COLOMBIA: Images, 3 ships, 13 STS Cranes at Cartagena Port
Cartagena de Indias D. T. Y C. July 8, 2020. On the brink of 5:00 p.m. From July 7, the Valparaíso Express, a container ship that fits 7 soccer fields perfectly, entered the bay of Cartagena as the afternoon dawned and the sun tinted the sky with a lively orange that charged energy and enthusiasm for the most of two hundred operators who would have with him and two other ships, an unprecedented challenge in his workplace, the Contecar terminal of the Puerto de Cartagena Group.
She arrived at the docking position with her engines off, guided by the pilot and driven by tugs, while the Calais Trader motor ship entered the bay, which would dock at an adjoining dock. With these two ships an important operation for the country’s port history began. Work was carried out on unloading and loading both motor ships relentlessly until the most anticipated time for all operators, 4:00 am, at which time another colossal ship, 333.2 meters long and 48.23 meters wide, called Guayaquil Express, she arrived for the 2199 container movements and required to continue his trip to Europe.
Among the three ships, 5,143 containers were moved, of which 360 were for import containers, 316 for export and 4,467 for transshipment containers.
Many lives are connected in an operation like this. Colombian farmers who have planted and cared for products such as coffee, avocado, flowers, cocoa, among other fruits, with a chain that includes distributors, marketers, exporters, logistics, until reaching final consumers in different parts of the world.
Not only growers, also producers or marketers of petroleum derivatives, non-drug chemicals, wood, leather, shoes, among others, are part of the list of products that were exported in this operation.
Likewise, we source machinery, equipment for the industry, oils, pharmaceuticals, tires, among others that are imported and arrived on the aforementioned ships.
Each worker makes a special effort and together with the institutions that monitor and guarantee the proper functioning of Colombian foreign trade, there are many lives that are connected with the desire to keep the economy active and with it, the possibilities of development and well-being both individuals and societies. An effort to transform the future from present activities.
Operation details
12 crane operators, 49 RTG operators, 117 truck drivers, 13 tallys, 13 gatekeepers, 3 operations controllers, 2 yard gliders, 1 equipment controller, 1 RTG controller, 1 operations coordinator, 8 persons were required for handling refrigerated cargo, among others.
“They were 10 years of preparation to face an operational challenge that required a lot of planning, synchronization and expertise of a large number of collaborators, also conditioned by the measures that have been necessary to adopt due to the pandemic,” said Karina Kure, director of HHRR of the Puerto de Cartagena Group.
Additionally, it was necessary to start up simultaneously 13 Super Post Panamax cranes that moved to the rhythm of the enthusiasm of more than two hundred operators who were experiencing the operation of three ships for the first time, two of them large, at the same time.
“It was an important operational challenge for the port staff because for the first time we operated three ships simultaneously with thirteen gantry cranes, two of the ships were large, and we are pleased to have responded to the demands of the market, we hope to continue with these kinds of challenges that invite us to be more competitive and to strengthen Colombian foreign trade ”Alfonso Salas Trujillo, manager of the Puerto de Cartagena Group
About the ships
GUAYAQUIL EXPRESS is a container ship built in 2017, it sails under the flag of Germany, its load capacity is 10,589 TEU and its current draft is 13.5 meters. Its total length is 333.18 meters and its width is 48.2 meters.
VALPARAISO EXPRESS is a container ship built in 2016, it sails under the German flag, its load capacity is 10,500 TEU and its current draft is 11 meters. Its total length (LOA) is 333.2 meters and its width is 48.23 meters.
Both ships belong to the Hapag Lloyd shipping line, which has been consolidating as the busiest line in the Group’s terminals. In 2019 it increased its transfers by 30%, for a total volume close to 944,000 TEU.
“” This operation is one more example of the confidence of the shipping lines in our operations and the capabilities of an incredible human team that guarantees productivity, operational efficiency and competitiveness for the country, “said Alfonso Salas Trujillo, manager of Grupo Puerto de Cartagena.
In the middle of COVID-19
This operation posed a greater challenge considering the pandemic by Covid-19. It is important to remember that the companies of the Puerto de Cartagena Group are the first port companies in Latin America certified with the Bureau Veritas SAFEGUARD protection seal for guaranteeing good practices and compliance with biosecurity measures to control the risk of contagion by COVID. -19.
By Grupo Puerto de Cartagena
