Konecranes, Springfield, Ohio. received an order for nine rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes from the Port of Houston Authority (PHA), Houston, Texas. These are the first Konecranes fuel-saving RTGs for PHA, which already has 40 Konecranes RTGs in its terminals. The cranes will be delivered in July 2010.
The largest container port in the Gulf of Mexico, PHA is responsible for eight cargo terminals and one cruise terminal along the Houston Ship Channel, and handles up to 40 million tons of cargo a year. Konecranes delivered its first RTGs to PHA in 2003. The recently-ordered cranes will be delivered to the Bayport Container Terminal. Bayport opened in January 2007 and is now undergoing its second expansion to 155 acres of container yard and 3,330 feet of wharf. The Bayport equipment fleet will then include 27 Konecranes 16-wheel RTGs.
“The customer appreciates not only the fuel-saving features and reduced fuel costs, but also the higher fleet availability that the RTGs’ all-electric systems offer,” says Jussi Sarpio, Director, RTG cranes at Konecranes. “Another important feature is the crane’s anti-sway design which increases productivity in the terminal.”
The fuel-saving RTGs have been designed to take account of future environmental requirements. The cranes feature a variable-speed diesel alternator system, which reduces fuel consumption significantly by eliminating high-speed idling. It also reduces noise and emissions. In addition, the RTGs are equipped with active load control with a horizontal fine positioning system. The 16-wheel, all-electric cranes have a lifting capacity of 50 tons and can stack one-over five containers high and six-plus truck lanes wide.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
