Konecranes VLC Corporation has received an order for fourteen Shipboard Gantry Cranes and one Goliath Gantry Crane from the leading Polish shipyard Stocznia Gdynia S.A. The total order value is around EUR 75 million.
Gdynia Shipyard (Stocznia Gdynia) is to supply a series of seven open-hatch bulk carriers for US-based Westwood Shipping Lines. KCI Konecranes will deliver the cranes for these vessels and a Goliath Crane to the shipyard for its own use. The vessels are independent of all port based cranes as each vessel is equipped with two shipboard Gantry cranes, so called Konecranes-Munckloader cranes for cargo handling.
The Konecranes-Munckloader cranes have a lifting capacity of 40 tons each and include all the latest technical features, including modern variable frequency controls with built-in programmable logic. The cranes are naturally designed for rough sea conditions. The first set of two cranes will be delivered in the first quarter of 2002 and the last set in late 2003.
The Goliath Gantry Crane will be used for lifting of ship sections in the dry dock area and it will enhance Gdynia Shipyards already extensive production capacity. This gigantic crane has a lifting capacity of altogether 1000 tons, lifting height of 75 m and spans 153 m. The crane is equipped with KCI Konecranes' own variable frequency drive and control technology. The crane will be delivered in the end of 2001.
"These contracts were won on technology", says Mikko Uhari, Managing Director of Konecranes VLC. "There are only few new contracts for shipyard gantries in the world and they come at long intervals. Konecranes is in the unique position of being able to utilise its R&D achievements within industrial cranes for the benefit of its Goliath gantries. The Konecranes-Munckloader, originally a Norwegian design, has now been taken into the Konecranes concept. The first sets were sold four years ago and this order now confirms the success of the Konecranes design"
"We are already fully booked until the end of the current year and this order will not go into production before that. This order gives us, however, a good and profitable load for 2001 and 2002. We will enjoy a high capacity utilisation for years to come", comments Stig Gustavson, President of the KCI Konecranes Group.
Gdynia Shipyard specialises in containerships, car carriers, chemical tankers and bulk carriers. The Shipyard has been very successful in securing newbuilding orders in Europe. Gdynia Shipyard is today the biggest in its field after its Asian competition. The Westwood order marks an entry into the North American shipping industry.
Konecranes VLC is part of the KCI Konecranes Group's Special Cranes Business Area and specialises in port, terminal and shipyard cranes.
KCI Konecranes, headquartered in Hyvinkää, Finland is the world's leading supplier of heavy-duty cranes for process industries. KCI Konecranes is a global supplier of special harbour cranes for bulk materials and containers and a leading provider of shipyard cranes. KCI Konecranes is also the industrialised world's leading provider of maintenance services for EOT cranes and one of the leading standard EOT crane and component builders. In 1999 Group sales totalled EUR 591.5 million with over 4.000 employees in 34 countries throughout the world.
This press release together with a downloadable high-resolution picture of a Konecranes-Munckloader Crane is available at www.kcinet.com at "Latest News".
For further information, please contact:
Mikko Uhari, President, Harbour & Shipyard Cranes,
Managing Director, Konecranes VLC Corporation,
Tel. +358-20 427 2500
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Konecranes-Munckloader
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Downloadable high-resolution image:
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