South Africans successfully assemble polish machines locally

The four new-generation straddle carriers delivered in parts to the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) at the onset of the COVID19 pandemic – have been fully assembled, tested over 100 hours and handed over to operations.

This follows South African resources successfully taking on the responsibility previously assigned to Polish engineers in a bid to reduce delays caused by travel restrictions under lockdown rules.

CTCT is predominantly rubbertyre gantry (RTG) crane and the acquisition of the straddle carriers was largely part of a wind recovery strategy to mitigate against strong winds. The straddle carriers can work through wind speeds of up to 90km/h compared to 72km/h on RTGs. According to Acting Terminal Manager Oscar Borchards, “The terminal was at one point operating at 60% capacity due to COVID-19 infections. Having world-class equipment and dedicated, skilled operators during challenging conditions is a winning combination and our performance is getting better day by day”. The straddles complement an existing terminal fleet of the equipment largely servicing the agricultural industry, with containerised cargo moving across trade markets like Asia, Europe, America, Australia and East and West Africa. “The hand over to operations comes at a time when the terminal prepares for a full peak season starting in November, and we are confident of improved performance,” said Borchards. The R71 million-investment forms part of Transnet Port Terminals’ R2 billion-equipment replacement drive in the current calendar year.

Transnet Port Terminals,

+27 11 308 3000, enquiries@transnet.net, www.transnet.net