Konecranes into Morocco

Konecranes will deliver 16 RTGs to the Tanger Alliance at Tanger Med 2 in just nine months.

The Tanger Med 2 development, TCS is at the rear of the picture.

Now that Hapag-Lloyd joined as an investor, the Tanger Alliance is moving forward to develop the 1.5M TEU TC3 terminal at Tanger Med 2 in Morocco. At the end of October Morocco’s national port authority Marsa Maroc announced Hapag-Lloyd had taken a 10% stake in its subsidiary Tangier Alliance (formerly Marsa International Tangier Terminals S.A). Marsa Maroc still holds its majority 50% plus one share in the company, with Eurogate International GmbH and Contship Italia S.p.A jointly holding a 40% less one share stake.

Tangier Alliance wants to have the new terminal operational in mid 2020, and this was a key factor in Konecranes winning the order. Mr. Said Asbaai, Chairman of the Executive Board of Tanger Alliance said: “Konecranes is known for the excellence of its technology and high-performing cranes. We selected Konecranes RTGs because we believe these machines will help us to reach our ambitious goals. Also, we appreciated Konecranes’ ability to deliver the cranes according to our challenging schedule. They will all be delivered by July 2020.”

The cranes will be delivered in batches with the last ones arriving by mid-July 2020. That Konecranes can manage such a short delivery time this while it has an already large order backlog speaks to how the company has been able to scale up production significantly in recent years.

The cranes will have a lifting capacity of 40 tons, lifting containers 1-over-5 high and 7 container rows wide plus truck lane. Other features include Konecranes Auto-steering system and its “Auto-TOS Reporting”, which reports all container moves to the TOS, enabling accurate yard inventory.

This is Konecranes first order for gantry cranes in Morocco. Adel Issa, Regional Sales Manager EMEA, Konecranes Port Solutions said: “This is a breakthrough for Konecranes in Morocco and I’m pleased to have been a part of it. I wish the Port of Tangier every success as it continues to expand.”

Source: WorldCargo News