The investment includes:

Four new Tugmaster vehicles – to accommodate the increase in volume and to modernise the existing fleet.

Resurfacing of the freight park – with ongoing maintenance and improvements to the facilities there.

Heysham Port’s general manager Bryan Davies said: “We have seen a steady increase in our unit volumes over the last 18 months, however the growth in the last six months has been at an escalated rate. We are confident of further growth for the remainder of 2011 and have invested heavily in our infrastructure to accommodate this.”

Heysham Port in Lancashire is one of Britain’s leading gateways to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Figures released by the Department for Transport show that in the first half of 2011 Heysham Port handled more than 225,000 units, a 45,000 unit rise compared with the same period in 2010.

The growth in volume is particularly significant given the challenging market and Ireland’s financial difficulties.

The introduction of a new Seatruck Larne service, which in its first 12 months of operation has increased to a twice daily service, has contributed significantly to the Port’s growth. It is anticipated that this service will handle 50,000 units this financial year.

Peel Ports head of planning Warren Marshall said: “The increase in port traffic and the importance of Heysham as a hub port to Ireland (connections with Belfast, Dublin, Warrenpoint and Larne) and the Isle of Man only highlight the demand for the Heysham – M6 link road. In this respect we continue to work in close collaboration with Lancashire County Council, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, and the Constituency MPs to secure this much needed and long overdue piece of infrastructure.”

The five-days-a-week service was launched on 10 October and operates between Teesport’s rail head at its fast growing container terminal in the UK north east and the Stobart Group’s Widnes Intermodal Rail Depot.

It operates using ultra-low wagons, named ‘SuperLow 45’ and manufactured by WH Davis, that are capable of carrying high-cube containers over non-gauge enhanced and height restricted routes, opening up almost the entire UK rail network to the larger boxes. Previously, high-cube containers, which measure 9’6″ in height compared with the standard 8’6″, could be transported to such a wide area of the country by road only because of low bridges, tunnels and railway stations.

The service was initially set up to cater for containers being transported by logistics company P&O Ferrymasters, but it will also carry other customers’ traffic. Sarka Oldham, DRS Head of Business Development, says: “As a leading rail freight operator in the UK, this new service demonstrates DRS’s ability to deliver innovative rail solutions to meet our customers’ needs as well as offering both economical and environmental benefits.

“The utilisation of the Super Low 45 wagons is the first of its kind and we are delighted to be working with Teesport and P&O Ferrymasters to spearhead this cross country rail service.”

David Robinson, PD Ports Group CEO, says: “We’re delighted that the first rail service using these unique wagons will operate from our Teesport facility.

“High-cube containers enable customers to reduce their environmental impact and increase cost efficiencies thanks to the economies of scale offered by rail over road and the extra capacity offered by these larger containers compared with standard boxes.”

Previously, the containers transported by P&O Ferrymasters on the new service were moved by road.

P&O Ferrymasters’ Director Asset Divisions Wim Blomme says: “Our main drive for this modal shift has been the continuous search to reduce our carbon footprint in the UK, and to provide our customers with sustainable environmentally friendly solutions.

“This project was initiated over two years ago and required a substantial investment from DRS in order to provide a technical solution for the carriage of our 9’6” palletwide containers on the Victorian rail network.

“We are glad they have made the decision by purchasing the special designed low-liner wagons, which enable us to transfer many thousand road movements from Teesport into Widnes.

“P&O Ferries operate daily* sailings between Zeebrugge and Europoort into Teesport, an ideal connection between European short-sea ports and the north east, offering a unique UK intermodal solution into the north-west of England.”.

The service is capable of carrying up to 32 containers on each transport.

Regions now open to high-cube containers by rail from Teesport thanks to the wagon include north Wales, south Wales, south-west England, northern Scotland and the west Highlands.

The service is the second new rail operation launched from Teesport’s rail terminal in recent months, after logistics company WH Malcolm and DRS started a new link between Teesport and Scotland.

PD Ports has experienced significant growth in recent years. Teesport’s container terminals saw volumes increase by 45% in 2010 and capacity is currently being expanded from 235,000 to 450,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit), the standard measurement for sea containers. The company’s overall strategy is to expand port wide capacity to at least 650,000 TEU.

* P&O Ferries operates five services per week between Teesport and Zeebrugge and three between Teesport and Europoort

The RTGs are scheduled to start operations in April next year. The order has been booked in the second quarter of 2011. Rapid growth in container traffic moving through the Indian ports has prompted Allcargo Logistics to convert container handling at its container freight station in Chennai and plan new facility near Mumbai using rubber-tyred gantry crane, each with two RTGs.

The Chennai facility is the closest of its type to the port and has to date operated using Kalmar reachstackers. It is the first among South India’s inland container yards to adopt all-electric RTG operations, following a sharp increase in throughput and subsequent space limitations in ports. 

 In selecting the Kalmar E-One2 RTGs, Allcargo has opted for an advanced specification that includes Variable Speed Generators to reduce fuel consumption. The crane’s design will also ensure longer service and maintenance interval, and thereby lower overall running costs. The 41 tonnes capacity RTGs will be able to stack containers one-over-five high, and span seven container rows plus a roadway. 

“As well as meeting Allcargo’s requirement for more sustainable RTGs, we were able to capitalise on their positive experience with the Kalmar reach stackers and Kalmar empty container handlers that they already have at the Chennai container freight station,” says Cargotec’s Jonne Hankimaa, Managing Director Cargotec India. “It was also important to Allcargo that we can offer a local service support network, to ensure maximum uptime for these equipments.”

 Shashi Kiran Shetty, Chairman & Managing Director, Allcargo Logistics Limited says:”Traffic at the Container Freight Stations (CFS) across India is increasing manyfolds. In order to tap the growing opportunity, we are expanding the capacity of our existing facilities and adding new CFS’s at places like Dadri, Hyderabad, amongst others. Simultaneously in our endeavour to ensure high quality service to our clients, we have upgraded technology at these centres to enhance our productivity and quality. In light of the same, we have chosen to install the all-electric Kalmar E-One2 RTGs at the two of our busiest CFSs – Mumbai and Chennai. Choosing a partner like Cargotec (Kalmar) was an obvious choice given our experience of working with them previously. We trust the quality and efficiency of their products and expect them to add great value to our business.”

This is the second order for Kalmar RTG cranes that Cargotec has received from an Indian container freight station operator. Following a significant contract for seven Kalmar RTGs for another customer, it underlines the significant potential demand for stacking gantry cranes within the Indian container terminal sector.  Kalmar RTGs are not only operated at container freight stations, but also in ports, for example Gateway Terminals India (APMT Group) operates 40 Kalmar RTGs at the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru in Mumbai area.

Allcargo Logistics Limited is a leading multinational company providing integrated logistics solutions. The company is one of India’s largest publicly listed logistics company, and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and The National Stock Exchange of India. The company offers specialized logistics services across Multimodal Transport Operations, Container Freight Station Operations Project Engineering and Equipment Solutions and 3PL services.

 Promoted by Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty and managed by some of the most experienced professionals in the industry, Allcargo is ranked at 2nd position in the Logistics segment and at 290th position overall in the  coveted ‘FORTUNE 500’ companies list in India by ‘Fortune India’. In addition to its Chennai and Mumbai facilities, the company operates Container Freight Stations at Mundra and an Inland Container Depot at Indore. The company is committed to expanding this network of inland facilities and plans to build new Container Freight Stations at Dadri, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the near future.

An investment worth $10.7 million, the new RTGs will arrive in two batches beginning June next year in time for the startup of Berth 6, another multi-million dollar investment. The order will raise the terminal’s RTG fleet from the current 37 to 45, the largest RTG fleet in the Philippines and among the other ICTSI-operated terminals worldwide.  Furthermore, this investment, together with the startup of Berth 6, will raise the MICT’s current annual capacity of 1.9 million TEU to 2.5 million TEU.  The MICT is ICTSI’s flagship operation. The new Kalmar RTGs employ the latest technology to provide optimum efficiency.  They are configured to provide one over five high stacking and six containers plus roadway wide.  Precise container handling is enhanced through the latest Siemens Sinamics technology in which container sway is controlled through an automatic electronic system.  Operation speeds are higher than existing cranes but with lower noise and less exhaust emission.  Emphasis was placed on economy of operation, and it is anticipated that these RTGs will yield fuel savings of at least 20 percent compared to the current fleet.Maintenance, too, is reduced thanks to elimination of hydraulic sytems and extended intervals between engine lube, coolant and overhaul periods, all of which translates to reduced labor and lower consumable material costs.

Operator comfort is also increased with cabins that are equipped with high efficiency air conditioning, comfortable suspension seats, a low noise environment and state of the art joystick controls. All of the usual features familiar to MICT operators such as fully automatic steering, CCTV and container position reporting are also provided to ensure that ICTSI’s premier port remains at the forefront of operational efficiency.

On top of this, an order has been placed for two new ZPMC super post-Panamax quay cranes also for the new Berth 6.  These cranes, capable of lifting containers on 18-container wide vessels will enter service in 2012 and share many of the high technology features incorporated into the RTG design.

Headquartered in Manila, Philippines, ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 22 marine terminals and port projects in 17 countries worldwide.  The company was among the first international terminal operators to take its expertise overseas.