Eurogate to Order New Crane from Kalmar

A substantial increase in the TEU throughput at Hamburg's Eurogate Container Terminal has prompted the terminal operator, Eurogate Container Terminal GmbH, to place an order with Kalmar Industries for another Nelcon ship-to-shore crane. Eurogate currently employs three Nelcon ship-to-shore (STS) cranes (one delivered in 1998, two delivered in 1999); the one currently on order is due for delivery in Summer 2003. Throughput at the terminal has risen steadily year on year since 1999, with a total of 1.5 million TEU passing through Eurogate in 2001. To be able to handle the expected future growth in container traffic, Eurogate is investing in its port infrastructure, and specifically in its handling equipment. Having taken into consideration all the commercial, operational and technical issues, Eurogate decided to opt for yet another Nelcon ship-to-shore crane. Dipl -Ing A Wölper, Managing Director Eurogate Technical Services GmbH, explains: "We need highly productive, good quality, reliable cranes at Eurogate if we are to handle the enormous amount of containers that pass through the terminal year in, year out. Having previously invested in Nelcon STS cranes we know what they can do. We have also experienced Kalmar's impeccable aftersales care provision. This certainly helped swing the deal in Kalmar's favour; when dealing with them, we can rest assured safe in the knowledge that should we encounter a problem, we can call Kalmar and they will send someone out to fix it immediately. "One overriding factor though, in the decision to invest in Nelcon ship-to-shore cranes once again, relates to the fact that Kalmar has been able to assure us that the installation of the new crane will be hassle free and will not disrupt the normal smooth running of the terminal. This is very important for us; our customers are our number one priority and we must ensure that normal business operations are not affected in the slightest." Like its predecessors, the Nelcon ship-to-shore crane currently on order has a 48.5m outreach and a 20m backreach. It has a railspan of 18m. The crane has a lifting capacity of 57t on the ropes, a hoisting height / depth of 32/16m and a hoisting speed of 180 m/min. It also has a machinery trolley and an Alstom electrical installation (AC frequency controlled).