The first 10 of 45, fully-assembled, haulers have arrived at the Durban Container Terminals (DCT) ahead of the start of South Africa's citrus season next month. Malaysia's Terberg Tractors will ship another 25 haulers in mid-April 2024 and the last batch of 10 at the end of May 2024.
The equipment will be allocated across DCT Pier 1 and DCT Pier 2, with each terminal receiving 23 and 22 haulers, respectively. Haulers move containers from the stack to the ship-to-shore crane in a vessel loading operation, and from the ship-to-shore crane to the stack in a vessel offloading operation. The arrival of the equipment enables better use of straddle carriers and enhances the terminal's use of its fleet, thus contributing to improved efficiency.
Managing Executive at Durban Terminals, Earle Peters said, "It's not common to have this type of equipment readily available on purchase and we thank our customers for helping us identify it". He added that the support industry has demonstrated is unparalleled.
The purchase of the haulers comes with a 12-months warranty, whereafter the technical team will be supported by Terberg as the Original Equipment Manufacturer through the seven-year partnership. By the end of May 2024, the terminals would have taken delivery of four reach stackers and five empty container handlers, all critical in the terminals' fleet replacement plan, according to Peters.
While no training will be required, the over 330 operators at the terminals will be allocated a day each to familiarise themselves with the model which differs slightly to what the team is used to as a newer version.
For more information:
Mbali Mathenjwa
TPT
Tel: +27 83 279 2651
Email: Mbali.Mathenjwa@transnet.net