Suez Canal box terminal investments to boost productivity

APM Terminals has announced that a series of investments initiated in 2020 aimed at equipment and capacity upgrades at the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT), together with a strong partnership with the Government of Egypt, Suez Canal Economic Zone (SC Zone), sets the foundation for further future growth.

The US$60 million investment consists of projects focusing on productivity and customer experience enhancement, with the most complex of them being the heightening of six ship-to-shore (STS) cranes in SCCT’s yard.

Following this recently completed project, 12 out of 18 of the terminal’s STS cranes have now the capacity to handle ultra large container vessels (ULCVs), which makes SCCT the only terminal in Egypt with the ability to serve smoothly two mega ships at the same time.

The crane capacity upgrade project will give the terminal’s shipping line customers additional opportunities to recover their network schedules, according to a statement.

Another investment at SCCT includes the purchase of new yard equipment, with 16 new Rubber Tyre Gantry (RTG) cranes joining the fleet, “paving the way for more quay and gate volumes in the future.”

In addition, the Egyptian terminal has also conducted a gate expansion with its handling capacity estimated to be more than 50,000TEU per month.

Consequently, the terminal’s gate volumes have been yearly increased by 50%, reflecting a surge of 105% in reefer exports. “The gate expansion project ensures our customers can continue to experience ‘best in class’ customer service while growing their volumes through SCCT”, noted the terminal’s first Egyptian Chief Operating Officer, Mahmoud Ayoub.

Driven by the new upgrades for future growth, the Egyptian terminal has already marked a weekly record in container handling, with 95,579TEU on the quay in week 33 while maintaining the same gate moves per hour of 30.04.