JAKARTA: State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (Pelindo III) has invested Rp 105 billion (US$8.17 million) to bring in eight units of fixed crane-type loading and unloading equipment starting from the beginning of March.
“All of the equipment will be installed in seaports in our three working units. Four cranes will be placed at Gresik Port in East Java while two other units are destined for Batulicin Port in South Kalimantan. The remaining two cranes are for Lembar Port in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara,” Pelindo III spokesperson Edi Priyanto said as quoted by Antara in Surabaya here the other day.
Edi also said Pelindo had examined the functionality of the cranes before putting them to work. With multifunction capability, he said, the new fixed crane could be used for the loading and unloading of shipping containers, wood logs and dry bulk cargo.
“Moreover, the new fixed crane is equipped with 20-feet and 40-feet container spreaders and grabs for wood logs and dry bulk cargo, as well as boom parks,” Edy went on.
He added that the procurement of the fixed cranes was expected to increase productivity at the three ports. Moreover, container flows at the ports had already shown significant increases, he said.
“In Lembar Port, the installment of two units of fixed cranes is aimed at increasing loading and unloading activities and anticipating increases in container flows,” said Edy, citing an example.
According to Pelindo’s official data, the number of realized shipping container flows in Lembar Port reached 27,080 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2014, up by 32 percent from 20,389 TEUs the previous year.
“The procurement of two units of fixed cranes at Batulicin is to support container flows in the port. Batulicin, which is part of Kotabaru Port, has shown significant increases in its container flows,” said Edy.
The number of container flows in Batulicin Port reached 9,892 TEUs in 2014, up from 9,839 TEUs in the previous year.
The flow of goods in Gresik Port was recorded to have reached 6.56 million tons in 2014, up from 4.46 million tons in the previous year. Meanwhile, the flow of dry bulk cargo in the port reached 97,490 tons in 2014, up from 80,430 in the previous year.
