12 new straddle carriers get added to expanding operations
The recent addition of 12 new four-container high reach straddle carriers will increase storage capacity at Scandinavia’s largest container terminal by 40% and will increase productivity with the ability to lift two 20′ containers simultaneously. With the final two of the container handling machines delivered this week, older units among the 38 working straddle carriers will be phased out.
The older straddle carriers were able to lift containers onto stacks two containers high, while the new units, at 16 meters (52.5 feet) in height, are able to stack containers three high. The new straddle carriers are diesel-electric hybrids, with a powerful diesel engine enabling the electric motors to power front operation and lift. With this type of system, diesel fuel consumption, along with particulate and CO2 emissions, are significantly reduced as an automated system also calculates optimal speeds.
“We are lowering our carbon emissions by more than 30% compared with our older vehicles“, said APM Terminals Gothenburg Technical Manager Martin Koch, adding “we are also able to reduce particulate emissions and CO2 emissions by over 90%“.
From a Safety performance perspective, the 12 new straddle carriers provide better visibility, are easier to manuever, are equipped with 4-point safety belts within the cab, and utilize an advanced stability monitoring system.
APM Terminals Gothenburg handles 8,000-10,000 container quay moves per week, with an overall annual container throughput of 780,000 TEUs in 2013. These four-high straddle carriers, the first to be put into operation in Sweden, are part of a USD $115 million investment program over the next five years to establish the facility as a deep-water hub for Scandinavia and the Baltic area. Nearly half of all of the port’s container traffic moves by rail into and out of the facility, with 25 rail shuttles linking Gothenburg with commercial and industrial centers in Sweden and Norway, the highest proportion of any European port. A rail expansion increasing annual rail capacity to 550,000 TEUs is now underway.
The port plays a vital role in the supply chain success of the Nordic region’s major products, including the forest, chemical, automotive, steel, and electronics industries, handling shipments of furniture, food, textiles, vehicle components, electronic equipment and wooden goods as well as general merchandise.
Source and Image Credit: APM Terminals
