South Australia’s container terminal operator, Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, has welcomed the arrival of two new Post-Panamax Liebherr cranes, which were ordered in January 2014, as part of the Terminal’s strategic plan. The cranes berthed at Port Adelaide this morning following a seven week voyage on the Nomadic Milde, from Liebherr’s manufacturing facility in Ireland.
Once assembled the cranes will be a new landmark on the State capital’s coastal skyline. Sixty-five metres high, and capable of reaching heights of 105 metres with the boom raised, the cranes will extend one metre higher than Telstra House, Adelaide’s second tallest building.
The ship-to-shore cranes, which represent a $24 million investment for Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, are set to undergo a rigorous commissioning process before they are deployed for active service in April 2015.
Peter Cheers, General Manager of Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal said, “The arrival of these cranes is the culmination of months of detailed planning and preparation. We have designated an area of the Terminal for the assembly and commissioning of the cranes. We expect this will take just over two months to complete.”
Significant productivity gains are expected because each crane features a baseline load-rate capability of 35 containers per hour. Ultimately the expectation is that vessel turn-around times will be up to 25% faster than those currently available at the facility.
“Our aim is to put Port Adelaide on the map as a world class container facility servicing South Australia. Increased efficiency, through reduced vessel time in port, will enable us to achieve our long-term annual throughput target of over 700,000 TEUs,” said Mr Cheers.
Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal selected Liebherr Container Cranes following extensive supplier evaluations, because their Post-Panamax crane offering was the best fit for the Terminal’s strategic planning goals. Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal will be working closely on the crane commissioning with Liebherr and local engineering specialists Inver Engineering over the coming weeks.
About Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal
Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal has operated since July 2012 when Flinders Port Holdings gained 100% ownership of the Adelaide Container Terminal from DP World South Australia. Having rebranded the Terminal as Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal (FACT), the move was a natural progression for the new owner and parent company Flinders Port Holdings. Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal’s strategic goal is to be recognised as the most efficient and customer focussed container terminal operator in Australia.
