Navis, part of Cargotec Corporation, the provider of operational technologies and services that unlock greater performance and efficiency for leading organizations throughout the global shipping industry, announced that Malta Freeport Terminals upgraded to N4 3.7 with 100% remote assistance from Navis.

Despite COVID-19 forcing travel restrictions around the world, Malta Freeport Terminals was determined to proceed with its business plan and achieve its set goals amidst the pandemic and leveraged remote support from Navis to stick to their timeline.

Strategically located at the center of the Mediterranean, Malta Freeport Terminals is one of the busiest container terminals in Europe, handling a trade volume of nearly 3 million TEU annually.

In Q4 of 2019, MFT initiated an upgrade project with Navis to implement the latest Equipment Control and RTG Optimization solutions to help move the terminal towards semi-automation operations through N4 3.7.Due to the dedication of both the MFT and Navis teams, the remote upgrade was successfully completed on May 1, 2020, which was right on schedule.

“With the flow of trade being more important than ever, we are constantly looking to invest in cutting-edge ways to improve our services and scale our business. Upgrading to N4 3.7 enables MFT to utilize the new generation of RTG optimization with semi automation features.,” said Jesmond Baldacchino, Head of IT at Malta Freeport Terminals.

“Ahead of the remote go-live, our team completed a risk assessment to mitigate any potential issues that could arise, and along with the Navis team, determined it was the right course of action to move forward. We are thrilled with the outcome and appreciate the level of support Navis provided us throughout the complete process.”

“This is a strategic shift for Navis as a company and proud moment for our team. As a partner to our customers, we want to support them to manage their business more efficiently under any circumstances,” said Chuck Schneider, Chief Customer Officer at Navis.

“Being able to pivot our go-live strategy while still meeting the customer’s deadline for implementation, is a true testament to the dedication of both teams. The success of Malta Freeport has paved the way for other terminals with remote upgrades in these unprecedented times and beyond.”

Global Ports Investments PLC announces that a new LIEBHERR LHM 550 mobile harbour crane was put into operation at the Petrolesport terminal in the Greater Port of Saint Petersburg. The equipment was purchased as part of the Global Ports facility development and upgrade programme in Russia.

The crane, which has a capacity of 144 tonnes, was manufactured for the Group at LIEBHERR’s facility in Rostock (Germany) and was delivered pre-assembled to PLP by sea.

A LIEBHERR LHM 550 crane is capable of operating in hook, crossbeam, spreader and tipping modes and has high mobility and manoeuvring ability. Its ergonomic tower crane cab offers excellent visibility and safe control of all operating crane movements.

PLP is one of the leaders in the transshipment of heavy and oversized equipment in the Northwest Basin. The commissioning of the new crane will allow the terminal to increase the throughput and the cargo handling efficiency, to optimize the costs of equipment repair and maintenance, while maintaining high quality of service for customers.

The acquisition of a second similar crane is expected in late 2020 — early 2021 as part of the development and upgrade programme. The presence of two modern mobile cranes with increased lifting capacity, which can work synchronously, will expand the capabilities of PLP in handling heavy, oversized and project cargoes, in particular for the oil and power industries. In synchronous mode, the cranes can handle cargoes weighing up to 270 tonnes.

Its task was to transport a 5,000t offshore substation topside and a 1,500t reaction compensation station topside from Batam, Indonesia to Singapore.

Hydro Deck’s large cargo surface area (5,600m²) allowed Mammoet to hold the two topsides and transport them in a single trip. This reduced the necessity to perform operational work more than once.

Combining Hydro Deck’s rapid ballasting system capacity with the flexibility of having roll-on/roll-off ramps on both the bow and stern of the barge, Mammoet minimized movement and rotation of the Hydro Deck. This was crucial because the operational period saw high sea traffic at both Batam and Singapore shipyards.

For this project, Mammoet redesigned the mooring arrangement by installing four additional mooring winches and eight roller fairleads on the Hydro Deck. This meant the barge did not need to be rotated, with load-in and load-out performed from either the bow or stern side.

Using a minimal number of maneuvers, the team was able to perform the load-in and load-out efficiently, maintaining the high safety standards required by the shipyard, while accommodating the reduced space available due to high sea traffic. A close eye was always kept on safety; by ensuring the rapid ballast system capacity met standards, and through maintenance on the system taking place on a regular basis, sharing updates with the client.

Besides the use of Hydro Deck as an interim barge, Mammoet supplied many services as a single point of contact. These included barging, weighing, mooring, ballasting, towing, tug management, plus load-out and load-in using 200 axle lines of SPMT.

Mammoet’s complete solution enabled the transportation of the topsides in one single journey.

The Hydro Deck is a floating pontoon developed in collaboration with AG&P for a range of operational needs in locations with extreme tidal variations. It increases the efficiency of operations where port facilities are less available or – as here – rapid ballasting is a key consideration.