ICTSI adds two more cranes for unit’s Australia port

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has added two more automated ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at its port in Australia, allowing its unit to handle large vessels, the listed port operator said on Monday.

“We are now ready to receive the largest vessels that will come to Australia as part of the upsizing strategy undertaken by all the major shipping lines in the world,” Bruno Porchietto, chief executive officer of Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), said in a media release.

He said the trend would lead to a rising number of supersized vessels sailing into Phillips Bay and mooring at VICT. ICTSI is the parent firm of VICT, which is a fully automated container terminal operating in Melbourne.

The arrival of the cranes, ICTSI said, will allow VICT to lift heights of 49 meters or 10 meters higher compared to its other existing STS cranes.

“The new cranes also offer better productivity with their lashing platforms mounted 15 meters high compared to the cranes that only allow pinning to be completed at the quay level,” the company said.

The acquisition of the additional cranes is also part of the company’s 235 million Australian-dollar investments in its expansion project, which is expected to increase the terminal’s capacity by up to 1.25 million TEUs or 20-foot equivalent units.

At the local bourse on Monday, shares in the company shed 20 centavos or 0.1% to end at P207 apiece. — Ashley Erika O. Jose