Container operator makes plans to train its workforce

The project is considered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a potential generator of jobs for a town desperate to gain some employment. With the Fairview Container port on track for completion and to be operational by this time next year, the training of the Maher Terminals operators is set to begin.

Maher has rented out space at the Old Kaien Fibre site for training purposes, bringing a number of specialty equipment to the city to have its operators become more familiar with. As for the giant cranes that will dot the Fairview site upon completion, operators are presently working in Vancouver to learn to mechanics of them and to gain practical knowledge of their operation.

Frans van Riemsdyk, the vice president of sales and marketing for Maher, was in town for the Change Brings Opportunities Conference last week and outlined more details of the programs. The Daily featured more from his discussions in their Friday paper.

MAHER IS GEARING UP TO TRAIN WORKFORCE LOCALLY
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, November 10, 2006
Pages one, three and nine

Maher Terminals has rented a lot in the industrial park so they can begin training longshoremen to operate the specialized equipment that will be used at the Fairview Container Terminal.

Frans van Riemsdyk, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Maher Terminals, told delegates at the Change Brings Opportunities Conference this week that Maher has rented the 2.8 hectare site from Kaien Island Fibre in order to begin training while construction of the new terminal is still underway.

“All the equipment that will be operating at the terminal will be specialty equipment,” he said. “We’ve taken on that lease in order to be able to commence training on site here in Prince Rupert in January of 2007.”

Maher will run the terminal once it becomes operational in October 2007 and they have invested $60 million in Phase One of the development.

Longshoremen for the terminal are being hired through the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 505. Equipment has already begun to arrive and larger pieces are expected in the near future.

There are already several “bomb carts” – an open bedded chassis that is used to move containers around the yard – at the site and more are due to arrive between now and July. And the company expects reach stackers small mobile cranes used to stack containers – will begin to arrive in the next two to three weeks.

Meanwhile, training of the gantry crane operators is underway in Vancouver, Gantry cranes are the enormous pieces of dockside equipment that will move containers off vessels and into the yard.

Maher has ordered the gantry cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery (ZMPC) – the world’s largest manufacturer of container cranes.

“ZMPC produce some 260 cranes annually. They have 2,000 workers that are working to get these produced on tie and it is a 24/7 operation,” said van Riemsdyk.

“Our cranes will be arriving in July on time and schedule as per our most recent inspection there last week.”

Maher Terminal’s crane order will provide the Port of Prince Rupert with some of the world’s largest container cranes. They will stand more than 300 feet high and be able to reach 200 feet out across the dock to lift the 20-foot long containers.

“They will be the tallest structure in Prince Rupert, standing two times the height of the Highliner Inn - currently the city’s tallest building.

Van Riemsdyk went on to explain the Fairview container port will be unique in that it will be a very compact operation with a high throughput of containers.

“The Phase One foot print of the terminal is just over 50 acres. With an on dock rail facility, we will be able to generate some very good throughput per acre performance,” he said.

Phase One of the terminal is expected to handle 500,000 TEU’s (average sized containers) annually.

“What that means is we are going to have to be very clever with the way we process local business by truck. I am here to tell you we will handle local business by truck but we will need to coordinate very very closely the methods by which we handle that.”

He said it’s very unlikely they will handle local container traffic using “the traditional method through an old clunky gate.”

“We have all kinds of ideas about deploying some virtual gate concepts that will allow the local communities to participate,” he said.

Now the Phase One of the development is well underway, Maher has commenced discussions about Phase Two, which should be able to handle 1.5 million TEU’s per year.

“We need to deliver Phase 2 by 2010. It’s very much within our sights,” he said, adding Phase One will meet all its necessary deadlines.” In October of 2007 – not in the fall, not in the winter, not some time in the second half – in October 2007, 100 years after Charles Melville Hays dreamed of opening a gateway to Asia, we will open for business and we will realize the vision and the changes that will being to so many great opportunities here.”