“The new RTGs were taken into production by TCP Paranagua at the beginning of May 2012. They will provide much-needed additional capacity,” says Kim Salvén, Sales Manager, Konecranes Port Cranes, responsible for South America. “This third delivery shows that the cooperation between Konecranes and TCP is in very good shape.” The new RTGs will increase TCP’s container handling capacity by more than 30%. The 16-wheel RTGs are equipped with Konecranes Active Load Control, fuel saver technology and crane management system, ensuring safe and uninterrupted use of the cranes. They have a lifting capacity of 40 tons and can stack one over five containers high, and six plus truck lane wide.

Apart from the improvements implemented last year, AGCT has further earmarked HRK 133 million for development of the terminal in 2012 and another HRK 88 million in 2013 as AGCT foresees increased activity starting this year. AGCT took over operation of the Brajdica Container Terminal, later renaming it to AGCT in April 2011.

Among the more significant achievements as a result of the initial development program were greatly improved crane productivity, truck dwell time and equipment availability at the terminal. Infrastructure improvements included repairs in the container yard and roads, reconstruction of the rail yard, cleaning of the seabed in the southern pier.  Utilities improvements included the installation of an autonomous fuel and power supply system. Apart from these, AGCT is preparing to further upgrade facilities with the planned reconstruction of the existing yard, construction of new gates and the installation of European Union border inspection posts. Currently, AGCT has a total terminal area of 13.9 hectares, and is planning to expand this to 16.8 hectares by 2013. Moreover, the 518-meter berth controlling depth, which was already lowered from 10.7 meters to 11.6 meters last year, will be further enhanced with the construction of the new 320-meter berth with a controlling depth of 14.5 meters by June next year.

In information technology, AGCT invested in the NAVIS terminal operating system, successfully rolling it out last year.  New safety standards were implemented even as manpower skills were upgraded through the rollout of various training programs in operations and systems.

AGCT will also beef up its equipment fleet, ordering two post Panamax quay cranes, eight rubber tired gantries and two rail mounted gantries from Chinese equipment manufacturer ZPMC.  These new equipment will augment AGCT’s current fleet composed of two quay cranes, seven reach stackers, nine prime movers, 13 chassis and four forklifts. Aside from serving the international trade of Croatia, AGCT is being primed to become the international trading gateway for central and southeastern Europe serving Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, south Poland, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, all of which are natural hinterlands of the Port of Rijeka.

The Port of Rijeka, situated in the northern part of the Kvarner Bay, is the largest seaport in Croatia, the second economic center and third largest Croatian city.  Its strategic location, a point in which the Adriatic Sea reaches the northernmost into the European continent, makes Rijeka the most suitable and natural connection to the Central European markets.

AGCT is a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 23 marine terminals and port projects in 17 countries worldwide.  ICTSI was among the first international terminal operators to take its expertise overseas.

Citing the recently completed economic impact study of Louisiana’s maritime industry that he authored, Richardson added those jobs result in $19.5 billion in personal earnings.

“This is 40-45 percent more jobs than the oil and gas industry in Louisiana and 50 percent of the jobs in the state’s manufacturing industry and 50% of the jobs in the construction industry,” he noted. “That’s one-in-five jobs in this state that are tied to the maritime industry.”

The study, jointly funded by the Ports Association of Louisiana (PAL) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), indicates that Louisiana’s port system is an “enabler” and serves as a launch pad for the state’s five major industries (oil and gas, transportation, warehousing, agriculture and manufacturing) to be viable parts the state’s economic base. 

“Each of these industries derives major benefits from our port system, which attracts them to Louisiana and keeps them here,” Richardson explained. Louisiana’s network of more than 30 ports delivers high impact to the state’s economy touching each major industry and regional labor market.  In the 10-year period from 2000-2010, which encompasses devastating hurricanes (Katrina, Rita and Gustav), a national recession and the worst oil spill in history directly targeting Louisiana, the economic engines of the ports kept running and increased their net assets by 61 percent and net income by 23 percent,” he continued.

Richardson noted that Louisiana has five of the nation’s largest ports (based on tonnage) – the deep draft ports of Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake Charles, South Louisiana, and Plaquemines. He also explained that coastal ports support the oil and gas industry with Port Fourchon being the key connection between the oil and gas produced offshore and the final users in the United States.  

“In addition Louisiana has a network of inland ports, which are significant job generators in their respective regional areas,” Richardson added.

Collectively, the maritime infrastructure currently in place across Louisiana and the industries that it supports are responsible for the more-than 396,000 jobs in Louisiana – one in five of all Louisiana jobs.  Direct spending by the ports generates 73,000 jobs and $4 billion in earnings. State tax collections directly attributable to ports are $289 million with an additional $228 million in local tax collections.

“In our study,” Richardson concluded, “we have determined that an investment of $130 million made by the State of Louisiana in 2010 in its ports generated the creation and support of over 2,250 jobs with personal earnings of $85.5 million and state and local tax collections of over $11 million. That is a significant return on investment!”

The improvements, including new gantry cranes and an additional 4.5 acres of marshalling area, represent a $36.4 million investment. The state funded $30 million of the total project investment. Governor Jindal worked to fund these projects in his first year in office. The dedication marked a major milestone as Louisiana grows its port facilities to handle rising trade volumes tied to the expansion of the Panama Canal and other international trends.

Governor Jindal said, “Our ports across the state – especially here in New Orleans – are the gateway to commerce and cargo of all kinds winding its way up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico and down the Mississippi River from the greatest inland waterway system in the world. Indeed, our ports are doorways to the world that create thousands of jobs for our people, and that’s why we have invested $233 million in our ports across the state. These investments will increase the capacity at our ports to handle more cargo. The bottom line is that more cargo equals more jobs, which equals better career opportunities for the people of Louisiana. Today’s investment sends the message to the shipping community around the world that the Port of New Orleans is stepping into the future and it will be a leading port for years to come.”

All told, 160,500 jobs in Louisiana are tied to the cargo handled by the Port of New Orleans, according to a study commissioned by the Port. Of that amount, 12,300 are direct, transportation-related jobs. New Orleans handles many types of cargo, but the Port’s container volumes specifically generate 5,500 direct jobs. The new capacity at the marshalling yard gives the Port to ability to grow that number by about 495 jobs.

“We have grown our container volumes significantly over the last few years by focusing on the needs of the shippers and by making smart investments in our capacity,” said Gary P. LaGrange, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. “We are proud of what we have accomplished, but know that we will have to continue to work hard to reach our goal of handling 1 million containers per year at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.”

The terminal is operated by Ports America and New Orleans Terminal, which is a joint venture between shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Co., or MSC, and terminal operator Ceres Gulf Inc. Major ocean carriers – including MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA-CGM, Seaboard Marine, Maersk, CSAV and Zim – call on the terminal with services to major shipping lanes on a regular basis.

Before the expansion of the marshalling yard, the Port of New Orleans had the capacity to handle about 594,000 TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalency units, per year. With the new 4.5 acres, the Port’s capacity has grown to 640,000 TEUs per year. Altogether, the Port of New Orleans has an expansion footprint at the Napoleon Avenue container Terminal that will support more than 1.2 million containers per year with continued investment.

With the addition of the two new cranes, the Port of New Orleans has a total of six cranes to service container ships. The new cranes are larger than the existing cranes and are specifically designed to handle the larger container ships that are plying the Gulf of Mexico. Those ships are expected to continue to grow as a new set of locks opens on the Panama Canal in 2014, allowing for better access from the Far East and the west coast of South America to the Gulf region.

The new cranes are mounted on a 100-foot-gauge rail system so they can be used along various parts of the berth. They can reach across 19 rows of containers stacked on a ship. The crane construction and installation project totaled $29 million, with $24.6 million coming from state Capital Outlay funding and $4.4 million coming from the Port. The cranes were built by Doosan Heavy Industries of Seoul, South Korea. Shaw GBB did design and construction administration work, while G.A. West performed crane rail extension work.

The project that added 4.5 acres of marshalling yard space brings the total area used for handling containers to 115 acres. That $7.4 million project was supported by a $5.4 million grant from the State of Louisiana’s Port Priority Program and $2 million from the Port. The project involved demolishing a warehouse and paving an area with heavy-duty concrete capable of handling a load of cargo containers stacked five high. Durr Heavy Construction did the demolition work and Hard Rock Construction was the lead contractor for the paving work.