DAVAO’S Sasa Wharf recently received a boost in cargo-handling equipment with the arrival of three new rubber-tired gantries (RTGs).
The additional equipment will improve terminal operations with faster and safer movement of containers in the container yard, said Jose Manuel de Jesus, general manager of Davao Integrated Port and Stevedoring Services Corp (DIPSSCOR), cargo handling operator of Sasa Wharf.
“The RTGs are part of DIPSSCOR’s commitment to transform the Port of Davao into one of the leading ports not only in the Philippines but also the whole of ASEAN,” de Jesus said.
“We recognize that the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has identified Davao as among the country’s 10 ports up for development and modernization, and these RTGs are just one of our contributions in realizing PPA’s vision,” he added.
The Port of Davao handles about 250,000 containers annually and is a key transit point for banana exports.
Each of the RTGs has a stacking capacity of one over five high and can work six containers-wide plus truck lane. Each is equipped with a fuel-saving and energy-storage device as well as automatic steering using global positioning and automatic container positioning systems. Its telescopic spreader is capable of lifting 41 metric tons.
The RTGs were manufactured by Mitsubishi and reconfigured by Portek Systems and Equipment Pte Ltd of Singapore to suit Sasa Wharf’s container yard.
Earlier DIPSSCOR — a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc — took over from the PPA operation of the reefer facility at Sasa Wharf. The facility covers 270 square meters and can handle a total of 144 reefer containers.
