AD Ports Group has awarded contracts worth more than 420 million UAE dirhams ($114.35 million) to China’s state-run Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. (ZPMC) for the supply of cranes in its terminals in the Republic of the Congo and Angola.

Six ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 17 hybrid rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes will be deployed at terminal projects in New East Mole Terminal in Pointe Noire, the Republic of the Congo, and Noatum Ports’ Luanda Terminal in Angola.

AD Ports has signed a 30-year concession agreement to develop and operate a multipurpose terminal in the Republic of the Congo and a 20-year concession agreement to modernise and operate the Luanda Terminal in Angola.

Under the awarded contracts, the Pointe Noire and Luanda terminals will each receive three super post-Panamax STS cranes, reaching 21 container rows over a 60-metre span.

On the other hand, the Pointe Noire will receive nine hybrid RTGs, while the Luanda terminal will receive eight similar cranes.

These hybrid RTGs can reduce diesel consumption by up to 60 per cent, saving one million litres per year and cutting CO2 emissions by 5,000 tonnes annually.

The Abu Dhabi company is estimated to invest $500 million over the concession duration in the Republic of the Congo.

The company has also committed more than $250 million towards the terminal’s modernisation and development of the logistics business in Angola over the next three years. The total investment could reach $379 million, depending on market demand.