NORTHEAST England's Teesport PD ports has completed first phase of reconstructing more than five acres of its container terminal area with heavy duty paving towards its aim to double annual container capacity to 450,000 TEU.
    The groundwork for the GBP29 million (US$45 million) Northern Gateway project will allow for increased loads from container stacks with the operation of four new GBP16 million rubber tyre gantry cranes (RTGs).
    Chief executive David Robinson said the terminal's operating system has been tested and "operator training on the new RTGs was completed ahead of schedule and the cranes are already in full service at the terminal to be operational this summer."
By April this year, PD Ports will launch its fast gate service to reduce waiting times for containers for Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket, and Asda, a subsidiary of Walmart, the second largest.
    Clipper Logistics Group will open a purpose built distribution centre within the port hinterland in autumn 2012.

(source:shipping online)