THE Port of Ngqura is proud to showcase its first piece of maintenance equipment since the port became operational in 2009.
This crane truck, to the value of R1,8 million, was specifically modified to meet the port’s unique requirements.
Describing the equipment, deputy port engineer Tauqeer Ahmed, said the crane truck was adapted to have a winch and cable attached to the end of the crane’s boom so that tyre fenders that fall into the water could be fished out. “The total depth of the sea bed from the top of the quay wall could be up to 23m at the deepest point. The crane truck will be able to fish out any tyre fenders from this depth. It is basically a giant fishing rod,” Ahmed said.
With a lifting capacity of 10 tons and the ability to load and transport a 6m container, it will mainly be used for the maintenance of port infrastructure, such as the Automated Mooring System, the Sand Bypass, quay walls and tyre and element fenders on the quay wall. It will also be used to transport equipment and maintenance material. The ultimate benefit of the crane truck will be to improve maintenance turnaround time and to save cost versus hiring the equipment, which is costly and not always readily available
A unique feature is that the truck is supplied with a UD online Telematix service contract that monitors and maximises performance.
This allows for, among others, the truck location, vehicle tracking, fuel consumption, working hours and service intervals to be monitored.
The contract was awarded to Billson Trucking Port Elizabeth, who managed the modification locally. The truck and crane have different manufacturers. UD manufactured the truck, FASSI manufactured the crane and Rencor Engineering and Hydraulics installed the crane onto the truck.
