Tanger Med expands to eight Liebherr cranes

In what marks the end of a very exciting and complex project, and also the start of a new beginning, Tanger Alliance at the TC3 terminal in Tanger Med in Morocco has received the final two of eight Liebherr ship-to-shore container cranes.

The final crane entered service in April 2021 and brings the operational capacity of the new terminal to over 1.5 million TEU per annum. The cranes, which are the first Liebherr STS at Tanger Med, were erected at a remote site in Cadiz, Spain before being shipped two at a time to Morocco. The first cranes were commissioned in October 2020, with four more following in quick succession, allowing the terminal to open for business in January 2021 with six STS cranes.

The cranes were designed and manufactured by Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. in Ireland. They have an outreach of 72m, a lift height over rail of 54m, a span of 30.48m and a backreach of 22m. Safe Working Load under twin-lift spreader is 65 tonnes. The ultra large STS cranes are future-proofed as they can cater for vessels with up to 26 rows stowed across the deck and include fibre optic cores in the cabling, fault monitoring and remote diagnostics. Safety features including laser and ultrasonic anti-collision systems as well as smart slowdowns are installed as standard.

Liebherr Container Cranes contracted with ALE Heavylift Madrid (later Mammoet) to assist with the assembly and transportation of the cranes. The cranes were ordered between March and November 2019, with delivery scheduled to take place during 2020 and 2021. The Covid pandemic with its global lockdown and strict restrictions necessitated an agile approach to site assembly in Cadiz and commissioning in Tangier.

Utilising local support, Mammoet’s personnel and experienced Liebherr engineers, the project was able to proceed with minimal interruption. The cranes bring to 12 the number of Liebherr STS cranes in Morocco with four cranes already in operation in Casablanca.

Gerry Bunyan, Global Sales and Marketing Manager for Liebherr Container Cranes, said: “The handover of these cranes to Tanger Alliance is a key moment for the port. Tanger Alliance’s investment in Liebherr STS cranes will be rewarded with industry-leading productivity, low operational costs and the knowledge that the cranes will be available as required to work on the world’s largest vessels for many years to come. We look forward to seeing Tanger Alliance maximise the cranes’ potential.”

Tanger Alliance container terminal is a global transhipment hub and gateway for direct import and export volumes. With a quay length of 800m, a terminal area of 360,000 sq m, a water depth of 18m and a handling capacity is 1.5 million TEUs, Tanger Alliance is ready to operate on the newest and largest container ships, offering high productivity and 24/7 operations all year round.

Tanger Alliance is a partnership consisting of Marsa Moroc, Eurogate & Contship Italia and Hapag-Lloyd.