Hutchison to expand Barcelona reefer container services
With the aim of continuing its leadership in the Mediterranean in the supply of reefer container services, Hutchison Ports BEST has obtained the approval from the Barcelona Port Authority to provide, within the terminal, a whole range of value-added services to reefer containers.
Thus, thanks to this new authorization approved by the Port of Barcelona in January, BEST’s customers have the option of pre-inspection services for their refrigerated containers (PTIs) and, if necessary, to have such containers repaired within the terminal’s facilities.
As such, BEST is in a position to offer an integral and complete service for reefer containers, from connection and disconnection, to their monitoring, or the personalized attention to super reefers, to all kinds of additional services, such as PTI, cleaning, tuning, repair and maintenance. The full coverage of reefer related services at BEST will reduce the in/out transportation costs and the related CO2 emissions.
All this, added to the recent increase in storage capacity and connection of refrigerated containers from 1,600 up to 2.750 connections (72 per cent capacity increase), positions BEST as the terminal of reference for refrigerated cargo throughout the Mediterranean.
Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST has highlighted and expects that the recent reefer capacity expansion and the full services approach will expand the current efficiency enjoyed by our customers reinforcing BEST’s role as a hub for shipping companies with this type of cargo.
Currently, BEST has 11 Super Post-Panamax quay cranes, capable of operating the largest ships in the world, 54 automated cranes (ASC), 2 cranes in the railway terminal (RMG) and 32 Shuttle Carriers to operate a terminal that occupies 80 Ha and has 1,500 meters of quay with a depth of 16.5 meters. Since its official opening in September 2012, BEST has continued to set new standards for Southern European ports: achieving a Vessel Operating Rate (VOR) of more than 220 movements per hour and a sustained average productivity of more than 40 movements per hour per crane (GCR), one of the highest in the world.
Hutchison Ports BEST is the first semi-automatic terminal developed by Hutchison Ports Group. In addition to being the most technologically advanced port project in Spain, the facility has one of the largest railway terminals within a maritime terminal. Its railway installation has eight mixed-gauge tracks (Iberian and UIC), connecting BEST daily with different points in Spain and the South of France.(Source: SeaWanderer)