More than 10,000 units were handled at the facility in July, with numbers increasing steadily since the beginning of the year. July saw more than 27,000 terminal movements, which is also a record for ICT.

Steve Horton, Planning Manager said: “We had a really good start to the year with  volumes rising progressively and 10,000 units is a figure we’ve never passed before.

“A number of our customers have exceeded their budgets for 2014 and we’ve already handled more containers to date this year than during the whole of 2013.”

As well as an increase in volumes, ABP has also invested in systems which have succeeded in bringing turnaround times down to 24 minutes.

The economic upturn and increasing consumer confidence is thought to be a contributing factor to this recent success, which will allow the terminal to develop and expand.

“The improved turnaround time is testament to the hard work and commitment of the terminal staff and we’re increasing our resources in order to drive further efficiency,” Steve Horton continued. “The increase in volume has allowed us to invest in new equipment which will also help the business grow and thrive.”

 “Improved confidence among U.S. retailers, newly added port customers, and shifting cargo from U.S. West to East Coast are all fueling the growing cargo volumes at Georgia’s deepwater ports,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “Savannah has the space to more than double its throughput as more shippers choose East Coast ports to serve the fast-growing Southeastern U.S.”

GPA surpassed its previous TEU record set in May by 3,453 units. The July TEU performance was up 47,237 TEUs compared to July 2013. Since January, the Port of Savannah has averaged 269,688 TEUs per month.

“The Port of Savannah’s phenomenal growth is a powerful engine creating jobs and economic opportunity,” said GPA Board Chairman James Walters. “Our ability to anticipate demand by boosting container handling capacity and efficiency has been instrumental in our success.”

In overall trade, 2.52 million tons of cargo moved across GPA docks in July, up 12.8 percent or 287,600 tons compared to the same month a year ago. Of that figure, container trade accounted for 2.14 million tons, up 15.7 percent from the 1.85 million tons of containerized goods GPA moved in July 2013.

In roll-on/roll-off traffic, the GPA moved 61,860 units of autos and heavy machinery, up 8.5 percent or 4,870 compared to the same period last year. In the broader breakbulk category, throughput reached 226,493 tons, up 7 percent from the 211,638 tons moved last July. At East River Terminal in Brunswick, bulk cargo such as wood pellets exported as alternative fuel saw a 12.8 percent increase (7,184 tons) to reach 63,126 tons.

“These strong numbers are possible because of the success we help port customers achieve,” Walters said. “The ease of doing business through a single-operator container terminal, combined with unmatched interstate and rail access, make GPA’s deepwater ports the leading hubs for global trade in the Southeast.”

TPT is a division of the government-owned Transnet SOC Limited currently pursuing a R300 billion capital investment programme over seven years and now in its third year of execution. The order was booked into Cargotec’s first quarter intake 2014 with deliveries scheduled to be completed by October 2014.

Anton Burchell, Managing Director, Kalmar South Africa, said: “We are delighted to be selected as the preferred supplier on this important contract, in spite of considerable competition. Kalmar was able to provide Transnet the optimum solution, delivering high productivity and low operational costs. Our ability to integrate local manufacturing as part of the Supply Development tender requirement and the supply of certain local components was also key to Kalmar winning the day. We take great pride in retaining TPT as a valued customer and wish them ongoing success at the Durban Container Terminals.”

Kalmar ESC 450W straddle carriers combine high performance and productivity with low maintenance and operating costs. Designed with operators in mind, they deliver strong environmental benefits. The machines to be delivered comply with the latest exhaust emission regulations whilst also improving fuel efficiency by up to 20% over previous models and reducing running costs overall. TPT opted for Kalmar’s electric straddle carriers, which feature a twin lift system and lifting capabilities of 61 tons.

RTG’s (rubber-tyred gantry cranes) are mobile container bridges, which can switch between the container corridors. Usually, these RTGs are fuelled by diesel. To save energy costs and to protect the environment, developments in the past years moved towards electric vehicles that are coupled to an energy supply system once they are in a traffic lane.

igus has developed its e-rover to enable automatic energy chain system connection and disconnection. Thus, allowing energy and data to be supplied safely in cables and fibre-optic cables with Gigabyte speeds. The coupling process takes about a minute, with no limits to the travel speed of the RTG. Once the RTG has been “plugged in” to the energy chain system, the power supply via the diesel mode is discontinued. Currently, cables having a cross section of 180 mm² per phase are feasible.

The system works via a telescopic arm on the RTG, which can retract and extend. This has two advantages. Firstly, an automatic coupling is possible, and the energy chain in which all media can be routed simultaneously, pulled along by the RTG. Hence, the supply of energy and data is guaranteed. Secondly, the horizontal and vertical irregularities and offsets in the travel path can be compensated. The system is suitable for long travels – 800m and possibly longer depending on the customer requirements in the container port.