DP World Australia has commissioned into service two new automated stacking cranes (ASCs) at its Brisbane port.
The two new cranes, which landed in Brisbane on July 19, 2016, represent a 14% increase to yard stacking capacity. The cranes complement 14 existing ASCs, which were commissioned in a US$191million investment on the Brisbane waterfront and launched in February 2014.
Australian Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester was on the ground in Brisbane, along with General Manager for Projects, Ian Ross and Chief Financial Officer, Jason Varsamidis, to tour the port.
Under the semi-automated system, containers are transferred by manned shuttle carriers from the quay crane to a waterside exchange area at the front of a module serviced by ASCs. Brisbane now has eight operating modules each serviced by two ASCs. The commissioning has been led by project manager Mitch Hawkins, with the module handed over four weeks earlier than planned.
Speaking during the Minister’s visit, Jason Varsamidi, CFO at DP World Australia said: “The project was completed ahead of schedule, under budget and with zero safety incidents, which is a real credit to all involved.
“The team work and pride demonstrated highlights DP World Australia’s collective focus on expanding our operations and delivering long-term value for our customers.
“With $100 million invested during 2016 in container handling equipment, we are making sure our customers benefit through additional capacity and continually improving performance levels,” Mr Varsamidis said.
