APM Terminals Liberia welcomes larger vessels following US$15 million investment

This year, APM Terminals Liberia welcomed its first gearless vessels at the Freeport of Monrovia. Two new Liebherr 600 mobile harbour cranes and an increased draft of 12.5 can service much larger container vessels.

This US$15 million investment has greatly enhanced the productivity of the port and reduced vessel waiting time for shipping lines. Over time this will translate into a reduction of prices in the market for goods imported into Liberia and a direct boost for the economy.


“The ability to handle larger gearless vessels means we don't face the challenges of using ship gear, which is less reliable and requires many more man hours,” says Etienne Saint-Jean, Head of Operations.

“With the introduction of mobile Harbor cranes as well as the dredging of the port, most shipping lines have seized the opportunity to start bringing in larger vessels. From an operational perspective, efficiency is boosted considerably as we are able to turn vessels around very quickly due to the capacity of the mobile cranes. It's a signal to the world that we have the necessary capacity and it’s a signal to Liberia that there's a new change and that change is efficiency, eeffectiveness and growth for the economy.