2011 has started well for Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd with the company announcing several scheduled deliveries of their STS cranes to various parts of the globe. Two additional Megamax Ship-to-Shore Cranes will be delivered to Southampton during the first and second quarter of 2011. Each crane has a span of 35m with a waterside outreach of 60.5m. Lift height is 45m and landside backreach is 16m. The addition of these two Ship-to-Shore gantry cranes increases the number of Liebherr cranes operating at the terminal to six units. The company will also deliver two Post-Panamax Ship-to-Shore Gantry Cranes to the Port of DP World Asian Terminals Inc during the second quarter of 2011. The supply of the first Liebherr STS cranes purchased by Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation will be completed with 2 Post-Panamax Ship-to-Shore Gantry Cranes becoming operational to the Port of Hodeidah during the first quarter of 2011.?

CEO Paul Anderson recently joined JAXPORT pledging to position the port to ensure future growth. Anderson, a former Federal Maritime Commissioner, has held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. At JAXPORT’s January Board of Directors Meeting, Paul and the board promoted Roy Schleicher to the position of Executive Vice President of the authority, citing his 40-plus years of experience in the maritime industry. Schleicher previously served as JAXPORT’s Chief Commercial Officer and has overseen a decade of volume and revenue growth at the port.

Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange announced container volumes at the Port rose 31 percent in 2010, compared to 2009. LaGrange made the announcement during the Port’s monthly Board of Commissioners meeting. In 2010, the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal handled 426,091 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), compared to 325,857 one year ago. “These gains are attributed to a strong export market and the result of non-traditional cargoes, such as steel products and grain, now moving by container,” LaGrange said. “Our terminal operators – Ports America and New Orleans Terminal – are to be commended on the service they provide, as well as our container carriers that serve the Port.”

This is without doubt a highlight we can be very proud of at PD Ports. This latest achievement surpasses 2009’s container handling milestone at Teesport, where over 100,000 containers were handled in a calendar year. As a result Teesport has reported a year on year growth in excess of 45 percent at the port’s container terminals. These results are expected to continue as Teesport progresses with its container handling expansion plans, positioning the port of one of the UK’s major container hubs. This is the first phase of expanding Teesport’s container terminal capacity to 450,000 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit), from its current capacity of 235,000 TEU – an investment of over £15M. Subsequent phases will be investigated subject to volume growth and market stability. The port’s overall strategy is to expand port wide capacity, including RoRo traffic, to at least 650,000 TEU, which will position Teesport as a major player in the container market. ?