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tate-owned seaport operator Pelindo III announced on Friday that it had purchased several sets of loading equipment worth Rp 1.5 trillion (US$154 million) for its planned multipurpose terminal at Teluk Lamong in Surabaya, East Java, which is slated to begin operating in April 2014.

The purchase included 10 ship-to-shore cranes (STS); 20 automatic stacking cranes (ASC); five straddle carriers (SC), and 50 combined terminal tractors (CTT). To support the purchase, Pelindo III also procured a terminal operating system from Realtime Business Solutions Pty. Ltd., a company headquartered in Australia, with a contract valued at $8.25 million.

Finland-based global lifting business company Konecranes provided the 10 STS, 20 ASCs and the five SCs, under a contract worth $143.3 million. Gaussin SA, a France-based company, supplied the 50 CTTs, worth $10.8 million.

Pelindo III president director Djarwo Sujanto said that among the equipment was a new kind of crane in the port terminal industry, namely the stacking crane or ASC. The company was proud to announce that Indonesia was only the fourth country to use this new technology after Germany, Saudi Arabia and Spain.

Djarwo said the electrically powered ASC could improve efficiency and maintenance by up to 40 percent compared to existing cranes. Current cranes needed 100 people, for example, but for an ASC, a maximum of 40 field operators were enough, he went on. The unloading time would also be quicker from 10 to 15 containers per hour to 30 to 40.

Konecranes country director for Indonesia, Philippe Richard, said the advantage of the cranes included the more efficient power source. He said that while the price per unit was high, the crane released 10 percent fewer emissions.

Gaussin SA director Christophe Gaussin also touted the equipment the firm had supplied, saying that the tractors were up to 30 percent more fuel efficient compared to conventional ones.

All the equipment is scheduled for delivery between next year and 2016. Pelindo III said the Teluk Lamong multipurpose terminal, along with the new equipment, would put Indonesia on a par with Singapore and Hong Kong in terms of having a modern seaport.

Teluk Lamong Port is expected to ease the burden of neighboring Tanjung Perak Seaport, which is expected to surpass its capacity next year.