Swedish forest products and engineering products are just two examplesof the freight that will be transported using this new service. Swedish exports to Morocco have more than doubled in the past ten years. In 2013, the export value was SEK 2.7 billion. During the first nine months of 2014, exports rose by 49 per cent compared with the same period the previous year. Next week the shipping company Seago Line starts a new freight service between Gothenburg and Morocco.

“It is extremely encouraging that Seago Line has identified market potential in the trade between Sweden and Morocco and that it has chosen to invest in Gothenburg as a freight hub,” said Claes Sundmark, Vice President Business Area Cargo, Roro and Rail, at the Port of Gothenburg.

The ships operating on this new service will call at APM Terminals, the Port of Gothenburg container terminal, each Friday. The rotation will be St Petersburg – Gdansk – Gothenburg – Bremerhaven – Antwerp –
Casablanca – Agadir. North Africa important for Swedish forest industry

The service will call at St Petersburg and Gdansk before Gothenburg, which means that imports from Russia and Poland will be able to unload in Gothenburg. From Gothenburg to Morocco the containers will be packed with for example engineering products, timber products and paper. North Africa is an important market for the Swedish forest industry. Swedish export of sawn timber to Morocco is approximately 400 000 m3 annually.

The 1-over-1 hybrid shuttle carriers will be
dedicated to operations at Virginia International Gateway (VIG), one of the port’s four terminals. The order was booked into Cargotec’s 2014 fourth quarter order intake with delivery scheduled for third quarter 2015.

VIG is a semi-automated operation with automatic stacking cranes (ASCs) in the yard operations and manual shuttle carriers used for the transport of containers from the ship-to-shore area tothe ASCs. Moreover, VIG is a forerunner in the implementation of the ASC and shuttle carrier concept and a benchmark in the industry. The shuttle carrier as the mode of horizontal transportation ensures high efficiency by decoupling the terminal’s waterside and landside operations.

John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority said: “One of the focus areas for us is to increase the terminal capacity at a sufficient pace to keep up with growing demand while remaining flexible in our operations and reducing our carbon footprint and fuel costs. The ASC and shuttle setup fits this requirement perfectly. Kalmar’s new innovative technology, especially the hybrid solution, helps us to meet one of our goals: sustainability – being gentle on the environment when and where possible.”

The Kalmar hybrid shuttle carriers for VIG have a 50-ton capacity and are equipped with an extendable twin-lift spreader. Their regenerative energy system converts electrical braking and spreader lowering energy into electric power that is stored by the state-of-the-art battery technology. An automated start-stop system chooses the optimal balance between engine and battery power. The system can deliver a remarkable 40% decrease in fuel consumption compared to existing machines in the market while meeting the most stringent engine emission regulations worldwide. This not only adds up to significant cost savings for the terminal, but also improves the sustainability of operations.

Tero Kokko, Vice President, Horizontal Transportation at Kalmar said: “The redesigned drive and steering system with individual control of each wheel enables the machine to move diagonally in ‘crab’ mode or even pirouette on the spot around its vertical axis. This radical increase in maneuverability enables shorter work cycles and reduces terminal congestion. For further operator comfort and stability, at high speeds the shuttle carrier automatically switches to ‘truck’ mode with the front wheels steering.

“Improving machine stability without decreasing performance is highly valued by our customers. The Kalmar hybrid shuttle carrier has an upgraded active stability control system as a standard, ensuring smooth and safe driving by continuously monitoring speed, turn radius and the spreader’s position, slowing the vehicle speed down automatically when needed,” Kokko continued.

Craig joins Kalmar from Ingersoll Rand where he headed the Industrial Technologies parts and services business for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. Before Ingersoll Rand, Craig worked 21 years at ABB where he held a variety of leadership positions in the service business and was in charge of the global Services business of ABB’s Robotics division as VP Customer Service as well as the Worldwide Head of Service Technology.
Craig, who has both US and French citizenships, has lived and worked in several countries, including the USA, Canada, France, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, USA and holds an MBA from INSEAD, France. Craig will be based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

“Craig brings with him in-depth experience and an excellent track record from the global services business. Driving the services offering development and growth is one of the strategic focus areas in Kalmar. It is also a key area for Kalmar to realise the benefits of digitalisation. I want to warmly welcome Craig to the Kalmar team,” says Olli Isotalo, President, Kalmar.

“Kalmar’s global reach, local presence and strong heritage as a manufacturer of high-quality equipment put us in an unrivalled position in the cargo handling industry. I am excited to continue driving Kalmar’s service offerings to new levels to help our customers optimise their business performance,” says Craig Jessup.