April 18, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 1427

KARACHI, April 17: A latest Chinese gantry crane with a maximum twin-lift capacity of 45 tons arrived at the Karachi Port on Sunday. This is the seventh crane to be operated at KPT berths.

The crane is the state-of-the-art equipment deployed for expansionary phase-II of the Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT). The new generation crane is the largest container-handling crane not only in the country, but also in the South Asian region, with an outreach of 54 meters and has the capability of lifting two containers at a time.

The crane will increase the efficiency of containerized cargo handling at the port, as it is capable of lifting 100 containers in an hour. The crane will further enhance the port’s productivity rate and provide fast turnaround times required by large containerships.

The crane has been manufactured by a Chinese company at a cost of $6 million and weights 1,200 tons. Besides, two rubber tyre gantry cranes will also arrive at the port shortly.