APM Terminals presented the company's short and middle-term projects as well as its latest investments in Barcelona, which came to a total of €47 million. The event brought together the representatives of the port community – the president of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, and the deputy director of State Ports, Javier Martín Santodomingo – with different economic actors.
Mercè Conesa (president of the Port of Barcelona), Igor Van den Essen (Manager of APM Terminals Europe)
and José Alberto Carbonell (General Manager of the Port of Barcelona)
On the one hand, the acquisition of 29 new straddle carriers (SC) was announced, with which, as of this month, the APM terminal will increase its profitability. Mercè Conesa i Pagès, president of the Port of Barcelona, has been the sponsor of the operational launch of these new cranes.
Recently, APMT also equipped itself with 2 new Super Post Panamax cranes from Los Angeles. The two new STS cranes allow operations with ships of up to 23 containers across the beam. In addition, they are capable of lifting 100 tonnes and can also operate in TWIN mode (2x20’), which allows the terminal to further increase its level of service, offering customers the highest productivity out of all the Mediterranean terminals.
At the same time, with the aim of increasing the technical capabilities of Barcelona's terminal, APM Terminals has launched a new Rack platform for reefer connections, which has allowed it to increase its connection capacity by 31%. It currently has a total of 632 connections, which allow for the expansion and increased rotation for equipment connections as well as complementary services. This allocation is the largest investment made in the Barcelona terminal in terms of this type of equipment.
Likewise, under its high operational standards related to efficiency and security, APM Terminals has recently optimized its services with a new feature which, through its new web page, allows for real-time consultation of the status of ships. Thus, the user can see the movements of a ship that is working at that very moment, including the percentage that it has completed or its remaining containers.
This June, APM Terminals Barcelona also received the certification of Authorised Economic Operator of Protection and Security (AEO) from the Spanish Tax Agency. This certification standardises the terminal's customs operations, thus closing the circuit of customs processing and security in national and European transport. The purpose of the AEO is to apply more rigorous and effective security measures and at the same time facilitate the flow of goods in international trade.
This set of investments is part of APM Terminals' strategy to modernize its current fleet and increase its equipment's capacity and productivity, as well as to improve safety at the Barcelona terminal. "We renew our commitment to the Port of Barcelona, outfitting ourselves with the technical equipment necessary to operate the most modern container ships that currently stop over in the Catalan capital", explained Narcís Pavón, General Manager of APM Terminals Barcelona.
"With the latest implemented investments", Pavón added, "we strengthen our position as a leader in the maritime business, making an effort to improve our fleet of machines as well as to make other technological improvements".
"With this operation, APM Terminals demonstrates its firm commitment to efficiency and to providing greater transparency to the logistics chain, thanks to an innovative service that permits users to see the real-time status of containers. The greater energetic efficiency of the new equipment will also imply a decrease in emissions", declared Mercè Conesa. "The company's significant investment therefore allows for the strengthening of the Port of Barcelona's strategic plans, based on competitiveness, sustainability and innovation", added Conesa, who thanked APM Terminals for its commitment to Catalan infrastructure.
