Petrojam buying new crane to replace obsolete equipment
Published:Friday | October 3, 2025 | 12:07 AM
Petrojam Limited, operator of Jamaica’s state-owned oil refinery, is acquiring a new mobile crane.
“The procurement opportunity is an urgent one,” said Elon Parkinson, communications manager at Petrojam.
The crane, intended to arrive by December, will support workshop operations and routine lifting tasks. It will be capable of handling refinery components, marine hoses, and tank fittings. Its deployment is expected to improve turnaround times and reduce reliance on external lifting services, particularly during scheduled maintenance.
“The new crane is required to replace existing equipment, which has reached end of life,” Parkinson said. “We are hoping for the quickest possible processing time, in accordance with established procurement rules.”
The refinery is seeking an electrically powered overhead crane system with a minimum lifting capacity of 10 metric tonnes, specifically designed for workshop operations. The bidding process ended September 10, but the winning bid was unknown up to press time.
According to the bidding document, the crane must feature an electric hoist lifting trolley system equipped with anti-sway and synchronised hoisting mechanisms, a load limiter, and a lifting height limiter. The unit must span 10 metres between rail centres, offer a lifting height of seven metres, and include frequency converters and current collectors to ensure safe and efficient operation.
“Our anticipation is that the crane will be delivered over the next three months,” noted Parkinson, who declined to disclose the cost of the equipment.
“We are not in a position to make this disclosure owing to the nature of the ongoing competitive bidding process and evaluation criteria,” he said.
Medium-capacity cranes are a fraction of the cost of large cranes used at wharves, which typically cost between US$10 million and US$20 million.
Petrojam’s capital expenditure budget is US$15 million for the current fiscal year, as outlined in the Jamaica Public Bodies report. The refinery also projects total income of US$1.54 billion for the year ending March 2026. Its key investments for this year include US$1.3 million for replacing a refinery furnace and US$3.7 million for sustaining capital works. In response to rising asphalt sales, the company also plans to build another asphalt storage tank at a cost of US$6.1 million, to hold additional inventory.
Petrojam processes crude oil daily, supplying fuel to the transport, aviation, and industrial sectors.