Over the last couple of years Latin America has seen a tremendous growth in both container and bulk throughput. Hence, many governments and terminal operators are looking at increasing their presence in the world markets by investing in both expansion plans and much needed cargo handling equipment.
Here we give a short overview of some of the manufacturers that have done well in this part of the world but also what the ports are doing.
Argentina
In Argentina, Bromma was awarded a contract for 3 all-electric yard crane spreaders from Exolgan container terminal in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Overall, Bromma crane spreader orders have increased over 100% during the first seven months 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.
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A follow-up order for a sixth Liebherr mobile harbour crane, this time a LHM 600, was placed by Terminal T4, part of APM Terminals, which now operates a total of four cranes in the port of Buenos Aires.
Brazil
The Port of Santos is located in the city of Santos, Brazil and is the busiest container port in Latin America (after Panama). It is Brazil’s leading port in container traffic. Santos is served by all major regular shipping lines, providing transport to anywhere in the world. Last year, the port saw container throughput reach 2.7 million TEU – up 20.45 compared to 2009 when it handled 2.25 million TEU. But the port is heading to break the 3 million mark. Over the first six months of this year, containerised cargo continued to grow at double-digit level, rising 13.6% over the result of the same period last year, totalling 1.6 million TEU. Some of the larger terminal projects in Santos are still under construction, both DP World’s Embraport, and APMT/TIL’s BTP will only see the light by 2013 (or maybe 2014/15). Triunfo, the main shareholder of the Portonave terminal in Navegantes/Itajai, is spearheading yet another private endeavour to add port capacity in Santos. The Terminal Portuario Pedro Brites project involves the construction of a combined ethanol/container terminal on a 50ha undeveloped privately-owned marshland, providing 0.9 million TEU capacity. In spite of having obtained a preliminary environmental license, this project still faces a number of regulatory hurdles, including its adoption with the Port of Santos Master Plan and the legal uncertainty surrounding the concept of private terminals for mixed use. Delivery in 2015 might be an optimistic forecast for this project. By 2024 the port of Santos will have received both private and public investments of up to USD6 billion allocated at improving the infrastructure and annual capacity. Some of this money will be allocated to deepen the access channel to -17m, and strengthening of the existing berths in order to achieve the deepening.
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For Austria-based Liebherr-Werk Nenzing, Brazil continues to be a key market for their mobile harbour cranes. In 2011, the company delivered 12 mobile harbour cranes making a total of 42 machines sold across Latin America. Intermaritima situated in the port of Aratu opted for the 4-rope version of the LHM 280 for dedicated bulk handling. The same type of crane was purchased by Companhia Operadora Portuaria do Itaqui. The second LHM for this company will be delivered to Itaqui Port, Sao Luis. Also Fortesolo Serviços Integrados and Harbor Operadora Portuária needed new equipment for their bulk handling terminals in Paranagua, but decided to go for the next bigger machine within the range, the LHM 320. Furthermore Serra Morena supports its operation in Rio Grande with a new LHM 280 as well as a new LHM 550, now working side-by-side with two LHM 320s.
Major container operators, Tecondi and Rodrimar added the state-of-the-art LHM 550 to their fleet of container handling cranes in the port of Santos. The LHM 550 for Tecondi is equipped with the new Pactronic Hybrid Drive System. Tecondi also took delivery of its fourth LHM 600, currently the largest mobile harbour crane available. Alongside the two LHM 550 Rodrimar purchased an additional used LHM 400 for its operation in Recife.
Triunfo Operadora Portuária purchased one LHM 180 for its general cargo handling terminal in Rio de Janeiro. This crane will be used to move offshore cargo for Petrobras.
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Finally the first two super post panamax gantry cranes for the Port of Paranagua, complete the Brazilian success story for Liebherr. The cranes, which are scheduled for delivery by the first quarter of 2012 will be the first Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes to be supplied to Brazil. The container cranes have a waterside outreach of 52.5m, span of 18m and landside backreach of 15m. Total lift height under spreader is 38m. SWL is 65 tonnes under twin lift spreader and 75 tonnes under hook beam. Hoist speed is 70-175m/min and trolley speed is 210m/min. Crane travel speed is 45m/min.
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In February 2011, terminal operator TCP Paranagua awarded Finland-based Konecranes a repeat order for six RTG (rubber tyred gantry) cranes. This is Konecranes’ third RTG delivery to TCP and when the recently ordered cranes have been delivered, TCP Paranagua will have sixteen Konecranes RTGs in their fleet. The new cranes will be delivered by the end of 2011. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the order. “Our cooperation with TCP Paranagua started already in year 2000 when the first Konecranes RTGs were delivered,” says Kim Salven, responsible for port crane sales in South America. “We are extremely proud of this third repeat order from TCP.” This delivery will increase TCP’s RTG capacity with more than 30%. The 16-wheel RTGs are equipped with Konecranes Active Load Control, fuel saver and crane management system, ensuring safe and uninterrupted use of the cranes. They have a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes and can stack one over five containers high, and six plus truck lane wide.
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International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) has stepped up terminal automation at the Suape Container Terminal (SCT) in Recife, Brazil with the implementation of their gate and yard automation projects. “We intend to bring terminal automation to the next level by tapping the best IT solutions in the industry,” said Christian R Gonzalez, ICTSI vice president and MICT general manager. Tecon Suape SA (TSSA) partnered with APS Technology to implement systems on gate automation, quay crane optical character recognition (OCR) and yard tractor identification for the SCT. The APS systems will support volume growth, reduce operational costs and meet customs requirement. TSSA took in APS after the latter successfully completed a similar project in Guayaquil Container and Multipurpose Terminals, ICTSI’s terminal in Ecuador. “Recife is considered one of the biggest logistics centres in Brazil, and at TSSA, we are updating our information technology infrastructure to meet continued volume growth at the terminal,” said Sergio Kano, TSSA Chief Executive Officer.
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Meclift, the Finnish producer of material handling equipment, is having enormous interest in Latin America. After selling the first unit of ML1612R Variable Reach Truck to Brazil and signing a distribution agreement with F&F Comercio e Representacoes Ltda in 2010 the success of Meclift has been growing month by month.
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Cargotec has received a further order from Santos Brasil S/A for 12 Kalmar E-One2 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. The agreement confirms one of South America’s leading container terminal operators as the biggest customer of Kalmar E-One RTGs worldwide totalling 41 machines. The units were ordered to equip the customer’s newly inaugurated Tecon Santos Terminal 4 expansion. Their delivery will commence in the fourth quarter of 2011. Santos Brasil’s new all-electric, environmentally-friendly 16-wheel RTGs will be 7+1 wide
and 1-over-6 high and come equipped with Kalmar Smartrail, an auto-steering and container position verification system. Cargotec’s 16-wheel design, in combination with the light weight of its cranes, puts less stress on terminal surfaces compared to conventional 8-wheel units. The terminal operator’s cranes will feature 55-tonnes capacity twin-lift Bromma spreaders with load sensing capability via the twist-locks.
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Terex Cranes has delivered seven Terex TFC 46 M full “dry” and high-container reachstacker units via Equiport, a Terex Port Equipment Distributor, to Santos Port, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Santos Port currently accounts for the highest concentration of Terex reach stackers per square kilometer of any port in the world. All together there are 450 Terex reach stackers in operation throughout Latin America.
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Buenos Port is host to four major terminal operators, including DP World, APM Terminals, PSA and Hutchison Port Holdings, and all are vying for a profitable share of the annual throughput in containers. In 2009, South America’s largest port saw container throughput fall by almost 21% – perhaps in line with a reduction in Argentine imports, and the ongoing erosion of its position as the principal point for cargo consolidation in the region’s third largest economy. The port handled a total 1.4 million TEU – down from the year before when it handled almost 1.8 million TEU. But with economies around the world improving, the port worked hard to make up the figures for 2010 and container throughput at the four terminals saw 23% growth to 1.7 million TEU – almost the same level of 2008. Located at Terminal 5 in the port is Buenos Aires Container Terminal (BACTSSA) operated by Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), BACTSSA occupies a total land area of 25 hectares, with 885m of quay and an 18 hectare container yard. The terminal has an annual capacity of around 450,000 TEU. In May 2010, BACTSSA welcomed the first call of the Patagonia Service of Patagonia Shipping Lines. The service will call at Buenos Aires every 15 days on a rotation that also includes the ports of Montevideo and Ushuaia. Terminales Rio de la Plata (TRP) is located in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires. TRP is the largest container terminal in Argentina and additionally handles general cargo and cruise vessels. TRP’s facility, a joint venture in which DP World owns 55.62%, comprises of three basins, providing up to five berths for vessel operations. TRP has significant reefer capacity, 1,650 plugs, which accommodate the large volume of reefer exports from Argentina. DP World obtained the operational concession until 2019 of the terminal, which has an annual capacity of 831,000 TEU. In 2010, TRP welcomed plans from Mitsui OSK Lines, Japan, to continue its service it shares with Singapore’s PIL and Evergreen and Cosco Container Lines. Both shipping lines announced plans to combine their jointly operated Far East-South America and Far East-Africa express services into a new Asia-South America service.
Chile
In Chile, Portuaria Lirquén is already successfully operating a new Liebherr Mobile Crane (LHM 550) equipped with the new Pactronic Hybrid Drive System. At the moment the finger pier in Lirquén accommodates not less than six Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes capable of handling two vessels simultaneously. Also the LFS-series (fixed on a pedestal) was able to continue its effective market launch with the delivery of a third crane of this type (LFS 600) to Electroandina in Chile. In addition to its energy business, Electroandina offers port services in Tocopilla, for loading and unloading of bulk goods, liquids, and general cargo. Liebherr also just finalised another major contract for two more LHM 600 for a Chilean container operator. This order will bring the number of LHM 600 delivered to Latin America to a total of eight within the last two years. With this latest order it shows that there is a huge demand for mobile harbour cranes with a large capacity (208 tonnes) as well as a large outreach (58m). In addition, the latest generation of the LHM 600 can be equipped with the Pactronic Hybrid Drive System, which not only provides unrivalled speed resulting in a 30% increase of productivity but also a 30% decrease in fuel consumption.
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The Chilean port of Coquimbo has plans to expand in order to accommodate larger vessels and to triple cargo throughput by 2015. The port is planning to extend its existing 348m-long quay by an additional 120m. It also plans to deepen the access channel enabling fully loaded 50,000dwt vessels to enter the port. Tender documents for the project will be available in November 2011.
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Colombia
The Port of Cartagena, the well-established South American hub in Colombia, might have been dubbed by the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) as the “Best Port of the Caribbean” on four occasions and it continues to benefit from congestion and inefficiency at neighbouring ports. As a result, the port is host to a concentration of regional trans-shipment operations by Hamburg Süd, CMA CGM and CSAV. The port has seen continued growth in container throughput – despite a global economic downturn – and last year was no different. Cartagena experienced 27.8% growth in container volumes to 1.58 million TEU. In 2009, the port handled a total of 1.2 million TEU – up 16.2% compared to 2008 when it handled 1 million TEU. Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena, the port’s main operator, is operating two terminals – the Manga Terminal and Contecar Terminal. The Manga Terminal, with an annual container capacity of 1.2 million TEU, has an excellent land and river connectivity with Colombia´s inland and its main consumption centres, making it one of the most important distribution and trans-shipment hubs in the region. The terminal has a quay length of 700m with a depth of -15.2m alongside, capable of accommodating two container vessels of 6.000 TEU capacity at the same time. Contecar terminal is located in Mamonal and has been undergoing an USD150 million expansion project to increase the port´s annual capacity to 4 million TEU. The project includes reclaiming land and constructing the country’s first super post-panamax berths, dredging to deepen the access channel and alongside the berth. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2014 in conjunction with the opening of the Panama Canal and will accommodate large container vessels.
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Mexico
It seems that Manzanillo in Mexico has come back from the downturn with a vengeance. In 2009, Manzanillo handled a disappointing 1.1 million TEU – down 21% compared to 2008 but in 2010 it raised its stake and saw container throughput increase by 36% to 1.5 million TEU. Manzanillo is strategically located for international trade with the United States, Canada, Central and South America and the countries that make up the Pacific Rim. Unfortunately, these countries were badly hit by the downturn in 2009 but saw a surge in container throughput in 2010. Hence the increase at Manzanillo as shipping lines started to use alternative ports of call once again to enter the US for the trade of Asian manufactured goods to US consumer markets. At the beginning of 2010, Jan de Nul’s Mexican dredging subsidiary, Dragamex, completed a USD35 million dredging contract to widen and deepen the approach channel to accommodate the arrival of vessels with a draught of up to -15m. This has made it attractive to carriers that normally would be by-passing Manzanillo. But the completion of the expansion project of the Panama Canal in 2014 might spoil this once again as carriers would take goods direct to the east coast markets via the Panama Canal. In 2010, Lazaro Cardenas, operated by Hutchison Port Holdings, continued to bring worries to operators in Manzanillo. In 2009, fierce rivalry between the Pacific coast ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas saw shippi
ng lines looking to reduce costs by restructuring services with Lazaro Cardenas emerging as the big winner. But the deepening of the approach channel has brought confidence back with both operators and shipping lines. The port’s most important customers, Mediterranean Shipping Co, K Line and MOL, kept calling at the largest terminal SSA Mexico. Philippine-based ICTSI who won a 34-year concession to develop and operate a second container terminal at Manzanillo has also sprung to action. ICTSI is developing the terminal together with the Mexican Government – both are spending around USD771 million in total. The first phase of the terminal is expected to be operational in 2012 and will ultimately offer three berths, with a combined handling capacity of 2 million TEU a year.
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Crane spreader manufacturer, Stockholm-based Bromma, reports to have received numerous orders from Mexico including 9 units of their all-electric spreader (the YSX40E) from Lazaro Cardenas Terminal Portuaria de Contenedores and 5 units all-electric yard spreaders from Terminal Internacional de Manzanillo in Mexico.
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Kongsberg Maritime Mexico SA de CV, became fully operational out of its new facility in the city of Veracruz this summer. As an extension to Kongsberg Maritime’s worldwide service network, the new service hub will offer service and support to DP vessels and merchant ships with Kongsberg Maritime navigation, automation and control systems on board. Kongsberg Maritime Mexico was formally established in January 2011. Kongsberg Maritime New Orleans supported the planning and setup for its operational start this summer. The operation in Mexico currently has five employees, including three field engineers, who will continue to work closely with Kongsberg Maritime’s established service team in New Orleans.
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Peru
Callao, the biggest Peruvian port, is expected to handle close to 2 million TEU by 2015. In the meantime, the port handled 1.3 million TEU in 2010 – up 23.5% compared to 2009 when it handled 1 million TEU. One of its terminals is the new DP World Muelle Sur concession with an annual capacity of 850,000 TEU. To cater for the expected growth the Peruvian government prepared the tendering of Muelle Norte. The tender process got stranded in legal disputes over whether or not DP World should be allowed to bid, as it was feared that it could result in a private monopoly within the country. In early April, APM Terminals was awarded the concession. The new Government elected in June is not as favourable to concessions as its predecessor, and DP World is suing the Government on grounds of unfair competition. Group Chief Executive Mohamed Sharaf commented on the current arbitration process with Peruvian authorities relating to DP World’s exclusion from the tender to operate the new North Quay at Callao (DP World already has the concession to operate the South Quay at the port). “It is a procedural matter that we were supposed to be allowed into the tender for the second terminal, and we were not allowed to,” said Sharaf. In November 2010, CMA-CGM announced that it would extend its Black Pearl service to the west coast of South America. The carrier will now include calls at ports in Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Chile in order to capture some of the double-digit trade growth that has taken place between South and North America.
In 2010, container traffic between the west coast of South America and the US grew by 23.5% compared to 2009. The extended Black Pearl service will also call at Panama’s Atlantic hub of Manzanillo and the Pacific hub of Balboa, where CMA-CGM will offer trans-shipment options to its Asian services, while connections to European services will be offered through a call at Kingston, Jamaica. The new South American ports are Guayaquil in Ecuador, Callao in Peru, and San Antonio in Chile, and the six 1,100 TEU-capacity vessels will offer increased reefer slots for refrigerated exports out of South America.
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Uruguay
With the global economic downturn behind us it seems that the government of Uruguay is interested in building a new deepwater port at Garzon. Plans for the new port date from 2005 and would be situated on the left-hand side of the Garzon lagoon and only be accessible via a bridge. Plans for the new 540 ha port include 8.5km of berths. Of the total a mere 200ha will have a quay with a depth alongside of 20-22m while another 100ha will feather a depth of 15-20m.