Hutchison Ports BEST has placed an order with Kone Cranes for an additional six Automatic Stacking Cranes (ASCs) scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2019.
The arrival of the new cranes will be the final stage of the second phase of the semi-automated terminal’s expansion which began in 2014. The expansion has seen the number of automated container storage blocks increase from 24 to 27.
The latest order is the second upgrade of facilities at BEST this year. The terminal’s fleet of shuttle carriers, which transfer containers among the quay, container yard and rail operations, has already been boosted by the arrival of six new machines to improve further the efficiency of operations at what is already one of world’s most productive terminals.
These new shuttle carriers are fitted with diesel-electric engines which help improve the overall energy efficiency of the terminal. Together with the other electrical equipment at the terminal, including quay cranes, storage area cranes and railway terminal cranes, they make BEST one of the most environmentally sustainable facilities in Europe.
Guillermo Belcastro Hutchison Ports BEST CEO stated “This investment will result in a significant increase in operational and storage capacity at the terminal and will contribute to our continuous improvement of service levels both in maritime and land operations.
BEST currently has 11 Super Post-Panamax quay cranes, 48 ASCs, 2 rail terminal cranes (RMGs) and 30 Shuttle Carriers to operate the terminal which occupies 79 Ha and has a 1,500-metre berth with a depth of 16.5 metre.
Since its official inauguration in September 2012, BEST has continued to set new standards for ports in Southern Europe: achieving a ship productivity rate of more than 200 movements per hour and a sustained average performance of more than 40 movements per hour and by crane, one of the highest in the world.
The facilities have one of the most modern gate systems in Europe and one of the largest railway terminals within a container terminal in the Mediterranean, with eight mixed gauge tracks (Iberian and UIC), connecting BEST daily with different points of Spain and the South of France.
