The 40-tonne models are scheduled for delivery to the company’s Port Klang site in September 2012. These latest additions form part of a strategy to replace the existing fleet with newer models as the ongoing growth of intra-Asia container traffic demands increased efficiency at terminals in the region. As the national load centre, Northport has over 2400 employees and was responsible for handling approximately 3.3 million TEUs in 2011 alone.

Northport has a longstanding working partnership with Cargotec and boasts an extensive fleet including 26 units of Ship-to-Shore cranes, 62 units of RTG, 37 units of Straddle Carriers, and 153 units of Prime Movers. The company selected these latest Kalmar models based on Cargotec’s track record of delivering quality equipment and excellent service. This close co-operation is reinforced by a large five year service agreement in which Cargotec will provide continuous maintenance support on the new straddle carriers.

This new four machine deal follows a contract in which Cargotec was commissioned to refurbish and upgrade eight of Northport’s Ship-to-Shore cranes at its Container Terminal Two. Over the last twelve months, Cargotec has converted the older cranes to utilise the latest crane management system software and wireless remote diagnostics tools to ensure faster recovery time, higher uptime, and lower maintenance costs in the future. The majority are fitted with Bromma spreaders. Port Klang also now utilises the Navis terminal operating system.

Kalmar’s Edrive® ESC range of Straddle Carriers offers lower operating costs, stronger sideframe for continuous twinlift operation and modular drive system with direct driven wheel hubs. The new W-type front cabin together with Smoothlift(TM) hoist system and rigid frame ensures excellent visibility and driver comfort which makes the enhanced Edrive® the ultimate machine for the operator.

The award recognises the delivery of outstanding infrastructure projects and is recognition of the deep-sea container port’s successful project financing, which was fully secured in December last year.

Sarmad Qureshi, Director of Finance for DP World’s Europe and Russia region, collecting the award on behalf of the team said: “This award is further endorsement of the London Gateway project. It sends a clear message to our customers that this is a globally significant development which has secured world class financial backing. Securing this deal has allowed construction to forge ahead and I am delighted that we were able to close on what has been recognised as the best infrastructure project deal in all sectors. No mean feat, given the economic climate we operate in.

“We are very confident that London Gateway will be able to deliver substantial supply chain cost savings to global shippers. Thanks to our closer location to key UK markets we will also be able help customers move their goods in a greener, more efficient way, reducing CO2 and

other transport emissions.”

Kevin Maddick, Head of Infrastructure at RBS said: “Leading the debt advisory and financing on this project allowed us to see for ourselves what a critical piece of infrastructure London Gateway will become for the UK.  Working with our partners on the team, we were all impressed by the vision of the project and this award vindicates our confidence in financing its development.”

Conrad Andersen, Partner at Allen & Overy, was delighted to be part of the winning team: “The London Gateway project is one that will deliver tangible benefits to the UK economy. This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in making the project a success and ensuring the financing was put in place quickly and efficiently was an important part of that.”

Charles Greenfield, Managing Director of Infrastructure at Société Générale commented: “I am delighted that the DP World London Gateway has received this deserved recognition. This was a world class financial deal for a world class project. Securing top quality funding for projects has been a challenge for some organisations in recent times. I am pleased that the DP World London Gateway project was able to demonstrate a strong mix of vision and benefits to end users, which went a long way to help secure the financing.”                                 

The two lifts brought several challenges for the Mediaco team from the start: On the one hand, the wharf’s structure was not designed to bear the joint weight of the CC 2800 and its load. “In order not to damage the structure, we placed steel beams under the CC 2800’s crawler tracks in order to better distribute the weight,” explains Mediaco Maxilift project manager Robert Titart. On the other hand, the load’s center of gravity proved to be an obstacle in performing the lift safely. In order to solve this problem, a custom-made spreader was used to balance the load with the required precision. However, the spreader added 11.5 tonnes (12.6 US tons) to the load being lifted, increasing the total weight to 433 tonnes (477 US tons)  together with the 4.5-tonne (4.9 US tons) hook block and the 3-tonne (3.3 US tons) rigging cables and chains.

The Mediaco team set up the CC 2800 with an SSL configuration, a 54-meter main boom, a superstructure counterweight of 160 tonnes (176 US tons), and a Superlift counterweight of 300 tonnes (330 US tons), and decided to use a Superlift radius of 15 meters (49 ft). With this configuration, the CC 2800 was perfectly prepared to safely lift the load and put it back down later within the required working radius of 16 meters (52 ft).

The Terex® CC 2800 is a lattice boom crawler crane with a remarkable level of versatility. For instance, it can be converted from a standard crane to a special-purpose crane for wind turbine projects — and back. This includes a rigid luffing fly jib (LF2) with a length of 12, 24, or 36 meters that was developed specifically with wind power-related applications in mind. The crane’s rated lifting capacity is 600 tonnes with a reach of seven meters, while its maximum load moment is 7,056 mt.

The undercarriage is available in two different models: the standard version and with a chassis designed for road travel. The basic machine, including all winches and the A-frame, can be transported within a 12 tonne axle load limit. The high level of flexibility provided by these options and features saves time and money during transportation, setup, and disassembly, providing for a high level of cost-effectiveness in the process.  Moreover, the time-tested control system, featuring remote radio control capabilities, makes it possible to operate the Terex CC2800 easily, safely, and comfortably no matter what the operating conditions.

Claes Sundmark, Sales Director at the Port of Gothenburg said: “We have worked for several years to attract more direct calls for Swedish industry to key markets in the Far East. This news is extremely welcome and very positive.”

The new route has emerged from a newly established alliance, G6. The alliance is made up of APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL (Mitsui O.S.K Lines), Hapag-Lloyd AG, NYK (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) and OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line).

The new route is: Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Tangier – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven – Gothenburg – Rotterdam – Jeddah – Singapore – Shekou – Hong Kong – Shanghai.

The vessels will call at APM Terminals Gothenburg – the Port of Gothenburg container terminal – once a week commencing on April 18. The first vessel to arrive will be the 320 metre-long APL Finland with a capacity of 8,110 TEU.  

Imports will be mainly consumer goods, such as clothes, electronics and furniture. Exports will include automotive parts, sawn wood products, industrial components, steel and paper.

Magnus Kårestedt, Port of Gothenburg Chief Executive said:”APM Terminals in Gothenburg is the only container terminal in Sweden that can handle vessels of this size. Major investments have been made in cranes, hinterland connections, terminal areas and fairways to make this possible.”

Up to now, Sweden has had one direct service to the Far East – Maersk Line, which calls the Port of Gothenburg once a week with its very largest container vessels. From next week, there will two competing alternatives. The Port of Gothenburg now has seven direct deep sea services in total.