The Port of Kokkola in Finland has acquired a second-hand gantry crane as demand for container handling increases.

The port’s managing director Torbjörn Witting says the container traverse crane was sourced from Poland and is expected to be operational by the end of June next year. 

“There is now a sharp increase in container traffic in the port of Kokkola and we have received strong feedback and several requests from customers to increase our container handling capacity,” Witting says.

“At the same time, the size of container ships is increasing all the time, for which the 17 container rows crane suits perfectly. This crane investment is our answer to our customers’ needs and it also improves our service to our partners.”

Witting says the amount paid for the crane, which can handle more than 60 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per hour, is a “trade secret”.

“In this case, we got an excellent crane for a fraction of the cost of a new one,” he says.

The new container crane will be installed in the Silverstone Port, which will eventually handle all of Kokkola’s container traffic.