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TICTS orders four stacker cranes for Dar port
2008-04-02 10:39:21
By Guardian Correspondent
The Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) Ltd has imported four new Reach stacker cranes worth USD 2m in a move to beef up its operations as it co-operates with the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) and other stakeholders in moves aimed at decongesting Dar es Salaam port.
Two Reach stacker cranes have already arrived at the port, with another two expected in the country mid this month.
A statement issued by the company in Dar es Salaam yesterday said the new container handling equipment is much more efficient than existing machines in moving and stacking containers, a move that would help the cargo handling firm increase its flexibility.
The statement said this was part of an array of new equipment earmarked for purchase by the firm this year, including nine tractors expected to arrive in the country this June and two empty container handlers scheduled to arrive in August.
Earlier this year, TICTS purchased five rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) valued at USD 6.7m for the purpose of improving its operations at the port`s container terminal section.
The statement said the stacking cranes, as well as the RTGs, have been added to the handling equipment in addition to the requirements of the original investment plan.
It added that TICTS had made every effort to keep up with the volume of containers which had increased dramatically as a result of Tanzania`s growing economy as well as high growth in the economies of neighbouring states.
Currently TICTS was handling in excess of 370,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in a terminal originally built for 250,000 TEU, according to the statement.
The firm also plans to invest a further USD 52m over the next five years in more equipment purchases aimed at increasing the handling capacity to cater for further growth, the statement said, adding that it had also allocated USD 10m for civil works improvement.
The statement said ever since TICTS was contracted to run the container terminal it had consistently invested in equipment, personnel and infrastructure with a view to handling the ever-increasing volume of containers efficiently.
It added that the firm was working in conjunction with other stakeholders in the chain of operations associated with import and export of Tanzania`s goods as well as those for neighbouring countries.
It said as a result of the average GDP growth of 5.8 per cent per annum since the year 2000, container handling had risen from 120,000 TEU to 370,000 TEU by the year 2007, which was a threefold increase.
TICTS projected to handle nearly 400,000 TEU this year in a terminal built for 250,000 TEU, according to the statement.
This trend was forecast to continue, with a forecast for 1 million TEU by the year 2016.
However, the company said containers remained in the terminal for longer stretches of time than anticipated, reminding its customers to collect their containers in good time.
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