The installation of four new one over five (1 over 5) stacking, 16 wheel rubber tired gantries (RTGs) at the Toamasina container terminal operated by Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Ltd (MICTSL), is proving to be an important milestone in the progressive development of Madagascar’s
premier container gateway.

The new, recently commissioned cranes are providing container handling muscle on the landside to meet capacity and efficiency requirements over the longer term, and to complement the recent upgrade of handling capacity on the quayside achieved through the introduction of a new heavy duty Gottwald mobile crane, model GHMK 6407 equipped with a twin-lift spreader, alongside two existing container handling mobiles.

Each of the four new RTGs, manufactured by Noell Crane Systems (China) Ltd, employs a fully electric trolley design, a “green” power train and provision for an automated guidance systems capability for steering and container positioning. The trolley system incorporates high efficiency winches, anti-sway system and electrical trim/skew. The engines are low emission Cummins QSX units, and the guidance systems are based on highly accurate DGPS technology. IT infrastructure has been enhanced in tune with the introduction of the RTGs notably through the installation of a wireless LAN connection covering the stacking area to facilitate remote crane monitoring.

“The new RTG-optimized yard handling system is the latest of a series of investments that have effectively completed phase one of our investment program in the Toamasina container terminal,” says Christian Gonzalez, MICTSL Director General.

“These, together with other major handling system developments, including the renewal of the whole fleet of horizontal transfer equipment and the deployment of Navis’s SPARCs systems, are progressively generating new operational benefits,” he elaborates.

“Truck turnaround, for example, has been reduced to less than one hour, a massive improvement on what took place before MICTSL commenced operations in October 2005. This figure will go down further to under 45 minutes in the near term. Of course, we now have the space to grow with the RTGs boosting the total available slots by over 70 percent compared to the former reach stacker-based yard handling system,” Gonzalez concludes.

The total investment by ICTSI in phase one of the Madagascar International Container Terminal’s development program is about US$30 million. Further investments are underway including strengthening works on the C2 quay designed to enable the quay to accept higher load factors, which will further promote the flexibility of mobile crane usage across the terminal’s two berths and, in turn, further enhance the new efficiencies also being delivered in this important area of operation.

ICTSI is a leading developer in international container terminal operations.
Headquartered in the Philippines, ICTSI has an experience record that spans
container terminal operation in six continents.