The Port of Ashdod has entered into an agreement to purchase five new advanced ship to shore container (STS) cranes for a total cost of ILS 240 million (approximately $ 74 million).
The announcement comes after extensive negotiations with China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC). The Ashdod Port Company said the order is actually an option in the existing contract that was signed in 2017.
The ZPMC cranes will be used in the semi-automated container terminal on Pier 21 East, which is currently being retrofitted to accommodate 24,000 TEU mega-ships by deepening the channel and reinforcing the pier.
The new cranes are capable of lifting two 40-foot-long containers at once using an advanced tandem system. The new cranes have a unique remote-control feature, allowing remote operation in real-time from a control room using a system of cameras on the crane.
The cranes are scheduled for delivery on January 2022 and become operational in the first half of 2022.
The Ashdod Port Board of Directors has already approved an ILS 2.4B CapEx budget for port development over the next couple of years. Of this budget, more than one billion ILS is allocated to Pier 21.
In addition to procuring the new cranes, budget was allocated to the retrofit works estimated at ILS 600M, and for building a semi-automated terminal at the backyard of Pier 21.
“The Ashdod Port, the main port of Israel, continues to promote innovative technologies in all aspects of its operations to improve quality of service and become the most advanced port in the world. Ashod Port was the first in Israel to introduce a ZPMC crane,” Shiko Zana , Ashdod Port CEO says.
“We have accomplished a lot in 2020, and confident the addition of five taller and more efficient cranes will further improve productivity and enhance our ongoing commitment to the quality of service our loyal customers rely on.”