The Global Ports Group says it continues to renew and upgrade the handling equipment at its terminal network in the North-West and the Russian Far East to increase the effectiveness of its cargo handling capabilities to meet customer demand.
As part of the program Petrolesport (PLP), one of Global Ports’ terminals, and Liebherr Russland, part of Liebherr, a leading global manufacturer of crane equipment, signed a contract for the manufacturing and supply of an LHM 550 mobile harbour crane. The new crane with a capacity of 144 tonnes will arrive at PLP’s berths in April 2020. LHM 550 is specifically designed to operate in a port environment and has unique operating features that provide a port with advantages in terms of speed and efficiency of handling all types of cargo. One such feature is the crane’s mobility and manoeuvring capability - the crane is capable of making sophisticated movements, lateral and diagonal, which makes it convenient to operate the crane on the berth. Another specific feature of LHM 550 is its ergonomic tower crane cab offering excellent visibility and comfortable working conditions for the operator. The crane can be used in a hook, clamshell, crossbeam, magnet, spreader and tipping modes.
Petrolesport and the First Container Terminal started to receive new forklifts under the contracts that were signed in the autumn. LLC TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING RUS and LLC TopCraft will supply 25 Toyota and SANY forklifts to FCT, PLP and VSC, with a capacity ranging from 1.5 to 33 tonnes. The first 10 forklifts have already arrived at the terminals, with the remainder to be delivered by February 2020.
As part of its equipment upgrade programme, in 2019 the First Container Terminal finished increasing the outreach of two STS cranes to handle wider vessels and performed a full-range upgrade of electrical systems on two STS cranes.
A network of terminals operating in the key sea basins of Russia - the Baltics and the Far East, allows the Global Ports Group to respond quickly to market demands and redistribute high value dedicated equipment among terminals. Four Liebherr RTG cranes were also relocated from Petrolesport in St Petersburg to Vostochnaya Stevedoring Company in Wrangel. The additional RTGs will enable VSC to increase cargo handling velocity and efficiency.
Also, in 2020, Vostochnaya Stevedoring Company is to receive two new RMG cranes with a capacity of 50 tonnes. With these RMGs, the terminal will increase the speed of handling and the height of container stacking to 6+1. An important feature of the new cranes is their ergonomics and comfort for the operator: cabins are equipped with modern air conditioning systems, and high visibility ensures maximum control. The new RMGs will contribute to an increased capacity of the container yard and the overall capacity of the terminal. In 2021, the terminal will receive two more RMGs.
As part of its development effort in 2019, Ust-Luga Container Terminal added two Liebherr wheeled front loaders, equipped with high-dump buckets, to its fleet. The company has also agreed to purchase an Uragan mobile vacuum loader to clean coal dust and spills from the driveways at the terminal. This will minimize the environmental impact of the handling operations at the ULCT’s coal yard. The machine is expected to be delivered to the port in spring 2020.
Global Ports Investments PLC is the leading operator of container terminals in the Russian market by capacity and container volumes
Global Ports’ terminals are located in the Baltic and Far East Basins, key regions for foreign trade cargo flows. Global Ports operates five container terminals in Russia (Petrolesport, First Container Terminal, Ust-Luga Container Terminal and Moby Dik in the Russian Baltics, and Vostochnaya Stevedoring Company in the Russian Far East) and two container terminals in Finland (Multi- Link Terminals in Helsinki and Kotka). Global Ports also owns an inland terminal Yanino Logistics Park located in the vicinity of St Petersburg.
Global Ports’ Revenue for 2018 was USD 344 million and Adjusted EBITDA was USD 217.3 million. Consolidated container throughput of the Group’s marine terminals in 2018 was 1,351 thousand TEUs.
Global Ports’ major shareholders are Delo Group, one of the largest private transportation and logistics holding companies in Russia (30.75%), and APM Terminals B.V. (30.75%), whose core expertise is the design, construction, management and operation of ports, terminals and inland services. APM Terminals operates a global terminal network of 74 ports and 117 inland services facilities, giving the company a global presence in 58 countries. 20.5% of Global Ports shares are traded in the form of global depositary receipts listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE ticker: GLPR).