PTP, in a press release, said it was confident that the partnership with the wealth of experience from GE trainers and their state-of-the-art training equipment including drive simulators and the latest in crane automation technology, would be of significant benefit to the port and eventually the region.

Apart from training to port personnel to understand the functions of GE equipmentm which would be used for PTP's quayside and rubber-tyred Gantry cranes, the first phase of the training facility would focus on identifying key personnel within PTP who would become the future trainers of the centre.

Advanced training with top GE engineers and exchanges overseas at GE centres would also be a part of the stage to ensure that personnel are given maximum exposure.

The release said that emphasis would also be placed on understanding the principles of crane automation and technology based in GE equipment and a transfer of know-how and expertise to PTP personnel to enable them to conduct subsequent training sessions and conduct research and development.

The second phase would focus on making the facility a pole of diffusion for crane automation technology.

This will see the centre drawing participation from other local and regional ports with the underlying objective of sharing experience and technology for betterment of crane automation in the country and this region.

Here, PTP personnel will undergo further training in advanced courses on crane automation technology.

PTP, scheduled to begin commercial operations in January 2000, is designed to be a state-of-the-art regional transhipment hub with excellent facilities and natural harbour conditions.

GE Industrial Systems is a global leader in manufacturing products used to distribute, protect and control electrical power and equipment and supplying product and service solutions for commercial, industrial, residential and utility applications.