The cranes are part of an order that Konecranes received in 2011. In addition to the four STS cranes, the order included 20 Konecranes Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes that have already been delivered to the customer.  

The Port of Savannah is the fastest growing container port in the US and the second-largest port on the American East Coast. Exports are driving growth at the port, which boasts a uniquely balanced export/import ratio. It handled 12% of all US containerized exports in 2012, a total of 1.6 million TEU.

The Super Post Panamax STS cranes currently en route have a lifting capacity of 66 tons and an outreach of 61 meters. Their design is identical to the STS cranes that Konecranes delivered to the GPA a few years ago; these have turned out to be among the most productive cranes in the US.

The Port of Savannah currently operates 116 Konecranes RTGs and 23 Konecranes STSs.

The award was presented to the Port at a glittering ceremony held in Beijing.

The prestigious AFSCA awards honour the respective winning organizations for demonstrating leadership as well as consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability. The award to the Port of Felixstowe is in recognition of the high quality of service and levels of productivity achieved at the UK’s largest container port.

Commenting on the award, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“We are very pleased to receive this award in recognition of our achievements. This would not have been possible without the strong support of our customers and the relentless pursuit of operational excellence and customer service by our workforce. Whilst this award recognises our achievements to date, we will continue to improve on the level of customer service that has made Port of Felixstowe the Port of Britain. With our excellent location and a range of inland transport options by road, rail and short-sea shipping, that cannot be matched, we continue to offer importers and exporters the quickest, cheapest and most efficient way of moving cargo  into, and out of, the UK.”

Greg Knowler, on behalf of the organisers of the award, said:

“Instead of using a panel of judges, Asia readers are polled in a two-round voting process in the AFSCA awards. More than 70 percent of our readers are shippers and forwarders so in effect, the Port of Felixstowe was voted Best Container Terminal Europe by its own customers. To be honoured by the very people who pay for its services is evidence that even in difficult economic conditions in a highly competitive sector, the Port of Felixstowe continues to provide the kind of quality Asia’s shippers have come to expect.”

Asia is the largest trading partner for the Port of Felixstowe and the port is continuing to invest in new facilities that reinforce its position as the Port of Britain. New Berths 8&9, the only berths in the country capable of handling the next generation of ultra-large container ships, opened in late 2011 and the Port’s third rail terminal is due to open in June. The new North Rail Terminal will double rail capacity at what is already the country’s largest intermodal rail facility.

It needs to be noted that reaching the 10 million container mark was accelerated in the last year and a half, after Haifa Port broke the all time record in 2012 for container transport in an Israeli port – 1,377,000 TEU.  From the beginning of this year, 551,000 TEU were handled, which brought the port to exactly 10 million containers today. Around 2.5 millions of the total of 10 million was already managed by Haifa Port’s new Terminal Operating System, Navis SPARCS N4.

The ceremony took place at the edge of the Carmel terminal next to Zim Texas that calls Haifa Port with its ZCA line from the U.S east coast ports. The guests included senior Zim officials, among them Rani Ben-Yehuda, manager of the Israel and the Near East area office, Oren Milstein, acting Chairman of Haifa Port, members of the board, the port’s CEO Mendi Zaltzman, the port’s managers and hundreds of the port’s workers.

Just before 2 P.M. all of the employees put on special shirts that were prepared for the event, and on them was written “proud to be part of the success”, along with the number of 10,000,000 TEU.  The ceremony was surrounded by containers of the shipping companies that work with the port, for example, Lucy Borchard , MSC, Maersk and of course Zim.

When the sign was given, and without any warning, one of Zim’s containers – that was decorated ahead of time with a sign for the event, was lifted towards the crowd and transported towards the water line before being loaded for export on Zim Texas, prior to making its way to the United States on Zim’s ZCA route.

When the container had passed the hundreds of employees, balloons were released in an impressive and beautiful display.

The container’s loading onto the ship, accompanied by a prolonged siren of the Zim Texas, was performed by the STS Crane operator of many years, Ya’akov Levi.  The ceremony concluded with a call by the event’s MC, – “To the next 10 million containers”.

The project, better known as the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) is located in Wilmington and should shorten the trips for cargo trucks transferring cargo from ships onto freight trains.

The council voted 11 to 2 in favour of the project but a local environmental group is already vowing a lawsuit to stop the project arguing that it will increase pollution, particularly in poor communities. 

The project’s backers, including labour and businesses, say a new rail-yard transfer site will reduce pollution and create thousands of jobs.

Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, told the council that he believes the project’s environmental benefits have been overblown. “BNSF [the project’s backer] and the port argue that pollution levels in the adjacent community will be lower,” said Wallerstein. “Our review with our air quality experts indicates that that is not so, that the Environmental Impact Report overstates future pollution levels without SCIG, making the project appear more beneficial than it would be.”

But Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents the area, argued that the project is necessary to ensure the port’s future competitiveness in light of the widening of the Panama Canal.