Ashdod Port: Welcomes The Future

Ashdod Port welcomes the largest container ships in the world!
The preparations for the arrival of the ULCS ships - the Ultra Large Container Ships, are at their peak.

Producer: Avi Shmoul
Editor: Mike Edri
production: Shos

We at Ashdod Port are known for the commitment to our customers – the motivating force driving us, year after year, to excellence. We strive for constant renewal in order to maintain our position as a key port in the Mediterranean basis. The process, which begins with outstanding manpower that routinely receives added training, produces great results in terms of professional service indexes.
All crane operators in the port refine their skills on the only simulator in Israel allowing them to train under lifelike conditions. The simulator was built and adapted to the introduction of the largest gantry cranes in the world, an effort that cost over $1 million. The result: work that is safe, efficient, and faster than ever, and the ability to handle different containers under extreme weather conditions.
Training on the simulator allows the port to prepare for operating Ship-to-Shore cranes adapted to super-sized ships. Now nearing completion, the port is reinforcing the gigantic Ship-to-Shore cranes in preparation for operating container ships with more than 14,000 TEUs capacity. As a part of the process, the Ship-to-Shore cranes are being raised by 9 meters and their Water Side Boom is being extended by 5.5 meters. The upgraded cranes, aimed at improving service and cutting ships’ waiting times, will work efficiently and quickly with ships whose containers rise to a height of 8 stories and whose width reaches 20 rows.
At the same time, the port is working to deepen its draft to be able to service ships with a volume of 18,000 TEUs. In addition, the port is constructing another crane for Pier 23, which is expected to be completed during 2019. This will bring the total number of container cranes at the port to seven, of which three will be capable of handling 18,000 TEU containers ships.
The Ashdod Port is the country’s leader in port initiatives, innovation, and the amount of cargo passing through. These achievements are measureable in facts and numbers:
Professional manpower consisting of 1,370 highly-trained skilled workers, a workforce that is constantly improving, so that the port may provide better service.
50% growth in containers traffic since 2010, reaching 1.4 million TEUs annually in 2016.
Cargoes totaling 24 million tons a year.
Offloading 160,000 vehicles to operational piers.
Operational piers covering close to 800 acres (320 hectares).
Almost 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of storage at the port itself, backed by extra spaces outside and adjacent to the port complex.
Electronic gates with 32 truck lanes.
An experienced naval department trained to handle super-sized ships.
5 tugboats, including 2 new 70 t bollard pull tugboats.
A computerized paper-free port system and a terminal operating system allowing every customer to check a ship’s location in real time and the condition of every container at any given moment.
Employment relationship which enabled consistent work in the past 3 years
Some explain these achievements by saying that shipping companies view Ashdod as their home port. The port is growing efficiently and consistently year by year: an 8.4 percent growth rate in the amount of cargo transported in the port over the last three years, in addition to a 10.4 percent growth in the number of containers moved in the same period.
With highly-qualified personnel and cutting-edge technology, Ashdod Port can welcome the future and expect to maintain its unique position.
In the heart of the Middle East,
At the center of the world
Ashdod port!