 Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena has placed a large order for its new Contecar terminal in Cartegena. |
Container and heavy-duty materials handling equipment supplier Kalmar Industries has been awarded a contract to supply Colombia's Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena (SPRC) with a variety of container handling equipment for its new Contecar terminal in Cartagena on the Caribbean coast. The order includes 30 terminal tractors, seven E-One+ rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and five reachstackers. The smaller equipment is scheduled to be delivered by November, while the RTGs will be operational by May of 2009.
SPRC is one of Kalmar's best South American customers and the company says the agreement demonstrates the importance of long-term partnerships where continuous support remains paramount in maintaining efficient terminal operations.
Dan House, Kalmar's Latin America managing director, says SPRC expects sizable increases in cargo traffic at the Port of Cartagena. To accommodate this growth, the terminal operator looked to Kalmar yet again as a reliable partner in equipping its new container terminal with innovative and productive equipment.
Kalmar's partnership with SPRC dates back to 1997, according to House. "Because they have a sizeable fleet of Kalmar machines at their existing terminal, Kalmar was the preferred supplier of equipment to the new Contecar container handling operation."
"By sticking with Kalmar, SPRC gets the benefit of having a consistent fleet of equipment across both terminals. This commonality simplifies operation and maintenance. SPRC trusts Kalmar's quality and support."
The order for seven E-One+ cranes will bring the total number of Kalmar RTGs ordered by SPRC to 27. The latest units will be 6 + 1 wide and 1-over-6 high. All will be supplied with Kalmar's Smartrail autosteering and container positioning verification system and Remote Monitoring Interface (RMI).
The five Kalmar DRF450-65S5 reachstackers will offer SPRC advantages in operational flexibility, with the capability to lift 45 tonnes in the first row of container stacks, 31 tonnes in the second row and 15 tonnes in the third row. The units' environmentally friendly engines feature low emissions, smoother automatic gear shift and driver controls. Kalmar's DRF-series sets new standards for reliability, performance and easy maintenance.
The value of the orders was not disclosed.
Kalmar is part of Cargotec Corporation, a leading provider of cargo handling solutions which are used in local transportation, terminals, ports, distribution centres and ships. In 2007, Cargotec's net sales were EUR3.018 billion (USD 4.805 billion).