On 7th May, Hutchison Ports BEST took delivery of two new super post panamax gantry cranes, adding to the eleven cranes already in operation, along with two new shuttle carriers, bringing its fleet to 34.
These two new cranes reinforce BEST's competitive position thanks to their 24 rows outreach, unique in the Port of Barcelona, which will increase BEST's capacity to operate large ships. The new cranes have a height under spreader of 47 m. with the possibility of a further 5 m. increase, enabling them to work on vessels up to 10 heights on deck.
Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST states that "beyond being one of the most efficient terminals in the world, the arrival of these cranes will enhance our competitive advantages as BEST will be able to operate three mega-vessels simultaneously, while increasing its flexibility to serve smaller vessels,"
For her part, Mercè Conesa, President of the Port Authority of Barcelona, who was present at the time of the arrival, concluded that "The significant investment made over the years is a real demonstration of the confidence that Hutchison Ports has in the Port of Barcelona and the mutual commitment to continue to gain competitiveness and quality of service for our customers. For all these reasons, I congratulate all the professionals at Hutchison Ports BEST and encourage them to continue working to make the Port of Barcelona the most competitive and sustainable hub in southern Europe and the Mediterranean".
After the corresponding commissioning work, the cranes will be ready for daily operations during the month of June and will be presented to the sector at a welcoming ceremony to be held on 17th June.
Hutchison Ports BEST currently achieves productivity rates of more than 40 moves per hour per crane. The combination of size, equipment, people and nGen operating system results in one of the highest productivity rates in the world.
Finally, Guillermo Belcastro states "Currently, operations of around ten thousand moves are becoming more and more frequent at BEST; these can be completed in less than 72 hours, minimising call time compared to other ports. This translates into significant reductions in terms of transit times, port costs and CO2 emissions, which is a major benefit for the entire logistics chain."
Additionally, BEST continues with its initial commitment to incorporate sustainable equipment as these new cranes also use energy regeneration technology on motor drives, enabling them to reuse the energy generated during the operation in a more efficient way. This energy regeneration system plus its semi-automatic operation make BEST one of the most efficient terminals from an environmental point of view.
