Turkish container terminal and port operator Yilport Holding is working with Konecranes Ports Services to recommission 23 port cranes at Italy’s Taranto Port.
The port operator plans to have the port back in full operation by the end of 2020.
Konecranes started the project in January 2020, after signing the contract in December 2019.
Yilport Holding wants to make Taranto a Mediterranean hub as part of its ambitions of becoming one of the top ten container terminal operators in the world.
“We have strong ambitions in the Mediterranean. The opportunities presented by Taranto port require tremendous focus and we are pleased to have Konecranes on board,” said Robert Yildrim, Owner of Yilport Holding.
The recommissioning involves seven Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes and 16 Rail-Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes that were previously inactive.
The first task will be to move the seven STS cranes 100 meters down the quay so they can start operations. Several of the RMG cranes will also be recommissioned in the first half of 2020, and the remaining RMGs will be brought online by the end of 2020
Konecranes and Yilport Holding are yet to provide our publication with a comment on whether the project would be impacted by the pandemic and, if so, to what extent, having in mind that Italy has been one of the strongest hit countries by the virus.
Finnish crane manufacturer Konecranes has issued a profit warning for 2020 due to demand outlook uncertainties resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said that many of its customers are limiting access to their premises, disabling the company from completing the installation of new equipment and performing service operations.
Its own operations are also impacted by the significant and increasing worldwide measures to contain the pandemic.
The company has launched temporary layoffs of up to 2,000 employees in Finland.