Post Panama Rail Mounted Quay cranes inaugurated
Visakhapatnam: Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, along with Ministers of State for Shipping Radhakrishnan and Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated a new facility, the most advanced Post Panama rail mounted Quay cranes at Visakhapatnam Container Terminal Private Limited (VCTPL) of Visakhapatnam Port Trust on Friday.
Later, the ministers, along with the senior officials of MoS visited the container terminal. VPT Chairamn MT Krishna Babu briefed about the facilities and activities of the terminal.
Visakhapatnam Container Terminal Private Limited (VCTPL) has procured two Post Panamax Quay cranes at a cost of Rs 150 crore and four rubber tire gantry cranes from ZPMC, China, to meet the increased container traffic requirements of the region.
An agreement with ZPMC was signed on March 2, 2017, and the cranes were delivered in last February and commissioned in a record time of 12 months from placing the order to handover.
The Quay cranes are capable of handling 41 tonnes on a vessel of 18 across (approximately 10000- 12000 TEUs capacity vessel). It is capable of delivering a high productivity of 27 to 30 moves per hour in a very safe manner with the inclusion of latest safety features. The cranes can also connect with twin twenty feet lifting spreader to increase productivity while handling empty containers.
Capturing container number automatically using OCR cameras, can also detect damaged containers, vessel profiling system is unique and possibly one of the first in the country which contributes to increased productivity and reduces operational risks of collision are special features of the equipment.
Equipped with energy efficient lights, efficient use of regenerative power by intelligent drives and energy chains used for cables to prevent damages in high wind condition are also highlights of the facility. the inclusion of the additional equipment the terminal has been able to handle about 42,000 TEUs per month, the VPT said on Friday.