As part of its ongoing terminal redevelopment project, APM Terminals Apapa Limited, the concessionaire in charge of Apapa Container Terminal, on Friday commissioned five new Rubber Tyre Gantry (RTG) cranes, bringing the number of its RTGs to 17.

The five new RTGs are the first batch of the $17.5 million (N2.8 billion) investment in the acquisition of 10 RTGs, which is part of the third phase terminal upgrade. At the delivery of the second batch of the equipment, the number of RTGs at the terminal will come to 22, which will grow the terminal’s capacity from 613,000 TEUs to 1 million TEUs annually.

APM Terminals in the past seven years has systematically overhauled equipment inherited from the NPA by acquiring 22 RTGs in addition to 28 reach stackers, including empty handlers and nine mobile harbour cranes. The terminal also has 80 trucks and 470 Reefer plugs. In 2008, the company acquired heavy Liebherr LHM 500 Mobile harbour cranes.

Neil Fletcher, chief commercial officer of APM Terminals Apapa, who said that the 10 RTGs are different from the existing fleet of RTGs, added that the company would take delivery of the remaining five RTGs before the end of October 2013.

“The new RTGs incorporate technology that is the envy of terminal operators in Europe, Asia and America because they are made up of innovations that include stack profiling system that prevents knocking down of containers which engenders safe operations. The variable speed engine allows for fuel consumption as low as 13 litres per hour, thus reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent against other types of RTGs that consume about 24 litres per hour,” he said.

“A total of $135 million is being spent to pave the remaining half of the yard, install a new customs inspection rack, procure more terminal equipment, build an office complex that will houses staff lunch and changing room and additional office space for Customs. This second phase of the project is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2014,” he added.

Laurence Smith, chief operating officer of the company, said the new cranes were designed by Konecranes, a Finland-based company that has been designing and maintaining lifting equipment in ports and harbours all over the world for the past 100 years.

In terms of workforce, he said that the company has deployed globally defined and internationally accredited training course known as ‘ReQuip’ to train equipment operators and to create a standard approach to developing competencies in equipment operation. “The terminal employed four ReQuip certified trainers who are multi-skilled on different equipment types, including RTGs to train staff,” he said.

Nasir Anas Mohammed, port manager of Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, who commended APM Terminals for its contribution to port development in Nigeria, also assured the company of constant support from Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). He noted that the acquisition of the new equipment is aimed at enhancing service delivery to ensure that port users get best customers.

Some of the crane operators at the terminal, who were obviously elated with the new RTG acquisition, while speaking at the commissioning ceremony, expressed gratitude to the management of APM Terminals Apapa for promoting safe working conditions.

“This Konecrane RTG is fast, the seat is very comfortable, and it allows for safety and increased productivity,” said Godspower Ojobor Roy, a crane operator.

About APM Terminals Apapa

APMT Apapa has invested over $210 million on civil works and state-of-the-art equipment and technology since it took over the concession in 2006.

The terminal has grown its container throughput from 250,000 TEUs annually in 2006 to about 613,000 TEUs in 2012; productivity has increased from an average of 9.7 berth moves per hour (bmph) to a current average of 26.3 bmph; dwell time for imported containers has reduced by 14 days while the vessel waiting time has come down from 30 days to zero days.

By: Uzoamaka Anagor