Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) has announced the arrival of eight rubber-tyred gantry (RTGs)-Yard Cranes, at the Kingdom's first build operate and transfer (BOT) terminal on Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP).

Arriving aboard the vessel Zhe Hua 7, the new equipment bring the total number of RTGs at the state of the art facilities to 20, said a RSGT statement.

Equipped with advance devices, such as Crane Monitoring Systems (CMS), single and twin lifts, the cranes, manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) the world's largest manufacturer of container cranes, are able to handle loads of up to 65 tones under the spreader.

They also span seven rows plus truck lane wide (24.4 m) and have a 1-over-6 (8 ft 6 in) lift height (18.84 m). Being the latest of their kind on the Red Sea, they confirm RSGT status as the forerunner at the Jeddah Port, boasting the highest technological international standards.

RSGT’s long-term strategic growth plan is to spur Jeddah into becoming the hub port of Red Sea, by adding an addition 45 per cent handling capacity of 1.5M TEU per annum.

The terminal received earlier this year, 6 Super Post Panamax (SPP) cranes and will implement a highly-developed Terminal Operating System, Gate Automation System as well as other IT systems to ensure high productivity.

“RSGT seeks to redefine the port container business in Saudi Arabia, leading and supporting the Kingdom's ongoing programme of maritime and port expansion, now seen as the key driving force of economic growth', said RSGT's CEO Aamer Alireza.

 “Our terminal will undoubtedly bestow a new status on Jeddah, as we will be the only terminal in the Red Sea with the capability of handling the next generation of super-mega vessels of 13,000 TEUs and above,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service