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International Ports Services Company Limited (IPS), the operator of the Dammam Container Terminal, has taken delivery of Saudi Arabia’s very first remotely controlled quayside container cranes.
The three new ZPMC ZP-13/2060 cranes, which arrived on 10th December, are capable of lifting 65 tons of cargo, have a lift height of 44 meters and an outreach of 60 meters. They are also capable of being operated either in the traditional way by an operator in a mobile cabin, located on the top of the crane, or by an operator located in the operations building in the terminal, at a distance of 1 kilometer from the vessel. The operators no longer have to contend with the fast moving cabin motion, or attempting to locate containers, some 40 meters below them. Instead, they can operate with a range of computer screens, from an air-conditioned office, closer to the central planning department.
These new cranes operate in only a few terminals around the world and are an indication of the level of planning for the future by IPS, who together with Dammam Port Management see the continuing need for Dammam to handle the largest vessels in the world to the highest of standards. “The new cranes are a quantum leap forward for port services in the Kingdom and confirm our continuing ability to offer shipping lines the fastest service possible in Dammam Port,” said Jay New, Chief Executive Officer, IPS Dammam.
After the commissioning of the additional 3 new cranes and a new container berth, IPS will be ready to handle latest generation 14,000 teu class vessels in 2015.
