Halterm International Container Terminal, Eastern Canada’s only facility capable of handling container vessels of 10,000-plus TEU capacity, will extend its container and reefer handling capabilities with $10 million worth of new equipment over the next 12 months.
A mix of Konecranes’ Reach-Stackers, Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes and top lift forklifts will build on Halterm’s increased container traffic through 2016 and the first half of 2017.
The terminal expects that three new ‘one over five’ RTGs from Konecranes will arrive in 2018.
They will span six lanes and allow Halterm to stack containers five-high across import and export zones – an effective increase in yard capacity of 160,000TEU, up 40% overall.
Learn more about Konecranes' container lifting equipment
These developments will support the terminal’s existing five ship-to-shore crane operation by providing carriers congestion-free operations over more than a kilometer of quay, at three berths between 14-16 metres draft.
Halterm maintains a basic workforce of more than 100 longshoremen, handling services for Ocean Alliance partners CMA CGM, Evergreen, Cosco and OOCL, as well as Zim Integrated Shipping, Maersk Line, Tropical Shipping, Eimskip, Melfi, TMSI and weekly domestic service to Newfoundland with Oceanex.
Read about terminal handling performance in Konecranes' research paper, 'Automation and Electric Drives', written by Dr-Ing Armin Wieschemann, Senior Director of Global System Development
Kim Holtermand, CEO, said: “Halterm provides global container carriers with fast and efficient access to eastern Canada and the Halifax supply-chain reaches far inland and to the US Midwest.
“After significant ship-to-shore crane investments delivered into the operation in early 2014, it is the right time to bring on new rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) which will be arriving in February 1 and October 2 of next year.”
Halterm is in the process of optimizing its existing container yard, which involves the removal of three redundant 1970’s era ship-to-shore crane assets and the addition of new reefer capacity – an increase of more than 25% to over 600 reefer plugs.
Holtermand added: “Our five active ship-to-shore cranes, with outreach up to 22 containers wide are in excellent working condition and still under-utilised with current berth commitments.
“It is the right time to get out ahead of our customer’s service requirements, amid rising volumes and deliver in all areas of the container facility.”
