The vessel called at the port’s new Carmel terminal to pick up about 2,000 TEU en-routes to Singapore. The 84,300dwt container vessel was built in 2010 by Hanjin Heavy Industries, South Korea, and is 300m long and has a 40m beam. Dredging works in the port will begin soon to deepen the entrance to the port to 15.75m enabling the port to accommodate even large container vessels.

Boxrunner is the product of Konecranes’ long experience in the straddle carrier business and a deep understanding of the needs of container handling operations. The design process started by asking a number of key customers the question: “What are the characteristics of the perfect straddle carrier?” Their answers inspired the Boxrunner’s principle performance and ownership characteristics i.e. speed, outstanding handling, durability, operator friendliness , low maintenance with long service intervals, and a low total cost of ownership.

The joint service should boost Teconvi’s reefer and general cargo handling operations by at least 10%. The service is scheduled to start in March and will link the East Coast of South America to at least four Western European countries. The service will focus mainly on the exports of reefer cargo, adding an extra monthly throughput of an extra 4,200 TEU for Itajaí Port Complex.

March will also see the implementation of the “Easy Gate System”, a complete OCR solution that promises to greatly reduce the time of container handling operations within the bonded yards as well as to increase safety. A total of seven “easy gate” units will be installed at the port. The automated units will strictly monitor containers check-ins and check-outs within the bonded areas. The gate OCR is a fully integrated second generation system equipped with high resolution cameras that automatically read and record the containers ISO code numbers and the trucks license plates as they pass through the gates. This great step forward in container data monitoring was an initiative of the local customs to increase efficiency, safety and speed in logistics operations.

The terminal is the operator’s second to open on the Indian subcontinent. The Dubai-based terminal operator opened DP World Lahore, which is also known as the Prem Nagar Dry Port, in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city last Thursday.

DP World inaugurated the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) in India’s Port of Cochin on schedule – despite a strike which had closed the Port of Cochin for a week prior to the event. The new terminal is a public-private partnership between DP World and the government of India, with Container Corporation of India, Transworld and Chakiat as strategic partners in the venture. The largest single-operator container terminal in the country, ICTT, which will be operated as DP World Cochin, was built at a cost (including other infrastructure facilities such as road and rail connections) of more than USD600 million.

With the opening of the new facility, container handling will move entirely to DP World Cochin from the nearby Rajiv Gandhi Terminal over coming weeks. The older facility may be converted by Cochin Port Trust to handle greater volumes of non-containerized bulk cargo.

ICTT will be completed in three phases. In the first phase, the 1,968-foot long quay with a draught of around 48 feet will be able to simultaneously serve several of the world’s largest container ships – those with a nominal capacity of around 10,000 TEU – with capacity to handle 1 million TEU annually. Capacity will expand in line with market demand, increasing to around 1.5 million TEU in the second phase; once fully commissioned, capacity will be around 4 million TEU.

“Container trade in India has been growing year on year by 15 percent, and the development of a transshipment and gateway hub within the country we believe will contribute to further growth,” said Anil Singh, senior vice president and managing director of DP World Subcontinent. “There is considerable potential to expand the terminal over time, and we will grow as our customers grow.”

As its share of the public-private partnership, the Indian government has also constructed and enhanced supporting infrastructure including a four lane national highway connecting the terminal to the rest of India. A new five-mile long electrified rail link will also allow 15 trains to serve the terminal daily, connecting customers directly with India’s national rail network.