Both sides expressed satisfaction with the agreement.
Rabat – Cargotec subsidiary Kalmar has signed an agreement with container terminal EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) to improve the performance of four ship-to-shore (STS) cranes from Chinese machinery company Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC).
In a press release, Kalmar announced that the project is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2020. Completion of the project is scheduled for the second quarter of 2021, however.
“Kalmar will be responsible for the planning, engineering, and execution of the entire project, which involves heightening the four STS cranes by 11 metres and extending the booms by six metres. The upgrade will enable the terminal to serve mega-sized container vessels,” the statement said.
The press release quoted CEO of EGT Andrea Cervia who expressed satisfaction with the project.
For the CEO, the investment is “the biggest since the commencement of operations in 2008.”
The venture, Cervia added, will make EGT ready “from the second half of next year to accommodate the latest generation Ultra Large Container Ships with a capacity of 23,000 TEUs working up to 25 rows across.”
Among the many goals of the investment is EGT’s ambition to “confirm and extend” its role as the “transshipment hub for the Western Meditteranean.” The investment would also enable EGT to “continue to offer top-level service to” its customers,” according to CEO.
EUROGATE Tanger is located on the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, a strategic position to make the terminal a go-to destination for markets in Africa, as well as in North and South America. The terminal will consist of “a quay length of 812 m, a terminal area of 400,000 m² [square meters] and a water depth of up to 18 [meters],” said Kalmar.
Eduardo Prat, Vice-President of Kalmar also commented on the signing of the agreement.
“EUROGATE Tanger has been an important partner of ours for many years so we are delighted to be able to help them future-proof their operations ready for handling the next generation of mega-size vessels,” Prat said.
He added, “Our track record and expertise in these kinds of crane upgrade projects is exemplary, and we are the only provider capable of completing the work in such a short timescale.”
