The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) has received the first ten of 45 fully-assembled haulers ahead of the start of South Africa’s citrus season next month.
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.
Malaysia-based Terberg Tractors will ship another 25 haulers in mid-April and the last batch of ten at the end of May, DCT says.
“It is not common to have this type of equipment readily available on purchase, and we thank our customers for helping us identify it. The support industry has demonstrated is unparalleled,” DCT managing executive Earle Peters adds.
The equipment will be allocated across DCT Pier 1 and DCT Pier 2, with Pier 1 receiving 23 haulers and Pier 2 the remaining 22 haulers.
While no training will be required, the more than 330 operators at the terminals will be allocated a day each to familiarise themselves with the model, which differs slightly, being a newer version to what the team is used to, he says.
The purchase of the haulers comes with a 12-months warranty, after which the technical team will be supported by Terberg as the original-equipment manufacturer through a seven-year partnership.
Additionally, by the end of May, the terminals would have taken delivery of four reach stackers and five empty container handlers. These are all critical in the terminals’ fleet replacement plan, Peters adds.