The cranes will be identical to cranes delivered to Tauranga in 2009. The cranes are scheduled for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Liebherr already has 5 STS cranes in operation at the Port of Tauranga. Speaking about the awarding of the contracts, sales and marketing manager Gerry Bunyan commented. “We are delighted to continue to supply Tauranga with ship to shore container cranes. We supplied our first crane to Tauranga in 1979 and it is still an integral part of the port’s operations today. The longevity, productivity and reliability of a Liebherr crane are its hallmarks and the Port of Tauranga has been witness to this through the last five decades.” The Port of Tauranga has experienced the productivity and low lifetime costs associated with Liebherr cranes since the 70’s. Liebherr have delivered cranes to Tauranga in 1991, 2004 and again in 2009. This level of repeat business is nothing new for Liebherr and in fact is the norm, once clients get to experience a Liebherr Crane.”

This achievement marks a significant milestone in the port’s history and caps off a decade of solid growth in the container trade.  Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) Chief Executive Officer, Russell Smith, said the result marked a significant milestone in the port’s history. “This caps off a decade of solid growth in container trade for the Port of Brisbane, with a compound annual growth rate of 8%,” Mr Smith said. “What makes this milestone even more impressive is the fact that it’s happened despite a difficult economic environment both domestically and overseas since 2008. It demonstrates the extremely robust nature of the Port of Brisbane due to our diverse trade base, strategic location and significant land base. These competitive strengths are aspects we will continue to successfully leverage in order to drive new and increased trade through the port.” The record result was driven by a strong increase in imports including household items, boosted by the strong Australian dollar. Exports also increased, with cotton and meat the standouts thanks to good growing conditions and continued demand from Asian customers for high-quality Australian products. “We’re predicting continued growth in containers over the next decade, and our focus will be on working with the supply and logistics chain to ensure Brisbane is positioned to accommodate this growth,” Mr Smith said. 

Ms Vachon was responding to an announcement today at the Port of Montreal by the Honorable Pierre Claude Nolin, Senator, in which he outlined the benefits in job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity that would follow such an agreement. Negotiations between Canada and the EU are ongoing. “The lowering of often high tariffs would unleash new export opportunities for Quebec agricultural and forestry products, as well as for our commodities, seafood and other products,” said Ms. Vachon. “In return, we would have improved access to manufactured goods from Europe. As Canada’s primary gateway to and from Europe, the Port of Montreal and the maritime community would enjoy significantly more maritime traffic as a result of this ambitious agreement.”Fully two-thirds of Canada’s international trade flows through the Quebec-Ontario corridor, in which Port of Montreal plays a strategic role as the only container port along the entire route. European markets already represent 41 percent of the Port’s traffic, with containers accounting for 70 percent of that number. The signing of a free-trade agreement with the EU would mean greater traffic for the port, including significantlygreater container traffic. Container traffic has been shown to generate the most jobs for the economy as a whole, at a rate of one job per additional 100 containers. A study between Canada and the European Union indicates the agreement would boostCanada’s income by $12 billion annually and bilateral trade by 20 percent. This is equivalent to creating 80,000 new jobs. The EU is already Canada’s second-largesttrading partner and the world’s largest integrated economy, with more than 500 million consumers. Ongoing negotiations with the EU represent Canada’s most ambitious trade initiative ever, significantly greater than the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The Hyundai Together was turned around in 24 hours well ahead of its allotted window and set new productivity records. In a 12-hour shift, 600 containers were moved by an individual crane on the Hyundai Together, equivalent to 50 moves per hour. The overall vessel exchange rate was 147 mph with an average crane rate of 34.58 mph. Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, which operates the terminal, paid tribute to staff for the new benchmarks, which follows a 20 per cent rise in productivity last year. He said: “I would like to publically thank everyone involved in this fantastic achievement, which demonstrates our leading performance in UK ports on reducing vessel turnaround times. “While this might not mean a great deal to those a few steps removed in the supply chain, we know that this translates directly into less disruption for carriers and shippers. Our aim is to make the transition of goods through our terminal as seamless as possible for the UK’s importers and exporters. This latest record underscores our collective ambition to be one of the best terminals in Western Europe for customers. It is also a reflection of a strong team spirit here at the terminal, from everyone on the quayside to everyone in the office, who understand it’s not just a box we’re moving but goods and merchandise for retailers, manufactures and business throughout the UK.”Hyundai Together, at 366m long, 48m wide and 13,000 teu, was the first ship to call on the new loop 4 service operated by the G6 Alliance, incorporating Shanghai, Ningbo, South China, Singapore, Southampton, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Singapore, South China and Shanghai.