Automated stacking cranes head to Chancay

The first batch of five double cantilever automatic stacking cranes, destined for Phase I of the Chancay Port Terminal in Peru, has set sail from the Nantong branch of crane manufacturing powerhouse ZPMC.

“This marks the transition into the sprint phase for constructing South America’s most advanced intelligent port,” ZPMC said commenting on the upcoming delivery.

The port is being developed in collaboration between Chinese state-owned company Cosco Shipping Ports and Peruvian mining company Volcan, who joined forces in 2019, committing a substantial $3.5 billion to build the facility.

Cosco is investing $1.3 billion in the first stage of the project, which is said to be over 70% completed. The port is set to be opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

At the heart of this ambitious undertaking are two specialized terminals: a container terminal, and a terminal dedicated to bulk cargo, general cargo, and rolling cargo.

ZPMC is providing six remote-controlled quay cranes for the first stage of the project as well as fifteen double cantilever automatic stacking cranes. The STS cranes have an outreach of 72 m and a lift height above the rail of 54 m. For the bulk handling terminal, the company has been contracted to deliver three bulk cargo handling quay cranes and three multipurpose portal cranes.

Chancay Port Terminal is made up of three major components: Port Operational Zone where port activities will be carried out, the Entrance Complex and the Underground Viaduct tunnel.

The 1.8 km tunnel, connecting the Entrance Complex with the Port Operational Zone, constitutes a segregated and exclusive road corridor for cargo traffic related to the port operation. It will have three vehicular lanes, two conveyor belts for solid bulks and multiproduct pipes for liquid bulks.

The container terminal is being developed on a 1,100-ha site. With a depth of 18 meters, the facility will be able to accommodate ultra large container vessels (ULCVs) and have the capacity to process more than 1M containers a year in its initial phases. At first, it will have four docks, but this number could reach up to 15, according to Peru’s transport ministry.

The mega port aspires to establish itself as a key hub in the South American Pacific region. Cosco estimates that cargo transit from Peru to Asia will decrease to 10 days from the current 45. Brazil is also poised to benefit from the port, gaining faster access to Asian markets for its exports.

However, over the recent period, the mega port development has become embroiled in a dispute between Cosco and Peru’s state authorities. Specifically, the National Port Authority (APN) of Peru revoked the exclusivity rights previously granted to the Hong Kong-based port operator for operations at the New Chancay Megaport. APN cited a lack of legal authority as the reason for this decision.

Read more: Chancay Port Terminal’s construction unfazed by exclusivity rights rollback, ANP says

Nevertheless, Cosco Shipping Ports said it would defend its rights as the exclusive operator of the port under “terms that were agreed at the beginning of this investment,” as reported by Reuters. Cosco has asked Peru’s economy ministry to resolve the dispute without arbitration, however, the ministry hasn’t responded yet, according to Cosco. As a result, Cosco has initiated the preliminary steps towards invoking an arbitration process permitted by a Chinese-Peruvian trade pact, according to Reuters.