The new super post-Panamax cranes tower majestically over the port of Kingston. - File

THE PORT Authority of Jamaica has invested just over US$45 million for the acquisition of six super post-Panamax cranes from the Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company Limited of China. The cranes will strengthen the services of the terminal, which is expected to see an increase in traffic upon completion of the phase five expansion.

The cranes, which are at the core of the trans-shipment operation, started arriving on site last month with the first two of the six. The additional cranes are scheduled to arrive by August.

As the cranes were being offloaded from the vessel on which they arrived, Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, gave an update on the growth plans at the terminal.

He said, "The phase five expansion will move the trans-shipment facility from a rated capacity of 1.5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) to 3.2 million TEUs on completion. When the remaining four cranes arrive later this year, the profile of the Kingston Container Terminal facilities will then feature 19 cranes, including a complement of 14 super-post Panamax cranes, 74 straddle carriers, 14 empty container stackers, among several other equipment."

The cost of this phase five expansion is approximately US$240 million.

"The ongoing expansion of the trans-shipment facilities at Kingston and the capacity for further expansion are major ingredients enhancing Jamaica's position and capacity to benefit from the international shipping industry, which can be described as the engine driving the global economy," said Mervis Edghill, senior vice-president, engineering, Port Authority of Jamaica. "Currently, the Port Authority is pursuing the preliminary plans for the development of that next expansion phase of our trans-shipment facilities, which will incorporate lands at Fort Augusta."

The current expansion of the terminal is expected to be completed by the end of this year.