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With the arrival of the final four out of a total of ten new ship-to-shore cranes in early June, the Port of Salalah’s US$ 300 million expansion plan is on schedule to boost annual container handling capacity from 5 million to 6 million TEU by the end of this year.
Despite the extensive upgrade works that commenced last year, in the recently published 2023 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), from the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, Port of Salalah retained its position as the second most efficient container port in the world for the third consecutive year.
“We expect these cranes to help us reduce port stay even further by giving us faster access to top tiers on the ship,” says Scott Selman, Chief Operating Officer at Port of Salalah.
The first four new ship-to-shore cranes that arrived in February this year are already being tested and are reportedly on track to be operational from August this year, while two additional cranes are currently in the process of being commissioned. Meanwhile four smaller cranes have been decommissioned. The net result is that the number of cranes at the container terminal will increase from 21 to 27 by the end of the year.
The new fully electric ship-to-shore container gantry cranes are among the largest of their kind in the world and can handle vessels stacked up to 26 containers deep, have a lifting height of 58 m above the rail, a 77 m total hoist height and a maximum lifting capacity of 105 tonnes. Additional equipment purchased to support the expansion includes 12 hybrid rubber-tyred gantry cranes, two reach stackers, six empty handlers, and 30 terminal trucks and trailers.
Considerable infrastructure work has been carried out to upgrade the port’s existing electricity grid, including a new high-capacity power substation and high-voltage feeder lines, reinforcing Salalah’s original electrical infrastructure built in 1998. This is intended to future proof the terminal for the additional demand placed by the electrification of equipment.
Further works include the expansion of the yard area and a new access road. Upgrades to four existing berths to support the new cranes are already complete, with two berths remaining and in progress. The additional capacity will enable the terminal to handle the demands of being one of eight APM Terminals facilities selected as hubs by the new Gemini Cooperation liner shipping consortium between Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk.
