On the occasion of the end of a very exciting and complex project and the beginning of a new beginning, the Tanger Alliance received the last two of eight Liebherr container cranes at the TC3 terminal in Tanger Med in Morocco. The last crane went into operation in April 2021 and increases the operating capacity of the new terminal to over 1.5 million TEU per year. The cranes, which are the first Liebherr STS at Tanger Med, were erected at a remote location in Cadiz, Spain, before the two of them were shipped to Morocco. The first cranes were put into operation in October 2020, four more followed in quick succession, so that the terminal could start operations with six STS cranes in January 2021.
The cranes were made by Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. designed and manufactured in Ireland. They have a reach of 72 m, a lifting height above the rail of 54 m, a span of 30.48 and a reach of 22 m. The safe working load under the double lift spreader is 65 t. The extremely large STS cranes are future-proof as they can accommodate ships with up to 26 rows stowed over the deck and include fiber optic cores in the cabling, fault monitoring and remote diagnosis. Safety functions such as laser and ultrasonic anti-collision systems as well as intelligent slowdowns are installed as standard.
Liebherr Container Cranes commissioned ALE Heavylift Madrid (later Mammoet) to assemble and transport the cranes. The cranes were ordered between March and November 2019. The delivery is to take place between 2020 and 2021. The Covid pandemic, with its worldwide lockdown and strict restrictions, required an agile approach to on-site assembly in Cadiz and 2/4 commissioning in Tangier. With local support, Mammoet’s staff and experienced Liebherr engineers, the project was able to continue with minimal interruption. The cranes bring the number of Liebherr STS cranes in Morocco to twelve, with 4 cranes already in operation in Casablanca.
Gerry Bunyan, Global Sales and Marketing Manager for Liebherr Container Cranes, said: “The handover of these cranes to the Tanger Alliance is a crucial moment for the port. The Tanger Alliance’s investment in Liebherr STS cranes is rewarded with industry-leading productivity, low operating costs and the knowledge that the cranes will be available when needed to serve the world’s largest ships for many years to come. We look forward to the Tanger Alliance maximizing crane potential. “The Tanger Alliance container terminal is a global transshipment point and gateway for direct import and export volumes. With a quay length of 800 m, a terminal area of 360,000 m², a water depth of 18 m and a handling capacity of 1.5 million TEU, the Tanger Alliance is ready to operate on the newest and largest container ships with high productivity and 24 /. 7 operations all year round. Tanger Alliance is a partnership consisting of Marsa Moroc, Eurogate & Contship Italia and Hapag-Lloyd.
Source: Liebherr Group
