3 unit container crane order for Greece

KCI Konecranes has been contracted for the design and supply of key components for three post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes to the new port of Astakos in Western Greece operated by J.V. Astakos Terminal S.A. Delivery is due in December 2005.

J.V. Astakos Terminal S.A. is gearing up capacity at the newly opened terminal situated in the port of Astakos, in Etoloakarnania on the west coast of Greece. At this first stage the three container cranes will constitute the main port equipment at the new container terminal. The cranes form part of a larger investment program at the port of Astakos to create one of the biggest free zones for containers and bulk cargoes in the Mediterranean Sea.

KCI Konecranes will deliver the cranes in co-operation with the Greek crane manufacturer C. Rokas S.A, who is the main contractor in this project. ROKAS has a long history in supplying port equipment to all the major Greek commercial ports.

KCI Konecranes shall design the cranes according to Konecranes modular STS crane design and supply the key components including Konecranes AC drive system. Rokas is responsible for the construction and erection of the cranes.

Commenting on KCI Konecranes’ performance in the container crane market, Mika Mahlberg, Director, Container Cranes, said: "KCI Konecranes is committed to being a high performance equipment provider to the European container crane market and we are delighted to see our reach in the Mediterranean market growing. Our current order book includes orders for the Port of Koper in Slovenia, the Ports of Valencia in Spain and the Ports of Ashdod and Haifa in Israel.

The infrastructure improvements at the port of Astakos provide opportunities to supply further new equipment and we are pleased to co-operate with Rokas who has an established position in the Greek market, which is a new market area for us.”

The main parameters of the cranes are a 50-ton lifting capacity and an outreach of 44 m. The cranes can handle ships of post-Panamax size or 16 containers wide. The cranes will be equipped with Konecranes AC drive system, DynaPilot Anti-Sway System and CAROL Crane Management System (CMS) thus boosting the cranes handling efficiency.

Further information can be obtained from

Mr Mika Mahlberg, Director, Container Cranes
phone +358 20 427 2630 or mika.mahlberg@konecranes.com

KCI Konecranes. A world leading engineering group specializing in advanced overhead lifting solutions and maintenance services. In 2003, Group Sales totalled EUR 665 million with over 4350 employees in 34 countries all over the world. Further press releases can be found on KCI Konecranes’ website www.konecranes.com.