Costa Rica has received a fleet of environmentally friendly electric cranes for the new APM Terminals' Moin Container Terminal, Terminal de Contenedores de Moín (MCT), set to open in 2019.
On February 23, 2018, MCT received its first three ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and six rubber-tire gantry cranes (RTGs).
The environmentally-friendly, electric-powered cranes are the first in Costa Rica with a 22-container row reach, enabling direct calls of the larger class of container ships entering Latin American trade lanes.
This will allow the container terminal to accommodate vessels of 8,500 TEU capacity — a first for Costa Rica.
The new deep-water facility, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, is set to open in February 2019, propelling Costa Rica into a new role as a key global logistics hub for the region.
President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, said: “Costa Rica, and especially Limón, celebrate the strengthening of trade and port vocation of this province.
“These first three gantry cranes continue to strengthen the potential to further connect our country with world trade.”
Costa Rica is currently the world’s largest exporter of pineapples, and the third-largest exporter of bananas. Sugar and coffee, as well as clothing and electronics are also major export products
Costa Rican businesses and consumers will benefit from the new port infrastructure, which will be able to operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
More than 60% of the terminal’s capacity will be devoted to refrigerated container handling which will significantly improve the supply chain for perishables.
Morten H. Engelstoft, CEO of APM Terminals, commented: “Costa Rica is preparing to inaugurate much more than a container terminal; the country is inaugurating a new era in its commercial relations with the world; and this will have a direct impact on the country's economy and an important advance in the global connectivity ranking.”
