On 17th June, Hutchison Ports BEST presented to the entire logistics community in Barcelona its two new gantry cranes and two new shuttle carriers, which arrived at the terminal at the beginning of May.
The event was attended by the Director of the European Division of Hutchison Ports, Clemence Cheng, as well as various local and national authorities; Ms Mercè Conesa, President of the Port Authority of Barcelona; Mr Francisco Toledo, President of Puertos del Estado; Mr Lluís Mijoler Martínez, Mayor of El Prat de Llobregat; and the Vice President of the Generalitat and Minister of Digital Policy and Territory, Mr Jordi Puigneró.
To ensure that every member of the logistics community would be able to witness the official presentation, the event was also broadcasted live via Zoom. In this way, despite the restrictions implemented to comply with the security requirements arising from the pandemic, anyone interested would be able to witness the event virtually. Thanks to this tool, the event was very well attended, with more than 200 people in attendance.
During the event, Clemence Cheng stated:
“After many years of operating our facility here in Barcelona, we are proud to say that the vision we had many years ago to build one of the most technologically advanced container terminals in Europe, has not just been fulfilled, but has exceeded all our expectations. BEST has firmly established itself as one of the most productive and efficient container terminals in the world. I am really proud to say that, with the strong commitment of Hutchison Ports, the hard work of BEST employees and stevedores, matched by the strong support of the Port of Barcelona, and the local and national Governments, we have delivered one of the BEST terminals in the world”.
Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of BEST, spoke about the value that BEST has generated for all in the supply chain. Among the different points, he highlighted the efficiency in the dock, the reduction of waiting times for trucks, the extension of the area of influence, the increase of the rail quota and the reduction of the environmental impact. Last but not least, he wished to recognise the fundamental work of the management committee and said that the key to success is to have a great team complemented by 3 other fundamental ingredients: humility, commitment and passion.
For her part, the President of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, stated:
“9 years ago, Hutchison Ports BEST received its first cranes in Barcelona to start operating in this terminal. Today, BEST has become one of the best performing semi-automated terminals for loading and unloading containers not only in Europe, but worldwide. These new cranes, capable of operating with the largest container ships on the market, will enable the Port of Barcelona terminal to remain at the forefront of the international port sector. The new machinery also represents a great step forward in environmental sustainability, one of our strategic axes, as the cranes have an innovative system that allows the energy generated during operation to be reused”.
The cranes are currently being commissioned and are expected to be operational within the next few weeks.
With this new equipment, BEST now has a total of 13 quay cranes capable of operating the world’s largest container ships of more than 23,000 TEU capacity and can operate up to three vessels of this size simultaneously.
Since its inauguration in 2012, BEST has been increasing its quality standards, achieving vessel productivities (Vessel Operating Rate) of more than 200 moves per hour, and average crane productivities of more than 40 moves per hour on a sustained basis.
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