APM Terminals MedPort Tangier in Morocco celebrates a new milestone of its expansion project with the arrival of the first of four batches of new dual ship-to-shore (STS) cranes. The two cranes are part of a total of eight cranes representing a major investment of €117 million.
With an impressive outreach of 82 meters, these dual STS cranes can handle cargo vessels of 26 containers in width (or up to 24,000 TEUs in terms of container capacity). This equipment addition is set to significantly increase the capacity and turnaround efficiency of terminal operations, enabling better service to customers and improving overall customer experience through more efficient operations.
Magnus Lundberg, Chief Operating Officer at APM Terminals MedPort Tangier, said, “We are committed to meeting the growing demand for container handling services and providing our customers with state-of-the-art equipment to improve their supply chain operations. The two new cranes will be deployed and fully operational after the summer, to support the operations of our terminal and cater for our future ambitions.”
Lionel Expert, Project Director for the expansion project highlights the collaboration between different functions across APM Terminals. “We are progressing well with this project not least thanks to the great contribution by our colleagues from APM Terminals Crane & Engineering Services - an independent technical service company within our family that has been instrumental in commissioning and delivery of new cranes. This collaborative mindset is key to our success in upscaling MedPort Tangier according to the plan, he added.
New STS cranes join a list of other initiatives at the terminal that jointly contribute to APM Terminals’ decarbonization targets. These include the addition of 23 hybrid shuttle carriers to the existing fleet of 42, the auto-mooring system which stabilizes vessels at berth increasing safety of operations, as well as the shore power initiative the terminal has launched jointly with the Tangier Port Authority. Shore power allows vessels fitted with hybrid mode to connect to electric power while at berth in a port.
With the ongoing expansion project and investments in the pipeline, APM Terminals MedPort Tangier continues its journey towards becoming one of the most advanced and efficient container terminals in the region.
The semi-automated APM Terminals MedPort Tangier (part of the Tanger Med 2 port complex) is located on the primary East/West shipping route through the Mediterranean Sea, and it is a natural transhipment location for cargoes moving on vessels to and from Africa, Europe and the Far East.