side loader at the Durban branch, but with the introduction of the new 45-ton Kalmar reach stacker, operations have been given a significant boost. “We had been operating well enough with the side loader but obviously it did not give us the capacity we now have with the reach stacker,” said Jannie Steyn, Celtic’s yard manager in Durban. Describing the stacker as a “beast of a machine”, he said they would now be able to offload trucks in a matter of ten minutes as opposed to up to 30 minutes or longer with the previous equipment. “We are also able to store far more containers both empty and full with the square metres available than with the single stacking side shifter,” said Steyn. “Celtic Durban has always been able to provide project cargo with unpacking and re-packing facilities, but with the new stacker there is no need to hire cranes for heavy lifting from flat racks. The stacker is a versatile solution as it operates as a crane as well as a container lifting device.” According to Friend there was no choice but to bring in better equipment in Durban despite a decrease in the volumes of cargo destined for Zambia, the company’s main market. “Cargo coming in through the Durban port for Zambia has dropped significantly due to the ridiculous port charges,” he told FTW. “We had no choice but to put better equipment into this operation. We have found that we can counteract the high port charges to a great extent by using the stacker as it allows us to reduce our per truck costs, our unpacking of container costs as well as the handling costs.” With much of the cargo coming in via Durban being of a specialised nature, like project cargo, the new stacker ensures the company has increased its capacity to handle specialised cargo.