TCP to increase dock capacity with the new portainers

TCP – the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, has received two new portainers manufactured by the Chinese company ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. Ltd). The equipment, which is part of the area expansion investment package, is expected to increase the productivity potential of the Terminal pier by 33%.

The ZPMC portainers will be the largest in Brazil, with 66 meters of boom and 50 meters of the free span from the rail, reaching up to 24 rows on the ship. The portainers will be installed on the TCP Terminal’s new berth by a team of Chinese engineers. They are expected to be operational by the end of August.

“The equipment arrives at the Terminal assembled, but it will take approximately 5 days for preparation and unloading. After that, they will be commissioned by the ZPMC team of engineers who will perform all the tests necessary to make the equipment 100% operational,” explains Alexandre Rubio, Commercial Director of TCP.

With the two new equipment, the Terminal will now have eight carriers and will be able to operate vessels of up to 366 meters in length without restrictions. “With this, we increase the productivity of the berths, reducing the permanence time of the ships in Paraná, the waiting time for berthing, and the number of omissions, which is already very low,” he says.

In addition, it enhances TCP’s ability to absorb demand from out-of-window ships that have omitted previous ports for operational problems. “It turns out that ships are unable to dock at ports in the catchment area in bad weather, for example, and head to Paranaguá instead of waiting. They end up catching up on the route. For the customer, this ensures greater reliability that their load will arrive on time,” he emphasizes.

Currently, TCP’s equipment park has 6 portainers (four being Super Post Panamax), 2 Mobile Harbor Crane cranes, and 30 transtainers – the result of investments made in previous years.

Wilson Sons participates in the unloading operation

Two Wilson Sons Group companies participated in the complex crane unloading operation: Wilson Sons Tugs and Wilson Sons Agency. The Super Post Panamax Ship to Shore (STS) cranes have a height of 115 meters and weigh 1,500 tons each.

The operation lasted about four hours and was supported by tug CNL Rubi, Hadar, and WS Scorpius, which operate in the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina.

The vessels escorted the ship during the 16-nautical-mile (29-kilometer) course to the dock at Paranaguá. “They are large equipment that needs special attention throughout the transportation, loading, and unloading process,” explains Sergio Forigo, Wilson Sons Towage Operations Coordinator in Paraná.

The Group’s shipping agency business was responsible for all the ship’s documentation. “Our work actually began almost 3 months ago, since the beginning of May. We follow the whole process, with the survey of costs of this scale, alignment with local authorities, providing information, and serving as an interface for ZPMC in Brazil”, explains Adriano Cunha, coordinator of Wilson Sons Maritime Agency in Paranaguá.

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