Timor Port carried out operational trials of the future deepwater port of Tibar Bay by welcoming its first two vessels, Kota Dunia and Seletan Damai, from Singapore’s Mariana Express Lines (MELL), a subsidiary of Singapore’s Pacific International Lines (PIL).
The trial call by the two vessels on 14 to 17 September enabled the testing of the reliability of the installations deployed within the new infrastructure.
The trial facilitated the testing of the operating systems for the management of land and sea operations, as well as the handling equipment and the coordination of the teams, which were practiced for the first time in real conditions.
The tests come less than a month before the launch of operations at the new Tibar Bay port.
Following an international call for tenders launched by the East Timorese authorities, Bolloré Ports was selected to carry out the project, the first public-private partnership in the country.
After two days of testing, all the systems, in particular the Terminal Operating System (TOS) interfaced with the invoicing and customs systems, demonstrated total efficiency, wrote Bolloré Ports.
The handling equipment gave full satisfaction and enabled the teams to load and unload nearly 1,000 containers on board the two ships during this test phase.
“Our teams successfully docked and handled both vessels,” said Laurent Palayer, Managing Director of Timor Port.
“This was made possible by a training programme with experts from our network who came specially to share their knowledge and experience in the port field. Today, we are ready to take the next step and start our activities, and we would like to thank MELL and PIL for working with us closely on the trial call by the two vessels.”
READ: Bolloré Ports Starts Timor Project
PIL is currently ranked 12th among the world’s top container shipping lines. MELL, PIL’s subsidiary, specialises in niche routes in Asia Pacific.
“Thanks to the investments made in the construction of this new infrastructure, the deepwater port of Tibar will become a world-class port open to all lines. Its commissioning is also accompanied by a local development policy to promote employment on a national scale and thus encourage the country’s economic growth and numerous initiatives to preserve the biodiversity of Tibar Bay,” added Olivier De Noray, Managing Director of Ports and Terminals at Bolloré Ports.
