Two new cranes, a Liebherr 600 for Sapir and a Liebherr 550 for the North Terminal, were landed  last week at the port of Ravenna (see video) from Rostock, Germany, to strengthen the existing lifting equipment available to the Sapir Group for handling ferrous metals and pieces of exceptional weight and size. The cranes, together with two 23m³ buckets, are part of an overall investment worth 7 million euros.

This brings the financial commitment incurred by the Group over the last 5 years to almost 50 million euros. The purpose is to strengthen the terminal equipment and the functionality of the handling and storage areas at their service.

The new equipment purchased by SAPIR joins another identical one, in operation at the Darsena San Vitale terminal for a couple of years: 208-ton capacity, 58-metre reach, 30-metre cabin height, five more than the standard, ecosoftware to reduce consumption by up to 50%.

Sapir is now capable of lifting pieces weighing in excess of 400 tons, by operating with a combination of cranes.

These figures make the terminal one of the top-ranking of the Adriatic for its ability to handle special pieces, thanks also to the large well-equipped yards that offer the possibility to carry out on-site activities of shipbuilding and assembly of components intended for embarkation.

A potential that can be used, above all, for the embarkation of large industrial plants intended for export and available to the offshore district, another point of excellence of Ravenna’s economy.

“It is not a very significant percentage of traffic on the group’s volumes, but it is of great added value and we believe it will have a strong development with the implementation of the “Ravenna Port Hub” project – explains Mauro Pepoli, CEO of Sapir and Chairman of the North Terminal.

In other Adriatic ports, the handling of pieces of exceptional weight and dimension requires the use of vessels equipped with on-board lifting equipment. In our terminals, thanks also to the professionalism and experience gained by our technical and operational staff in the sector, we are able to provide the service in total autonomy, offering a valid alternative to heavy lift vessels, which are difficult to find and costly.”

For Sapir, which has registered a slight growth compared to the previous year, with a particularly promising trend as regards ferrous metals, the operation of new equipment can be a good omen for 2019, which should see, under the auspices, the first works to upgrade the canal port.