Busan Port Authority has ordered 12 transfer cranes from Doosan Heavy Industries, for installation in Busan New Port.
Busan New Port is undergoing expansion as South Korea’s busiest container port eyes more container volumes.
The cranes are scheduled for installation by March 2022, in three berths being developed in the western part of Busan New Port, under Phase 2-5. The contract value was not disclosed.
Transfer cranes move containers in the terminal yard through remote automated operations.
Busan New Port began operations in 2006 and features 230 transfer cranes, 49 of which are from Doosan, a local machinery manufacturer. The other transfer cranes in the port are all made in China.
Doosan’s Head of Power Service Business Group, Park Hong-wook, said, “With this order, we have been supplying domestically produced cranes to Busan New Port for about 15 years.”
BPA plans to order machinery and equipment from local companies for two berths being developed in the subsequent Phase 2-6. The orders are expected to be placed in 2023, to coincide with the opening of the berths in 2026.
According to the second Basic Plan for New Port Construction announced by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in August 2019, a total of 12 additional docks are expected to be developed in Busan New Port and Incheon New Port in order to enhance the competitiveness of South Korean ports.
Busan New Port’s expansion will add a further 15 berths to increase its container capacity to 15.8-millionTEU as Busan harbours ambitions of becoming the world’s second largest container transhipment port.
Last year, Busan handled 21.7-millionTEU, and transhipment volumes were reportedly higher in the first quarter of 2020, with shipping lines diverting cargoes from Chinese ports amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
