APM Terminals’ West Africa Container Terminal Nigeria (WACT) has taken delivery of additional new generation Mobile Harbor Crane (MHC) to enhance service delivery at its terminal at the Onne Port, Rivers State.
The Managing Director of WACT, Mr Naved Zafar, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Zafar received the new Mobile Harbor Crane alongside the Deputy Managing Director and Head of Country Projects, Jeethu Jose, and other senior management staff of the company.
He noted that the new Liebherr LHM600 Mobile Harbor Crane was a powerful and effective crane for handling containers.
Zafar said that the new acquisition, which brought the total number of mobile harbor cranes at the terminal to five, would consolidate the position of the WACT as the best-equipped terminal in the eastern ports.
He added that the terminal had 18 Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes and several other container handling equipment.
“The new crane was acquired as part of a fresh investment of $112 million by APM Terminals to upgrade and expand the terminal.
“The upgrade includes the acquisition of Mobile Harbor Cranes, Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes, Empty Handlers, Terminal Trucks and Forklifts, deployment of reefer racks with a 600-plug capacity, expansion of the current yard, new workshop and a new terminal gate complex, he said.
Zafar said that the terminal already had 4 MHCs, noting that it was good to see the fifth one joining the fleet and undergoing the required testing and commissioning.
“We have been multi-skilling our operators and upskilling them to operate both the MHCs and RTGs,” he said.
Also speaking, Jose said that the Onne terminal upgrade project would enable sustainable success in executing their strategy, to provide world class service delivery at the terminal.
Jose said that the crane would increase its yard capacity, improve vessel operations at the terminal and fast-track cargo delivery.
“This way we are able to keep up with the market demand and provide exceptional customer experience,” he said.
WACT, which is owned and operated by APM Terminals, started commercial operation in 2006.
It is the first Greenfield container terminal in Nigeria to be built under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The terminal is located within the Oil and Gas Free Zone in Onne Port, Rivers State.
Over the years, it has grown to become the most efficient gateway to markets outside the Lagos area. (ID)