APM Terminals Invests in Turkish Port Trade Expansion
APM Terminals Izmir, Turkey, says the installation of new ZPMC container cranes in Petkim Port will allow shipping lines to upgrade the size of vessels calling at Izmir, in Western Turkey, as well as introduce direct calls from Asia, the sub-continent and the Middle East for vessels larger than 10,000 TEUs.
“This will be a complete change in Izmir’s role in the global logistics chain. The ordering of these cranes will ensure that APM Terminals Izmir can deliver efficient, reliable and safe operations for these new services, as well as for the larger inter-European trade in Izmir,” said Mogens Larsen, Managing Director of APM Terminals Izmir.
The manufacturing of the three ship-to-shore (STS) quay cranes and 10 Rubber Tire Gantry (RTG) cranes by ZPMC are currently underway in Shanghai, P.R. China, and will be delivered for Phase 1 of the new APM Terminals Izmir facility in summer 2015.
The STS cranes will have an outreach of 22 containers and will be equipped with the latest safety technology. The RTG cranes will be electric (e-RTG) to minimize carbon dioxide emissions and ensure higher productivity.
Background
In February 2013, APM Terminals formalised an agreement with Turkish petrochemical company Petkim to operate a new 1.5 million TEU purpose-built container and general deep-water terminal at Petkim Port in Aliağa, Izmir. Exporters and importers will benefits from the total project investment of USD 400 million that will add urgently needed capacity to the Izmir region.
Phase I is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2015, with phase II to be completed one and a half years later.
In 2013, the Turkish economy ranked 16th globally at USD $1.1 trillion (by Purchasing Power Parity), and is among the fastest growing economies in Europe, with annual GDP growth of 3.5% forecast by the World Bank in 2015.
