Of these machines 32 were delivered to the United States and 8 to Canada. Since 2006 a stable upward trend has been evident, especially in the United States. Since 2006 more than 20 Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes are guarantying highly efficient cargo handling throughout North America.

The 40th crane delivered was purchased by the Maine Port Authority for their port in Searsport, ME USA. The facilities of the terminal include two piers, one for dry cargo and one for liquid cargo. Bulk material handling is one of the machine’s main tasks. For that reason the LHM 550 is equipped with two winches for mechanical four rope grab operation. With a maximum lifting capacity of 144 tons, the new crane is ideal for handling heavy lift cargo, like windmill components.

The new LHM 550 is the second Liebherr Mobile Harbour crane purchased by the Maine Port Authority. The customer received its first crane, type LHM 320, in 2000. Due to their positive experience with the first machine, the Maine Port Authority decided to order a new and even stronger LHM, manufactured in accordance with the highest quality standards.

Recently, another LHM 550 was delivered to the United States. Gloucester Terminals LLC has reinforced their cargo handling equipment fleet with Liebherr’s most in demand mobile harbour crane model, the LHM 550. Equipped with one winch, their new Liebherr machine will be used for general cargo and container handling. The LHM 550 is backed up by an existing LHM 400 which started operation in Gloucester in January 2011. Gloucester Terminals specialises in steel, containers, forest products, project cargo and heavy lift. Additionally, theyprovide a large refrigerated capacity for perishable products.

North American customers take advantage of the excellent service network Liebherr has established throughout the market. Liebherr’s service network spans the globe which guarantees quick response times and minimized downtimes. Liebherr is optimistic that the upward trend will continue and further deliveries to North America are planned for the coming months.

At its Oct. 8 meeting, the GPA board heard a report from Executive Director Curtis Foltz detailing 5.6 percent growth in tonnage across July and August, with 13.8 percent growth in total TEUs for the month of August. That’s an increase of 240,000 tons over the same two months in FY2012.

“Our deepwater ports achieved a good start for fiscal year 2013, despite a slow national economy,” Foltz said. “The ports of Savannah and Brunswick have established solid momentum to start our fiscal year, which translates into increased jobs and economic opportunities throughout our region.”

The Port of Savannah handled 522,744 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) over the first nine weeks of the fiscal year, for a growth of 4.4 percent. August accounted for 270,614 TEUs, the GPA’s second-highest month for TEUs, behind only October 2010.

In tandem with the strong growth in tonnage, GPA rail cargo also saw a boost in numbers. Growth in intermodal activity was significant during August, and led to a record month, handling 29,364 intermodal rail moves.

“Greater reliance on rail movement is a strategic initiative of the GPA, allowing the Port of Savannah to increase capacity without putting more trucks on the road,” said GPA Board Chairman Robert Jepson. “Rail transit is cheaper for long-distance hauls, requires less fuel and produces fewer emissions.”

The Port of Brunswick also saw tremendous growth on the fiscal year to date, achieving 48.4 percent growth in total tonnage for the month of August (at 199,141 tons), and 30.2 percent growth on the fiscal year to date. Colonel’s Island terminal in Brunswick moved 109,694 auto and machinery units in July and August, an increase of 37 percent over the same period in FY2012.

In addition to record growth at the GPA, the board reviewed and approved new projects.

At Brunswick’s East River terminal, the board approved spending $750,000 to remove fuel pier structures and construct a new mooring dolphin – uprights extending out into the harbor to provide mooring points for vessels calling at the Lanier Dock. The renovations are in support of biomass exports used for alternative energy sources. In FY2012, East River Terminal experienced a 14 percent increase in cargo tonnage, handling commodities such as peanut hull pellets, and wood pellets and chips.

“Customers such as FRAM Renewable Fuels and the Golden Peanut Company rely on Brunswick to efficiently move nearly half a million metric tons overseas each year, largely to European markets,” said Foltz. “With new business from Daewoo and Sega Bio to add 300,000 metric tons of wood chips and pellets by the end of 2012, our infrastructure must be ready to handle the added demand.”

The board also approved a $1.33 million project to extend an energy-saving lighting system to container berths 7, 8 and 9 in Savannah. Similar infrastructure has been installed at berths 4, 5 and 6, resulting in a 59 percent reduction in energy consumption, significantly reducing light pollution, emissions and costs. Similar impacts are expected in CB7, 8 and 9. GPA engineers said the construction contract will be awarded by the end of November.

The new and simplified organisation will streamline the decision-making processes and focus more on the two “core” products of the Group.  These changes will improve the quality of the service offered to the customers.

The organisation will consist of two Executive Vice Presidents  “Maritime Terminals” and “Logistics & Intermodal” and three functions for Sales, Finance and Communication.  The Executive Vice Presidents will head the Group’s Business Units.  

Marco Simonetti and Sebastiano Grasso, Executive Vice Presidents of their respective business areas, will be joined by Michael Cashman, Paolo Casali and Daniele Testi continuing in their current positions.

The Group Head Office will move to Melzo (Milan) at the new Intermodal Terminal which was opened last spring.

In the words of Minister Carlos Paredes: “In macro terms, this work will improve competitiveness for all activities of Peru and to generate more jobs and more investment and, therefore, social inclusion, which is the goal we are pursuing with this government.”

Patio Guadalupe is an old train station located adjacent to the port with historic structures that will be removed and relocated in Callao. The facility has been abandoned for several years and is now being turned into an extension of the APM Terminals Callao facility to create Peru’s newest gateway for world markets.

The train station demolition and port construction project will create 600 new jobs in the community over the next two years. 

Henrik Kristensen, APM Terminals Managing Director, stated “APM Terminals Callao is bringing the latest generation of STS cranes and eco-friendly electric RTG cranes to this phase. Investing in 4 Super Post Panamax cranes with 23 container reach and 12 Electric RTG cranes is a clear commitment to develop Callao as a strategic, regional hub to generate more business for the country through a world-class, eco-friendly port.

APM Terminals assumed operational control of Callao’s North Terminal in July 2011, handling 436,117 TEUs in the first year of operations. The company invested USD 35 million in the first 12 months as part of its USD 749 million investment to update and expand the existing facility into a modern multi-purpose terminal serving general, Ro-Ro, break bulk, containerized cargoes and cruise ships. Future planned improvements by APM Terminals include the purchase and installation of 12 new post-Panamax STS cranes and 36 new RTGs. Further investment will be done to accommodate the growing general cargo and grain business.

Located on the West Coast of South America, Peru is the 20th-largest nation in the world in area with a population of 29.5 million. The Peruvian economy grew by 6.2% in 2011, for a GDP of $168 billion USD. It is the 5th-largest economy in South America, and has been projected by the IMF to expand by 5.5% in 2012. Peru’s largest trading partners are the U.S. and China. A 30-minute drive from the Capital of Lima, the port of Callao handles 90% of Peru’s containerized cargo, including most fresh produce and citrus exports.  Peru’s ports handled 1.78 million TEUs in 2011, representing a 16% gain over 2010.

Earlier in August, APM Terminals Callao signed a sustainability agreement with the Artisan Fishing Community to invest USD 3 million to modernize their fishing terminal and improve working and safety conditions. By relocating the marina and its 400 fishing vessels to a safer, more secure part of the harbor, the Pier 5 modernization project can start. The company commitment consisted of modernizing the fishing dock, installing new lifting equipment, weighing scales, freshwater tanks, sewage pumps, sanitary facilities, canteen and renovation of the administrative building; anchoring buoys and pontoons.