Gisborne’s Eastland Port is welcoming the arrival of two world-leading mobile harbour cranes designed to improve cargo flows and safety.
The equipment has been brought in by port logistics company ISO Limited for its operations there.
It commissioned the German-manufactured Liebherr mobile harbour cranes to suit its operating environment, with advanced technology and safety specifications designed by its technology team.
It allows logs to be loaded directly from truck trailers into the vessel’s hold with the mobile cranes instead of ship cranes.
The mobile cranes are a world-first in terms of size and capacity weighing 465 tonnes with a 51-metre maximum lifting height, a 54-metre maximum outreach and able to lift a maximum load of 124 tonnes.
ISO says it’s part of a significant investment in innovation to transform its port logistics supply chain nationwide.
The cranes arrived at Te Tairāwhiti Harbour on November 9 after departing Rostock, Germany on September 24.
Eastland Port is the second port to benefit from the mobile harbour cranes after ISO introduced four of them to Port of Tauranga in August 2020.
ISO chief executive Paul Cameron says the new cranes will help transform operations at Eastland Port.
“The new technology will remove our people from high-risk areas on the wharf and enable cargo to flow more efficiently through the increasingly pressured supply chain.
“With the implementation of the cranes we are upskilling and training staff we move out of high-risk areas into other machinery-based roles within the business.”
ISO chief operating officer Andrew Davies says safety and productivity have been significantly improved at its Mt Maunganui operations since the arrival of the cranes, including a 75% drop in incidents.
“We expect to see similar results in Te Tairāwhiti. The mobile cranes allow us to handle all types of cargo for a wider range of vessels, which increases handling cycles, lift capacity and vessel turnarounds – which means a better result for our customers, our business, and the port,” he says.
Eastland Port infrastructure manager Marty Bayley says the company is set to undertake is largest infrastructure developments in a century including stage one of the Twin Berth project beginning in a few months.
ISO is the sole stevedore operator at the port, and its new mobile cranes will help keep exports moving as volumes grow in the region.
“It’s fantastic to see ISO’s commitment to investing in world-leading technology to help improve safety and cargo flow throughout the entire forestry supply chain, providing an improved service for our customers,” Bayley says.
Three of the mobile harbour cranes will be in operation at Eastland Port by the end of the month. ISO will ship one of its Mt Maunganui-based mobile cranes there, so three cranes are available at each port.
Robotics and automation
ISO handles more than half of New Zealand’s log exports and is applying robotics, automation and IT across its operations nationwide.
It says this minimises exposure to hazards and moves its people into more skilled roles.
Over the past three years, thirteen Robotic Scaling Machines (RSM’s) for scaling logs have been installed across ISO’s North and South Island operations to automate the accurate volumetric measurement (scaling) of export logs on trucks and trailers. The world-first robotic technology was developed by Tauranga-based Robotics Plus in collaboration with ISO.
Earlier this year, ISO started the rollout of its Automatic Tally Stations, developed by its technology team, to replace manual scanning of tickets on packets of logs at the wharf following scaling through the RSM offsite. When the truck drives through the new stations, tickets attached to the logs are scanned automatically while drivers safely stay in the truck.
“Safety is our number one priority, and these innovations contribute significantly to the safety of our people. We will continue to invest in new technology to enhance safety, improve efficiency and productivity, and radically improve the supply chain for our customers,” Cameron says.
ISO has grown to be one of New Zealand’s largest nationwide waterfront cargo logistics companies, operating out of Marsden Point, Tauranga, Kaingaroa, Murupara, Gisborne, Napier, New Plymouth, Wellington, Picton, Timaru, Dunedin, Bluff and Invercargill. ISO also provides innovative warehousing, IT and total supply chain solutions to port industries across New Zealand.
