The Star Maritime, 29 May 2006

Dealing with factors such as darkness, height and wind, a workforce of more than 60 completed the high precision task of hoisting up quay cranes at Berth 8 in Port of Tanjung Pelepas recently..

Largest in the world and in Malaysia, the quay cranes to lift containers are also known as ship-to-shore cranes (STS).

Designed and constructed by a Malaysia-Argentina joint-venture crane fabrication company IMPSA (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd in Lumut, the construction period from the time of order till the day the crane was hoisted up took between 14 and 16 months.

According to its operations director Sergio Evan Ciner, the whole exercise was an immensely complicated and technical process as tide movement; wind measurement and ample lighting were determining factors.

The installation took place between 10pm and 2am, three nights in a row, where three upper frames of the cranes were elevated onto the already erected legs, while supported by a floating crane.

The first phase of setting up the legs of the cranes, which were about 55m high was completed on April 26..

And each of these legs had four flanges, with 800 holes to be matched and bolted.

Weighing close to 1,200 tonnes each, the upper frames of the quay cranes were then lifted from a floating crane on a barge.

“The wind is the biggest challenge. If it is too windy the cranes being lifted would sway and we would have to stop the operation,” he said.

Ciner said the STS cranes were special simply because they could lift two forty foot containers simultaneously while fully loaded, which was double the capacity of any crane in the market presently.

“Many ports are using cranes with a capacity of 62 tonnes to lift twin 20ft. There are few cranes with an 82 tonnes handling capacity to lift twin 40ft,'' he said..

The STS put together at PTP have a total height of 89 meters, equivalent to 26 floors of an apartment block and weigh 1,700 tonnes each while its total length was similar to 33 Proton Perdanas being lined up, 150m.

Ciner added that the most crucial part of the operation was trying to attach the flanges together, while the floating crane was positioned at 45 degrees.

“This requires a lot of skill and preparation, and constant monitoring and good coordination,'' he said while overseeing the operations at the port last week.

With the new STS, PTP expects to cater to bigger vessels of up to 12,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to call at the port, according to its deputy chief executive officer Capt Ismail Hashim.

It is the first port in the country to operate the highly advanced cranes..

“Presently, the largest vessel that has called at PTP is between 9,000 TEUs and 10,000 TEUs.

“We expect larger vessels of up to 12,000 TEUs to call here in the first quarter of next year. This will improve vessel turnaround, port capacity and cut down unloading time by almost half,” he said.

Ismail said these cranes could serve vessels with 22 rows and that such vessels were under construction now. PTP has a total of 27 post-Panamax cranes now and another five would be delivered by IMPSA by March next year.

In April PTP recorded a total of 400,000 TEUs, based on 1,400 TEUs per vessel call.

The port had 280 vessel calls last month..

Ismail also said the gross crane productivity per hour; per crane were presently 32 moves.

The new STS cranes are expected to be operational after commissioning on June 24.

IMPSA M'sia's relationship with PTP started in 1998, and to date the company has delivered 17 STS cranes, while five more is in production.

For the rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) yard cranes, 15 have been supplied while there is a book order for 20 more.

Since 1996, IMPSA M'sia has to date built over 100 STS and RTG cranes for the local and international market..

Globally, IMPSA M'sia has sold cranes to the United States, Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

Aside from cranes, IMPSA M'sia is also involved in the production of equipment such as turbines and generators for hydropower plants in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

IMPSA worldwide is ranked third largest in the global STS container crane market.

22nd February 2006

On February 21, 2006; IMPSA Port Systems hand over another Ship to Shore Container Crane to Durban Container Terminal of the South African Port Operations (SAPO) after having successfully completed the 100hs Endurance Test..

This completes the delivery of the third crane to SAPO from a batch of three. During the endurance test, the crane achieved 50 TEU/hour. The technologically advanced cranes are already assisting DCT in improving the productivity and boosting the efficiency at the Terminal.

12th December 2005

We are pleased to announce the award for the supply of five (5) units of Super Post-Panamax Quay Cranes and twenty (20) units of Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes for Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Malaysia. .

The twin 40’ capabilities QCs by Impsa, with 82 tons capacity and 22 box outreach, are similar to the current three units being built for PTP’s Phase II development. The RTGs consist of fourteen (14) units of single lift cranes and six (6) units of twin twenty cranes. The delivery of the cranes ranges from 13 months to 15 months.

Bundled with the cranes is the supply of cranes maintenance and provision of consignment spare parts for 5-years.

With this order, it brings the number of Impsa’s cranes in PTP to 22 units for QC and 35 units for RTG. We are pleased to be involved in PTP’s development and rise as one of the world’s top container ports.

New Straits Times, 07th November 2005

IMPSA Ports System Sdn Bhd, a Malaysia-Argentina joint-venture crane fabrication company, continues to dominate the container crane market in the country. .

Impsa is set to deliver eight new quay cranes to local ports, namely Northport at Port Klang, Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Johor and Penang Port by the end of next year.

Of the eight quay cranes, Northport will be taking delivery of three in the first quarter of next year. This will make the number of Impsa cranes at the port to 19 units.

Impsa has also signed a deal to deliver one unit of super post-panamax ship-to-shore crane to Penang Port to be deployed at the North Butterworth Container Terminal.

As for PTP, Impsa will be delivering three super post-panamax quay cranes. With the new order, PTP will have a total fleet of 17 Impsa quay side container cranes.

Impsa which made inroads in the rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTG) market by supplying its first RTG to Bintulu Port has also delivered 10 units of RTGs to PTP.

Impsa will be delivering a further five more units by August 2006.

In the region, Impsa has supplied one quay crane for Terminal Peti Kemas, Surabaya, and will be supplying another post panamax crane to the Indonesian port terminal operator in mid-2006.

Impsa, which has delivered its first ship-to-shore container crane to Durban Container Terminal in South Africa, has also entered into a contract for the provision of port container cranes with AP Moeller-Maersk AS. The contract is for the supply of cranes to the ports that AP Moeller Terminals owns all over the world.

Impsa will also be supplying three units of ship-to-shore cranes to the APM Terminal at Port of Algeciras in Spain, marking a major breakthrough into the European market.

16th October 2005

On September 6, 2005; IMPSA Port Systems hand over for commercial operation the first Ship to Shore container crane from a batch of 3 to the Durban Container Terminal of the South African Port Operations (SAPO).

The main structures of the cranes and the Drive Systems where manufactured in South Africa and then assembled and erected in the area allocated by SAPO close to the Terminal.

According to SAPO the cranes are expected to improve the productivity and to boost efficiency at the Durban Container Terminal as they are able to move 40 Ton containers and 65 Ton of cargo via a Crane Management System which uses the latest technology.

Durban Container Terminal is situated in the busiest port in Africa. It is the largest and best equipped container terminal in the southern hemisphere. The terminal opened in 1977 and has experienced unfaltering growth from 6,000 containers handled per month in 1979 to the current level of more than 1.2 million TEU’s per year.

30th September 2005

We are pleased to announce the award of a contract to supply a rubber tyred gantry crane “JUMBO CRANE” with 260t capacity. The crane’s function will be to handle coils of umbilical cables (cables for offshore oil platforms) and it will operate at the yard of a new plant located in Ilha Velha, Espírito Santos state, Brazil.

The crane is expected to be delivered in mid-2006. There are only few cranes like it in the world (similar to the picture shown above) and IMPSA got this order after competing with a Germany company. This is IMPSA’s first experience to design and deliver a JUMBO CRANE of this capacity, and it will be manufactured in Brazil.

20th May 2005

We are pleased to announce that TCH has awarded a contract to IMPSA for upgrade of two RMG cranes in PORT OF HAVANA, CUBA.

The upgrade includes increasing hoisting height (height under spreader 18m, 5+1 containers). The works are expected to complete and delivered in 150 days.

IMPSA’s excellent track record, professionalism, and a dedicated workforce has earned the trust of Port of Havana to upgrade the RMG supplied by Taim (Spain).

03rd May 2005

On 2nd May 2005, IMPSA signed a contract to supply 1 Ship-to-Shore crane to Port of Paranagua, Brazil.

The double-girder twin-twenty capability crane will have 50T capacity under spreader. It will be driven by Siemens AC drives with integration by Impsa Port Systems. The Crane Monitoring System (CMS) will be supplied by E-Seaports, and the crane will be designed with future 3m raising provision.

The crane will be delivered in 16 months.

09th March 2005

IMPSA has achieved yet another milestone!

The first delivery of four (4) RTG to PTP was successfully shipped to the port in two shipments. The first shipment arrived in PTP on 26th February and the second shipment arrived on 05th March. The RTGs have been undergoing commissioning since being uploaded on 27th February and are expected to be handed over on schedule.

In total, the order of 15 RTGs will be delivered in three deliveries with the following expected hand over:

• 1st delivery of 4 units: hand over on 11th March 2005
  
• 2nd delivery of 6 units: hand over on 11th May 2005
  
• 3rd delivery of 5 units: hand over on 11th August 2006
  

With this delivery, it marked IMPSA’s presence in the RTG market. IPS has received in total a remarkable 26 units of orders since entering this market in 2003. And more orders are expected in the near future.

29th January 2005

PENANG PORT exercised the optional 1 unit of quay crane for North Butterworth Container Terminal. The Letter of Intent was received on 29th January 2005.

The specifications are the same as the unit order placed on 12th November 2004, and the crane delivery is expected to take place in February 2006

21st December 2004

TECON RIO GRANDE S.A. choose IMPSA for the supply of two Post Panamax ship to shore cranes and four 16-wheel Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes.

Fully designed by our Technology Center in Mendoza, the RTG cranes will have state-of-the-art feasures: alternate current controls; automated travel adjustment; satellite positioning; data interface with maneuvering yard; and others.

The cranes will be delivered in 14 months for the STS container cranes, and 13 months for the five RTG cranes.

12th November 2004

The contract to deliver one unit of Post Panamax ship to shore crane was signed with PENANG PORT.

The lifting capacity of the double box girder is 40T under spreader, at a rated speed of 60 m/min and an outreach of 46 meters. PENANG PORT is expected to take delivery of the crane at end of 2006.

12th October 2004

PORT OF TANJUNG PELEPAS exercised their option in the contract for 10 units of RTG and confirms the purchase of five more units of RTGs. The RTGs are expected to be delivered by end 2005.

08th October 2004

NORTHPORT signed a contract with IMPSA for the supply of three (3) Super Post Panamax ship to shore cranes.

The crane capacity is 50T max. under the spreader with an outreach of 51m (18 wide). The maximum hoisting speed at full load is 70 m/min with traveling speed of 210 m/min. It will be built in Malaysia and is scheduled to be delivered in early 2006.

With this new contract, the number of IMPSA cranes in Northport stands at 19 units. The purchase of these three units reinforces NORTHPORT's confidence in IMPSA's cranes of high quality, backed by years of experience and R&D, and excellent After Sales Service.

23rd September 2004

SANTOS BRAZIL has decided to purchase from IMPSAan additional ship to shore container crane for its container terminal.

The technical characteristics of this crane is the same as the previous contract signed in November last year. The only change they introduced is the increase of the hoisting speed.

The crane is expected to be delivered in end 2005.

22nd September 2004

TPS awarded the contract for one Post Panamax crane to IMPSA. The specifications of this crane is the same with the existing three IMPSA cranes currently operating in TPS now.

The expected delivery of the crane is in mid 2006.

In addition to the crane, the Contract includes the supply from e-Seaports (a subsidiary of IMPSA Group) CODI-CMS, CODI-Dashboard and CODI-ExT for a total of four cranes at TPS.

11th August 2004

Impsa was awarded a contract for the supply of 3 Super Post Panamax ship to shore gantry cranes for Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Malaysia.

The cranes will be capable to handle twin twenty containers, 61 tons under spreader with an outreach 62.5 m. The cranes will be manufactured in Impsa's Plant in Lumut - Malaysia and delivered fully erected in 16 months.

With this new order, PTP will have a total fleet of 17 Impsa quay side container cranes, thus affirming its trust on Impsa's product quality and excellence in service.

18th June 2004

Impsa signed the first contract APM Terminal for the supply of three ship to shore cranes to the Port of Algeciras in Spain. This is part of the Agreement with AP Moller signed in March this year.

The cranes will be capable of handling twin forty containers, 82 tons under 18 tons of spreader and exceptional loads of 100 tons. The cranes will be manufactured in Brazil in collaboration with Usiminas Mecanica SA. Cranes will be delivered fully erected in 16 months.

This is the first contract for Impsa Port Systems for the European Market.

18th June 2004

A new Shareholders' Agreement for Impsa (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was signed between IJM (Torsco Berhad), Impsa Port Systems Sdn Bhd (IPS) and Emir Equity Sdn Bhd. The important event was held at Istana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by the Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz, government officials, several Port authorities as well as Directors and Managers from the three companies.

Torsco, mainly a steel fabricator, is a subsidiary of IJM Corporation Berhad, one of the most reputable and important construction companies in Malaysia whose business diverse from construction of highways, bridges, hotels, hospitals, marine works to oil and gas.

With this new agreement, Impsa (Malaysia) now owns a manufacturing plant with readily available load-out facilities to cater for fully erected deliveries, aligning the company into becoming one fo the main port handling equipment suppliers in the world and manufacturer of hydro power plant equipment for the region.

16th May 2004

The two units of RTG cranes arrived and off-loaded at Bintulu Port on 6th May 2004. After some final adjustments, Impsa successfully handed-over the RTG cranes to Bintulu Port on 16th May 2004.

The delivery of these cranes marked the completion of Impsa's first supply of RTG in Asia.

11th May 2004

Impsa signed yet another agreement with Port Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia for the supply of 10 units Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes, with an option for additional 5 units to be excercised within 1 year.

This award is part of PTP's Phase II development project. PTP is 30% owned by APM Terminals, where it also holds a contract for the operational management of the terminal. .

the 8-wheel cranes are to be delivered in two stages i.e. 4 units in 10 months and the remaining 6 units 2 months later.

18th November, 2003

Santos Brazil signed a contract with Impsa for the supply of two post panamax ship-to-shore cranes and five 16-wheel rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

Fully designed by our Technology Center in Mendoza, the RTG cranes will have state-of-the-art features: alternate current controls, automated travel adjustment, satellite positioning, data interface with the maneuvering yard, and others.

The cranes will be delivered in 12.5 months for the two STS container cranes, and 12 months for the five RTG cranes.

In 2002, Santos awarded the supply of two STS to Impsa. With this second contract, it reinforces Santos' confidence placed on Impsa as a producer of high quality and reliable quay cranes as well as producer of quality rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

19th August, 2003

Impsa has been awarded a contract for three post-panamax quay cranes for Port of Durban in South Africa.

The first crane is to be delivered in 16 months, while the other two units are scsheduled for delivery in 22 months.

Africa's busiest port, Durban handled over 1,300,000 containers in 2002. With these new cranes the port will be able to handle cargo more efficiently.

14th July 2003

The last 3 units container cranes for South Asia Gateway Terminals (SApT) arrived in Colombo Port, Sri Lanka on July 4th, 2003. They are of Post-Panamax type.The barge carrying the cranes sailed out from Indonesia on June 21st, 2003.

Due to rough sea conditions within Colombo Harbour, off-loading of the cranes had to be done carefully.The first unit was off-loaded on July 9th, the second unit on July 12th, and expected July 15th for the third unit. Commissioning is expected to last 3 weeks before hand-over to the Port. The cranes are expected to be in full operation sometime in mid August.

The delivery and hand-over of these cranes marked the completion of this Project for IPS. For SAGT it marked the completion of Phase Three of their development plan.

Despite tough challenges, the 6 units Super Post-Panamax cranes that are already in operation at SAGT have recorded achievements, such as;

• Best throughput in a single hour: 186 moves/hour
  QC1, QC2, QC3 and QC6
  April 16th, 2003
  From 08:00 to 09:00 hrs
  
• Best throughput in a single hour by a single crane: 70 moves/hour
  QC2
  May 5th, 2003
  Vessel: Alen
  
• Gross Ship Productivity: 138.44 moves/hour
  April 19th, 2003
  Vessel: Nedlloyd America, Voyage: V35.E
  
• During June 2003, six container cranes averaged 24.59 moves/hour.
  
• During the period Feb ~ Apr 2003, in 16 opportunities individual cranes achieved more than 50 moves per hour.
  
  Thank you to all IPS personnel who were involved in the execution of this project, for your professionalism and perseverance in overcoming all challenges. We thank you also SAGT for their permanent cooperation.

9th July 2003

On 27th June 2003, Northport, Malaysia hosted the maiden call of the largest container vessel in the world - the OOCL Shenzhen. It set a new record for Northport for being the first port in Malaysia to handle 8,000 TEUs ship. OOCL Shenzhen has a capacity of 8,063 TEUs.

The vessel was meticulously serviced at Northport by four of IPS made super post-panamax cranes.

The "SX" class vessel arrived from Rotterdam before making its way to Singapore, Shanghai and back to Rotterdam.

03 June, 2003

We are pleased to announce that we have received a letter of intent from the Brazilian steel company CSN (Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional) to begin work on the rehabilitation of a ship unloader in Sepetiba.

In January there were four ship unloaders at the Port of Sepetiba when a violent storm caused one of cranes to move and collide with another. As a result one of the unloaders fell into the water and the other sustained major structural damages.

CSN called us when they had almost made the decision to award the work to another company with experience in the field of rehabilitation.

The customer has informed us that we will be invited to participate in the bid for the purchase of a new crane to replace the one lost in the accident.

The contract execution time agreed upon with the customer is 90 days as from June 2, 2003.

28 February, 2003

This is to announce that IMPSA Port Systems has now entered the RTG (Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes) market.

On February 19 we received a letter of intent from the Bintulu Port Authority in Malaysia notifying us that IPS has been awarded a contract for the supply of two RTG cranes, and possibly two more. The deadline for delivering the two RTGs is 14 months.

Although competition in this market is greater than in the case of STS container cranes, IPS is now technologically capable of offering the combined RTG/STS package, which is often demanded by customers for reasons of compatibility.

The technological level attained by the sector -our Technology Center- has made possible the in-house development of the RTGs.

I would like to congratulate all those who were involved in this development, in the preparation of the proposal and during final negotiations.

20 February 2003

IPS’s constant growth has led us to continue expanding our involvement in traditional market niches, such as Port Equipment, as well as meeting the challenge of exploring new business opportunities, such as Port Services, IT and Spare Parts.

To this end, it is imperative for the organization to search for the best technologies and to conduct research in those areas that may enhance our competitiveness in the market.

Therefore, the IPS Technology Center –TC, with headquarters in Argentina, is operational as of today. Its mission is to provide technological support to IPS operation centers worldwide and to ensure process and management quality.

IPS-TC areas are engineering, R&D, quality, technical assistance to projects, costs, and all matters pertaining to IPS technology.

14 November 2002

While we continue our dynamic process to adapt to the market circumstances in the middle of the current challenges, we need to look for businesses to complement the sale of equipments.

Facing this challenge and understanding the need for Port equipment to be serviced regularly and the need of Port operators for additional services, we are pleased to announce the launch of IPS Global Services as a new Business Unit.

Businesses included in Services are:

• Operations and Maintenance.
• Revamping / Repair / Refurbishment of Port Equipment.
• Second Hand Cranes.
• Relocation of cranes.
• Sale of Spare Parts.
• Consultancy.
• Training Programs.