The investment will increase the terminal’s handling capacity to 2.5 million tons of various cargo per year, and grain handling capacity will double.
“With the arrival of this equipment, we are starting a new phase in the operation of the terminal. The new hydraulic crane is three times faster when compared to cable equipment of this type and can handle about 16,000 tons of bulk cargo per day. This is the main advantage. In addition, the loader is fully electric, so it does not pollute nature at all and works quietly”, says Julius Kiršis, the director of Malkų įlankos terminalas.
The crane purchased by the company is one of the largest cranes produced in the world that can load cargo onto Panamax-type vessels and the only such machine in the Baltic ports. Boom length - 38 meters, cargo handling capabilities - 1,300 t/h. A crane with a tracked chassis was chosen for greater mobility and stability. It can handle a variety of bulk and general cargo: scrap metal, agricultural products, gravel, and more. The crane is also capable of loading cargo into sea containers as well as oversized cargo weighing up to 50 tons.
Along with the increasing handling capacity, the demand for cargo storage is growing as well. As a result, a new 3,200 sq. meter covered warehouse is being built, it will be able to store about 12,000 tons of various prepackaged and bulk cargo, and by the end of July, the terminal will be equipped with a new open 8,000 sq. meter storage yard for all types of cargo.
“By expanding our capacity, we can handle a wider range of cargo, which expands our range of services and increases our competitiveness. With the new crane we will be able to work faster and to service larger vessels, therefore we are looking forward to July, when the dredging works should be completed and we will have a depth of 14 meters at the berth that we service, which will be suitable for large vessels”, says J. Kiršis.
The decision to upgrade the handling equipment and increase the cargo storage areas was made in 2021. This decision resulted from the global trends of the increase of ship size and the rapidly growing flows of general cargo at the terminal.
In order to increase cargo handling capacity we have invested 5 million euros.