The Port of Houston Authority in Texas, USA, placed a repeat order for five Konecranes Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTG) with Konecranes VLC. The order was received in late June and is worth approx. USD 7 million. Delivery is due in the first quarter of 2004.
The Port of Houston, one of America's top container terminals, is currently operating 10 Konecranes RTG’s that were delivered last spring. In 2002, the Port's Barbours Cut terminal posted yet another record year by handling more than one million containers. According to Executive Director Tom Kornegay at Port of Houston, the new RTG cranes are needed to handle the congestion slowing down operations at Barbours Cut. To further relieve the growth pressure, the Port Authority has proposed building the new Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. The newly ordered RTG cranes will initially be used at Barbours Cut terminal but then moved to the new Bayport Terminal.
After delivery of these five cranes there will be totally 125 Konecranes new generation RTG's in operation in North and Central America. Since introduction of the new generation RTG design eight years ago, KCI Konecranes has been the clear market leader with a current market share of over 50 % in RTG’s in North America.
“Our long reference list for RTG cranes along with our capability to provide local service support for the cranes through our branch office in Houston were significant factors in winning this order”, said Mikko Uhari, Managing Director, Konecranes VLC.
The cranes will be manufactured and erected in Europe and transported on ship to the Barbours Cut terminal in La Porte. The 16 wheel RTG's have a lifting height of 50 feet and a span of 74 feet. The cranes will initially be one-over-four containers high and six-plus-truck lane wide, and preparation for easy height increase and span adjustment for transfer to Bayport terminal will be applied. The RTG's will be with high performance specification. Handling efficiency is achieved by high hoist speed and with modern features, such as Sway Prevention, Fine Positioning Systems etc.
Maintenance and technical back-up for the RTG’s will be provided for through KCI Koneports’ branch office in Houston specialised in harbour crane maintenance.
All features are electromechanical, with no hydraulics involved. Lower emissions will be achieved with state-of-the-art power engine technology, which is in line with the Port of Houston’s high performing environmental standards. KCI Konecranes own AC Frequency Control System composes the most modern and reliable drive for the RTG's. Eliminating the hydraulic systems (except in the spreader) and utilizing AC drives significantly reduces the maintenance costs of the RTG's.
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Further information can be obtained from
Konecranes VLC Corporation
Tuomas Saastamoinen, Sales Manager
Tel.+358-20 427 2662
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 a world leading Engineering Group specialising in advanced overhead lifting solutions and maintenance services. Group activity is organised along three business areas: Maintenance Services (47% of Group sales) Standard Lifting Equipment (26%) and Special Cranes (27%). KCI Konecranes is competing in all parts of the industrial and harbour crane market. In 2002, Group sales totalled USD 700 million (EUR 756 million) with over 4400 employees in 34 countries all over the world.
