PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has invested $22 million part of its $80-million capital for its flagship terminal to deploy 16 new hybrid rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).
The new equipment are expected to boost the operations of the port and enhance the company’s group-wide environmental program, which aims to create and maintain safe working environments for both of its employees and clients, said Christian R. Gonzalez, the company’s senior vice president.
Manufactured by Japanese shipbuilder and equipment maker Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (MES), the RTGs—also called transtainers—can stack one over five containers high and six containers wide, including truck roadway. It has a rated load of 40 metric tons.
“The new RTGs will improve terminal efficiency and allow us to match demand in terms of operational performance. Terminal utilization currently remains exceptional, and we see no signs of congestion, despite the volume influx,” he said.
The first batch of the new RTGs is scheduled for delivery in November next year, with the remaining eight to be turned over by October 2019.
“Just as important is that we can expect a minimum 40-percent reduction in carbon emissions and up to 60 percent better fuel economy, Gonzalez said. “A side benefit is that the smaller engines mean reduced noise levels at the yard.”
The MES hybrid uses diesel fuel saving technology that combines 200-kilo-volt-ampere Li-ion batteries and a smaller diesel engine, resulting in lower carbon emissions and better fuel efficiency.
ICTSI is also set to commission five additional quay cranes by 2019, which includes a pair of neo-Panamax cranes. Upon completion, MICT will become the only terminal in the Philippines capable of servicing neo-Panamax boxships with capacities of up to 13,000 Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
“We are preparing for the era of super-sized ships,” Gonzalez said. “All the development we have in the pipeline will ensure MICT, the country’s premier container terminal, will be able to cope with the pressing demand and volume increase.” Last December MICT achieved a milestone with its first year-to-date 2 millionth TEU move. This triggered a multibillion-peso capacity improvement commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority requiring ICTSI to commission additional equipment and construct at least another berth by 2019.