27 Gantry Cranes Arrive For Tema Port Expansion Project

The Meridian Ports and Services Limited (MPS) on February 1, 2019, received the second batch of gantry cranes ordered for the Tema Port Expansion project.

The delivery follows the purchase agreement signed in August 2017 between Shanghai Shenhua Heavy Industry Co. (ZPMC) and MPS led by Mr Kweku Ofori Asiamah, Minister of Transport, for the total of 27 gantry cranes; seven Ship-To-Shore gantry cranes (STS) on the water front and 20 electric Rubber Tyre Gantry cranes (eRTG) in the yard.

The STS cranes are Super Post Panamax with 65-meter outreach capable of handling containers on board vessels up to 23 rows and 10 on deck while the eRTGs are capable of stacking containers seven wide and one over five high in the container yards.

The cranes were said to have been designed in an ergonomically friendly manner to make work comfortable for operators.

Mr Mohammed Samara, Chief Executive Officer of MPS, in a press statement, said the Unit Testing and commissioning of the cranes had started adding that by the end of February, the commissioned cranes would be handed over to the Business Transition Team in batches over the coming months.

“This is recorded as the largest fleet of gantry cranes ever acquired in West Africa. The cranes are of superior quality and specifications and come packed with the highest technology”, Mr Samara stated

Mr Cyrille Lemee, Head of Transition, indicated that training of operators would commence immediately after the commissioning of the cranes, with the integrated testing being rolled out for six weeks starting March 31, 2019.

This would be followed by four weeks of intensified Simulation and Training during which a test vessel would be operated by the beginning of June which would after which, a three-weeks Full Terminal Testing (including Gate in and out) in which Go/No-GO tests would be conducted prior to the Go-Live date of the June 28, 2019.