E-RTGs are powered with electricity from the terminal’s electricity supply, which is in this case fed to the cranes along busbars. The fleet of cranes is due to be delivered at the end of 2014, early 2015, with a delivery in batches, to Asyaport on the Sea of Marmara, about 150 km west of Istanbul. TIL, in cooperation with the Soyuer Group, a local investor, operates the port, which is to be expanded to become one of the largest container terminals in Turkey.
Powerful presence in a growing market
“This order means Terex rubber-tyred gantry cranes are celebrating a ‘first’ in Turkey,” enthused Maurizio Altieri, General Manager of TPS Xiamen. Terex Port Solutions is already well established in the rapidly developing region with a range of ship-to-shore cranes, various types of harbour cranes for container and bulk handling, gantry cranes for container stacking as well as a number of other cargo handling machines. “The current order is not only another success story in one of the key growth markets in maritime trade, it confirms our strong foothold in the container-handling gantry crane segment, following another prestigious project acquired in April 2013, for the delivery of 26 E-RTGs to PTP Malaysia,” continued Altieri.
As far as TIL is concerned, the investment is of strategic importance: “The Sea of Marmara is a crucial interface in trade between Asia and Europe and an important hub for the steadily increasing flow of goods across the Bosporus into the Black Sea. In addition, handling volumes are increasing due to the rapid advancement in the Turkish economy,” explains Marc Desmons, Engineering Services Manager for TIL. “Thanks to the new cargo handling machines from Terex Port Solutions, we will be well placed to face these challenges.”
Particularly competitive lifecycle costs
The Terex rubber-tyred gantry cranes ordered can handle 40 t, have a hoisting height of 21 m under the spreader and can stack standard containers 1-over-6. They have a span of 26.5 m, allowing them to cover seven rows of containers and a truck lane. “Besides the quality and convincing performance indicators, we were particularly keen on the lifecycle costs, including the operating and maintenance costs, which are expected to be especially competitive,” confirmed Desmons.
Environmentally friendly, cost-effective operation
Since the cranes are powered through a raised busbar direct from the harbour mains, they practically do not generate any local exhaust emissions and, in addition, have low noise emissions. Using the external power supply increases the efficiency rating and helps to reduce operating and energy overheads significantly, compared with conventional diesel-electric machines. To enable the cranes to move freely around the port and, according to the terminal operator, provide the best possible flexibility, including change of site and travel for maintenance purposes, these gantry cranes can be fitted with a removable diesel-generator when needed.
Broad range of products in the gantry crane segment
In manually-controlled stacking cranes, Terex Port Solutions offers terminal operators both rubber-tyred machines and rail-mounted stacking cranes for ports and intermodal terminals. On top of that, the company also provides rail-mounted ASC-series automated stacking cranes for use in automated container stack yards in large maritime terminals. According to Altieri, “In offering this broad range, Terex Port Solutions stays true to its claim that it can supply terminals in this segment with the right handling equipment for every size and type of terminal.”