Manila South Harbor operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) recently took delivery of two brand-new ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, further boosting the port’s capability to handle more ships and cargoes in anticipation of further growth of the Philippine economy.
The STS cranes, each with a lifting capacity of 70 tons, will enable the terminal to accommodate more and bigger vessels at a faster turnaround time, ATI said in a statement.
The cranes are scheduled for commissioning at Pier 3 by end-April.
The arrival of ATI’s new STS cranes is well-timed, as additional container yards go online within the Manila South Harbor Expanded Port Zone starting this year, in line with the port operator’s capacity build-up program. Capacity expansion includes Blocks 143 and 145 adjacent to South Harbor’s main container yard and the in-filling of the Engineering Island Basin next to Pier 3.
Once these projects are completed, and with continuous investment in systems and equipment, Manila South Harbor’s annual container handling capacity will increase to over 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by 2019 from its current yearly throughput of 1.25 million TEUs. In 2017, Manila South Harbor handled over 1.1 million TEUs, setting a new record volume in a single year.
These latest equipment acquisition and development projects form part of ATI’s investment commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority.
