“Driving” Cape Town Container Terminal’s new rubber-tyre gantry cranes is more than a walk through the container yard, requiring sure hands and an agile mind. Transnet Port Terminals is ensuring such qualities are not in short supply by installing simulators costing R8 million each at Cape Town, Durban and Coega. The aim is ultimately to train 126 operators. Instructor Richard Pretorius makes clear a lot more is involved than merely lifting boxes up and down. The big challenge is to move them without the lifting cables moving or swinging, which could lead to damage or even accidents. The simulators are able to create all kinds of conditions to expose students to the different challenges, including fog, wind, rain, and snow, and in the case of shore to ship transfer, taking into consideration a ship’s movement in ocean swells. Rails have been replaced by special satellite navigation to ensure the RTGs move in a straight line at all times.
TPT invests millions to train RTG operators
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