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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama, The Bahamas - The Freeport Container Port family work daily to meet customer’s expectations and needs in a consistent and dependable manner. The entire team understands and appreciates how competitive international container shipping is. Despite the challenges in the global economy, mounting competition in container transshipment and the tornado-related tragedy, this 98 percent Bahamian staff continues to perform remarkably well.
It is their
strength and professionalism that enabled them to return to work and
deliver, even in the aftermath of the tornado on Monday 29th
March 2010 which claimed the lives of Cleveland Lowe, Michael Young
and Shawn Saunders. The company took steps to help staff and family
members deal with the grief and to address tangible needs that arose
as a result of the devastation.
In the days that followed the management team gave clear assurances to the staff and government that they would move expeditiously to repair and replace all equipment seriously damaged or destroyed by the tornado. All 9 Cranes were repaired and now in service.
Furthermore,
FCP management along with religious leaders and counselors sensitively
focused on the matters affecting the bereaved and colleagues.
At the same time management sought to reestablish some degree of normalcy
in business operations in order to protect the employment of the more
than 600 team members. One key component in restoring business normalcy
was to secure all the required equipment. Toward this end the
company took steps to secure a new crane to replace crane # 10. The
company’s leadership decided that the new crane would not bear the
same number as the ill-fated crane # 10. Instead it would be called
crane #11. This gesture is one of the additional ways of honoring the
memory of the team members (friends and colleagues) who passed away.
The new Quay
Crane is schedule to be delivered in the fall of 2011. It is a Super
Post Panamax Design, making it the largest ship-to-shore crane in the
region, capable of servicing the new generation of mega container vessels
that carry in excess of 18,000 TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit) with
a deck span of 24 containers side by side.
The crane was manufactured by ZPMC of China, the largest Quay Crane manufacturing company in the world. The specifications are incredible! It will stand some 404 feet from fully erected boom tip to ground or as tall as a 34 story building. The operator trolley’s speed will be swift, 210m/min while hoist speed can reach a maximum of 150m/min; making it able to unload/load vessels at an amazing rate. This mammoth crane has a 100ft span from sea wheels to its land side wheels and can race across its rails at a speed of 50m/min. The crane has a lifting capacity from 0 to 88 tons and is capable of lifting two standard 25 ton ISO 20 foot containers simultaneously as well as single 20 and 40 foot containers. It is fitted with the most advance controls and IT systems provided by General Electric to allow for its safe and efficient operation. A team of 8 Engineers will travel to China in early August to spend two weeks at the giant crane manufacturing facility in Shanghai, for advanced training on how to maintain and repair the crane with its advance electronics and hydraulic systems. The crane will be commissioned by FCP Bahamian engineers in China and here when it arrives.
The Freeport
Container Port through this process of adding this equipment to its
fleet continues to nurture and equip a new class of Bahamian professionals.
While unfortunate circumstances made the acquisition of this equipment
necessary the company intends to honour the departed by daily working
to build the community they loved and supported.
Situated only 65 miles from Florida, Freeport Container Port (FCP) is the natural trans-shipment hub for the Eastern seaboard of the Americas and the principal East/West Line Haul routes through the region. FCP is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group. HPH, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), which is the world's leading port investor, developer and operator with interests in a total of 49 ports, spanning 25 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia. HPH also owns a number of transportation-related service companies.
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