MANILA's International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) has inaugurated two new berths which will enable the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq?s main dry cargo port, the ability to handle container vessels of up to 14,000-TEU, reports the Manila Bulletin.
The inauguration ceremony marked both the opening for business of the two new berths, Berths 25 and 26, and the completion of ICTSI's overall US$250-million investment programme at its Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT).
Located in Umm Qasr's North Port, BGT operates a high-capacity container terminal together with specialised facilities for the handling of general cargo, ro-ro, dry bulk and project cargo for the oil and gas sector.
Earlier development included the construction of Berth 27, adjacent to the new berths, with the three berths now offering a combined continuous berth length of 600 million. Design depth alongside Berths 25 and 26 is 14 metres.
The two new berths are extensively fitted out with state-of-the-art container handling equipment and IT systems. Three new quayside gantry cranes, each with an outreach of 56 metres and able to handle up to 21 rows of containers on the deck of a vessel, are installed on the quayside.
On the landside seven new, six high stacking, rubber-tyre gantries (RTGs) join three existing units bringing the total fleet to 10 RTGs.
'ICTSI's completion of our multi-phase $250-million investment programme highlights our commitment to Iraq and our readiness to meet the challenge of providing much needed, brand-new port infrastructure and handling technology,' said ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon.
'We are pleased to lead the way for Umm Qasr to serve higher capacity container vessels, up to and including the so-called New Panamax class - 14,000 TEU - and as a result to open the door for cargo importers and exporters to benefit from substantial scale economies,' he said.
WORLD SHIPPING
The inauguration ceremony marked both the opening for business of the two new berths, Berths 25 and 26, and the completion of ICTSI's overall US$250-million investment programme at its Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT).
Located in Umm Qasr's North Port, BGT operates a high-capacity container terminal together with specialised facilities for the handling of general cargo, ro-ro, dry bulk and project cargo for the oil and gas sector.
Earlier development included the construction of Berth 27, adjacent to the new berths, with the three berths now offering a combined continuous berth length of 600 million. Design depth alongside Berths 25 and 26 is 14 metres.
The two new berths are extensively fitted out with state-of-the-art container handling equipment and IT systems. Three new quayside gantry cranes, each with an outreach of 56 metres and able to handle up to 21 rows of containers on the deck of a vessel, are installed on the quayside.
On the landside seven new, six high stacking, rubber-tyre gantries (RTGs) join three existing units bringing the total fleet to 10 RTGs.
'ICTSI's completion of our multi-phase $250-million investment programme highlights our commitment to Iraq and our readiness to meet the challenge of providing much needed, brand-new port infrastructure and handling technology,' said ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon.
'We are pleased to lead the way for Umm Qasr to serve higher capacity container vessels, up to and including the so-called New Panamax class - 14,000 TEU - and as a result to open the door for cargo importers and exporters to benefit from substantial scale economies,' he said.
WORLD SHIPPING