PE port’s fifth crane on the way

COMPONENTS FOR a fifth crane in the Port Elizabeth harbour have started arriving. “The R70m Liebherr crane has far more advantages than the current equipment,” Transnet Port Terminals engineering and capital projects manager Dries Gouws told FTW. With twin lift capability, it is able to stretch over the width of 19 containers. The existing cranes can only move over 13, making planning difficult as they cannot reach from one side to the other of the newer ships. The crane will be assembled within the next few months and it should begin operating from March 2008. TPT says the last investment in a new ship-to-shore crane for Port Elizabeth was in 1977, when the terminal started its operation. Additional cranes have been acquired second-hand from other ports. “The investment is aligned with the national strategy of creating capacity in line with demand to keep South Africa's logistics chain flowing.”