Port of Salalah Receives First Cranes in $300m Expansion Project

One of the Middle East’s largest ports, the Port of Salalah, has received the first four of 10 new ZPMC ship-to-shore cranes as part of the port’s $300m container terminal upgrade and expansion project. 

The project, which is being spearheaded by APM Terminals, will see the port’s capacity increasing from 5 million to 6 million TEU. 

With the addition of the 10 new cranes, the total number of ship-to-shore cranes at the Port of Salalah will be 27. 

As APM makes clear in their press release on the matter, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill ship-to-shore cranes either. Here’s how APM describes them:

‘The new fully electric cranes are among the largest equipment of their kind in the world and set new standards in terms of size and efficiency.

With a 75 m outreach - longer than an Airbus A380 plane - they can handle vessels 26 containers deep. A lifting height of 58 m above the rail and 77 m total hoist height (including below rail) and a rated capacity under spreader of 65 tonnes means they are capable of serving the largest Ultra Large Container Vessels currently in operation’. 

Aside from the addition of these new cranes, the upgrade and expansion of the Port of Salalah will see several other new additions and improvements. These include upgrades to all six existing berths and expansion of the yard. New equipment to be added to the port includes 12 electric Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes, two reach stackers, three electric empty container handlers, and 30 trucks and trailers. 

Other planned upgrades include the construction of a new access road and the development of a new power distribution substation.

It is expected that the project will further improve the port’s efficiency - which was already ranked as the second most efficient container port in the world for the second year in a row in the 2023 Container Ports Performance Index (CPPI). 

Crane incident investigations

Ports across the world rely on cranes to rapidly load and unload cargoes and minimise port stay times. 

But, unfortunately the worst can happen and cranes can fail in a variety of ways. The consequences of these failures can be severe with significant economic and legal fallout. 

Thus, it’s vital that when a crane incident occurs, you are able to accurately identify the root cause in a timely fashion. 

Brookes Bell can help you achieve exactly that. 

Our crane incident investigations cover crane failures of all types including; crane structural failures, slewing bearing failures, winch failures, and wire failures. 

From incidents involving shipboard cranes to shore-side gantry and offshore cranes and lifting appliances, Brookes Bell can apply its forensic investigation services to help you achieve the outcome you want. 

Find out more about Brookes Bell’s crane incident investigations now

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