KOCHI: Four huge state-of-the-art giant gantry cranes sailed into the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) on Thursday after waiting in the outer waters for the last three weeks marking the countdown to the terminal at Vallarpadom.
The 4 Post Panamax quay cranes capable of lifting 220 feet containers at a time will service the customers at the new terminal’s 600-metre quay and 40 hectares of yard. The ZPMC barge mv Zhengua which is now at berth will be offloaded and the commissioning process will begin soon.
According to Anil Singh, senior vice-president and managing director of DP World: “This is an important milestone in the development of the new terminal in Kochi which we plan to officially open this year.”
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 large vessels, by carrying 22 containers across the deck, comparable with any modern container terminal the world over.
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 ICTT.
Progress of work at the ICTT has gathered momentum over the last two months.
The 11 bridges on the new highway have been completed in May and the capital dredging work is due to be completed in July, equipping the terminal with a 14.5-metre draft, giving Kochi the ability to handle some of the largest vessels afloat.
The four state-of-the-art giant gantry cranes, capable of lifting two twenty-feet containers at a time, is now at the Ernakulam whaf and over the next four days the Post Panamax quay cranes will be offloaded and the commissioning process will begin.