The Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) has purchased two of the largest remote-controlled Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes in the world, each with a 70-meter reach and a 52-meter height from rail level, as it looks to accommodate the largest vessels in the world.
In a statement, the addition of the new STS cranes cost US$21 million and is part of a broader $41 million investment program, which means it will be able to service the latest generation of Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS), which can carry in excess of 23,000 TEU.
The cranes will be supplied by ZPMC in Shanghai, China, and will feature a series of advanced automation technology, including remote control and optical character scanning capability, chassis alignment and automatic landing systems.
It will also have vessel profiling, gantry and trolley positioning and intelligent status condition monitoring systems.
It will increase the RSGT’s fleet STS fleet to 16 and the RSGT will also add 10 new Hybrid Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs), 50 new trucks and trailers, as part of its overhaul.
Jens O. Floe, RSGT’s CEO said the terminal had emerged as a “key link in the growing logistics chain” citing its 28% growth in volume in 2019.
Delivery of the new equipment will begin the fourth quarter of 2019 and is expected to be completed during the first half of 2020. It will bring the overall investment by RSGT to more than $470 million.
The RSGT is the primary gateway container handling facility at the Port of Jeddah and is the biggest facility in Saudi Arabia’s western region.
