Manzanillo International Terminal-Panama (MIT) received four new ZPMC Super Post-Panamax gantry cranes (with 25 container rows on deck) as part of MIT’s $270M new expansion plan that will increase MIT’s handling capacity to 4M TEU up from the existent capacity of 2.5M TEU. Upon commissioning, expected by October 2015, a total of 11 post-Panamax and 8 super post-Panamax container cranes will be lined up along MIT’s 2,000m container quay.
Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela with the Panama Maritime Authority Administrator and Minister of Maritime Affairs Jorge Barakat and Stanley Motta, member of MIT’s board of directors, came to MIT located on the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal, for a short ceremony and to visit the terminal installations. President Varela was welcomed by MIT general manager Stacy Hatfield.
“MIT is a successful example of private investment in one of our most important economic sectors, transport and logistics. The arrival of those cranes and MIT’s expansion are not only significant for the province of Colon where MIT is located but are key elements for consolidating Panama as a maritime and logistics center, in particular on the eve of the inauguration of the Panama Canal expansion and the new third lane,” said President Varela.
MIT is a joint venture of Seattle-based SSA Marine and a group of Panamanian investors. This year, the terminal celebrated its 20th anniversary of operations, April 16th, 2015, and is widely recognized as the pioneer of port activity in Panama. With the second highest container volume in the country, it has led Panama to become the most important transhipment centre of the Americas.
In June 2015, MIT became the first Latin American terminal to deploy Automatic Stacking Cranes (ASC’s). The first phase of MIT’s expansion plans, that will increase capacity to 3m teu will conclude by year-end with an additional 395mtr-post-Panamax- berth, equipped with 4 new Super-Post- Panamax cranes, and new Ro-Ro dolphins that will accommodate two Ro-Ro vessels simultaneously.
The environmentally friendly new cranes are capable of handling the biggest vessels in the world and have the capacity to be operated from a remote control station. By October 2015, MIT will be able to serve 2 new-Panamax vessels simultaneously.
“MIT’s new cranes (valued at 50M) are the largest in Latin America. Upon the completion of our latest expansion project, MIT will have invested almost $1Bn, which represents our commitment to Panama and our customers. Along with our customers, we are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in order to see the deployment of new-Panamax tonnage in the region.”, said Stacy Hatfield, MIT’s General Manager.
SSA Marine, a subsidiary of Carrix, Inc., is the largest U.S.-owned, privately-held container terminal operator and cargo handling company, handling approximately 22 million container TEUs per year at its marine and rail terminal operations. The 65 year-old company serves more than 200 locations worldwide, including port operations throughout the U.S. as well as internationally in Panama, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, South Africa, New Zealand, Vietnam and Canada.
Source: SSA Marine