The first 10 of 45 fully-assembled haulers have arrived at the Durban Container Terminals (DCT) ahead of the start of South Africa’s citrus season.
Malaysia’s Terberg Tractors will ship another 25 haulers in mid-April 2024 and the last batch of 10 at the end of May 2024, according to Transnet Port Terminals (TPT).
The equipment will be allocated across DCT Pier 1 and DCT Pier 2, with the terminals receiving 23 and 22 haulers respectively.
Haulers move containers from the stack to the ship-to-shore crane in a vessel loading operation, and from the ship-to-shore crane to the stack in a vessel offloading operation.
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The arrival of the equipment enables better use of straddle carriers and enhances the terminal’s use of its fleet, thus contributing to improved efficiency.
Managing executive at Durban Terminals, Earle Peters said, “It’s not common to have this type of equipment readily available on purchase and we thank our customers for helping us identify it.”
He added that the industry has demonstrated unparalleled levels of support.
The haulers come with a 12-month warranty, whereafter the technical team will be supported by Terberg as the Original Equipment Manufacturer through the seven-year partnership.
By the end of May 2024, the terminals would have taken delivery of four reach stackers and five empty container handlers, all critical in the terminals’ fleet replacement plan, according to Peters.
While no training will be required, the over 330 operators at the terminals will be allocated a day each to familiarise themselves with the newer model.
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