John Fernandes, Muneshwers commission $US14M mobile harbour cranes

Feb 15, 2025 News

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By Shania Williams

Kaieteur News- Shipping and Logistics Companies, Muneshwer’s Limited and John Fernandes Limited on Friday, commissioned two mobile harbour cranes under their joint venture, Cranes Guyana Inc. valued US$14million (G$2.92 billion)

The event took place at the Muneshwers/John Fernandes Wharves, Water Street, Georgetown.

The cranes, named Atlas and Hercules, are the first harbour cranes in Guyana, designed to load and unload cargo from ships at ports. These cranes will be beneficial for vessels arriving into the country without their own cranes, improving the efficiency of cargo handling.

Chief Executive Officer of John Fernandes Limited and Director of Cranes Guyana Inc, Philip Fernandes, explained the idea behind the collaboration. The joint venture which was created in March 2023, was born out of the close proximity and amicable relationship between the two companies.

“The close proximity of the two businesses we have led to an amicable relationship.  This project we must first credit Mr. Tom Pinlink who at the time was from Caribbean feeder service because it was Tom who came to us and suggested that we invest in mobile harbour cranes. At the time without the mobile harbour cranes, it means that vessels calling on the shores of Guyana needed to come with cranes on board so that the cargo can be loaded and offloaded. So, the vessel will pull alongside and our local team would get on board including the crane operators and facilitate the on loading and offloading.”

Fernandes explained that “At the time, it was felt that the cargo volumes in the country were not sufficient enough to warrant the investments in the mobile harbour cranes but after Tom’s initial planting of the seeds, we started to look at the number and we start to discuss about more then we realized that indeed the time had come. It was Tom as well who introduced the idea that we could join the companies and that will allow simultaneous birthing of vessels and in fact the sum of the parts will be greater than the two separately.”

According to the CEO, the mobile harbour cranes are designed to serve Panamax class vessels, with a working radius of 49 meters and a lifting capacity of 125 tons. Fernandes noted that operational trials began in November 2024.

“We started to move cargo with the cranes and for the first time in Guyana now we could say that gearless vessels which are vessels without cranes on board can actually call at the port and be serviced in Guyana this means faster and safer operations. This is a big win for Guyana because it is a marked improvement to what we always had going forward,” Fernandes said.

The project was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and according to Executive Director of Muneshwers and Director of Cranes Guyana’s Inc, Robin Muneshwer while the two companies have initially been competitors, they recognized a gap that needed to be filled between the two companies.

“These cranes represent the future of the shipping industry in Guyana and the future of our respective companies and our combined will, the future beacons and the future dictates that we cannot continue to operate the two busiest ports in Guyana and the busiest square mile in the country… so we have been engaging in the government on the path forward which is to have a national port in Guyana,” he said.

Additionally, IDB group country representative Lorena Solorzano Salazar emphasized that the commissioning of these mobile cranes will have profound impact on trade in the region as a long-term investment. “This great investment also brings more stability to move the vessels but also it is a win, win for the port sector, it will also attract more shipments as the Panama,” she said.

Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali underscored the importance of collaboration in the shipping and logistics sectors.

“This project by coming together allows a certain level of scalability that optimized the use of space and on this port, space is valuable for many perspectives.  You can have strong competitors but you can also have strong collaborators in the interest of the business and nation,” Ali stated.

In 2023, John Fernandes Limited secured a US$4 million corporate loan from the IDB to purchase a new mobile handline crane. The loan was facilitated by IDB’s private sector arm, IDB Invest, which finances projects that advance clean energy, modernize agriculture, strengthen transportation systems, and expand access to financing.

The IDB emphasized that, until now, port operations in Guyana have relied on crane vessels for loading and discharging containers. These vessels are less efficient and have a lower cargo handling capacity than mobile harbour cranes. With the introduction of the MHCs, John Fernandes Limited will be able to service gearless vessels, which can carry significantly more cargo and operate more efficiently.

The IDB noted, “This transition will increase cargo handling capacity from 33,000 TEUs per year to 100,000 TEUs per year by 2032, improving port infrastructure and supporting the timely handling of rising international trade in Guyana.”

(John Fernandes, Muneshwers commission $US14M mobile harbour cranes)

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• commissioning, Cranes Guyana Inc., harbour cranes, John Fernandes, Muneshwers Limited

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