The countdown to the opening of India’s first dedicated international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam has begun with the arrival of four state-of-the-art giant gantry cranes.
The four post-Panamax quay cranes, capable of lifting two TEUs at a time, will service customers at the new terminal’s 600-metre quay and 40 hectares of yard. The ZPMC barge, m.v. ZHENHUA, is now at berth and offloading the cranes, after which the commissioning process will begin.
Mr Anil Singh, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director of DP World, Subcontinent, said, “This is an important milestone in the development of our new terminal at Cochin, which we plan to officially open this year. The ICTT will extend the services we offer our customers, helping them to improve efficiency and reduce their supply chain costs.”
The ship-to-shore cranes being commissioned at the ICTT have the capacity to handle 65 tonnes under the spreader. The boom has an outreach of 56 metres, enabling it to serve the largest vessels, carrying 22 containers across the deck, comparable with any modern container terminal in the world. Fitted with numerous safety devices and sensors, the cranes ensure high productivity and safe working conditions.
The four twin-lift quay cranes will be complemented by the 15 rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) ready for operation at the facility.
ICTT is India’s first transhipment terminal, and has the solid support of its partners—DP World and the Cochin Port Trust. The progress at ICTT has quickened over the last two months.
In May, the project achieved two significant milestones—the completion of all 11 bridges on the new highway connectivity and the arrival of 11 latest-technology eco-friendly RTGs that will service the terminal’s 1 million TEU capacity (Phase 1A).
Capital dredging work is due to be completed this month, equipping the terminal with a 14.5-metre draught, giving Cochin the ability to handle some of the largest vessels afloat today.
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Source: , July 19, 2010;