A new highly sophisticated mobile crane has just been purchased by the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority.
The new crane is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of the operations at the St. John’s Harbour, the main gateway for goods entering the country.
Port Manager, Darwin Telemaque is in the United Kingdom where the crane has been purchased where he undertook an inspection of the crane while it was in operation.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who has portfolio responsibility for the port, revealed that the new equipment was purchased for less than four million Euros. According to the prime minister the purchase of the equipment was done in a transparent manner in keeping with his administration’s commitment to the principles of good governance.
“This crane will make a major difference as the one that we have currently is not as reliable as it was in the past now that it is over twenty years old. It is the first time in two decades that we are purchasing a new crane and you can see that systematically, we are addressing all the issues that the country we inherited, one by one,” he remarked.
Telemaque revealed that the current crane has a lifting capacity of just over 80-tons, while the new crane’s capacity is over 120-tons. The crane will be disassembled and shipped to St. John’s. When it arrives, technicians from the company will travel to the country to reassemble it.
