Oman-based Hutchison Ports Sohar has signed a deal with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co (ZPMC), a leading Chinese heavy-duty equipment manufacturer, for the supply and installation of a two new remote-controlled super post-Panamax quay cranes at its Container Terminal C at Sohar Port, said a report.

Hutchison Ports Sohar (formerly known as OICT – Oman International Container Terminal) is a joint-venture between between Hutchison Ports, the Government of Oman, Steinweg of the Netherlands and a number of well-established Omani investors.

The agreement signing coincided with the announcement of the milestone that Terminal C handled more than three million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) containers since beginning operations in 2014, added the Oman Daily Observer report.

Also present at the signing ceremony was Said Hamdoon al Harthy, undersecretary of ports and maritime affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications of Oman.

The new cranes have an outreach of 24 rows and are capable of handling the largest vessels currently in operation.

Following their delivery, Hutchison Ports Sohar will have a total of six remote-controlled super post-Panamax quay cranes and seven manually operated cranes for a total of 13 ship-to-shore cranes, it said.

As part of the same order, Hutchison Ports Sohar will acquire eight new automated rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which will be operated remotely from a centralised operations centre. This will further enhance the safety and efficiency of operations. All cranes will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2019.