The seaport at Bremerhaven

Kalmar has delivered its 4,500th straddle carrier. The equipment has been installed for a container terminal and logistics company in Germany as part of an ongoing contract.

Eurogate Bremerhaven took delivery of a Kalmar seventh-generation ESC440W straddle carrier equipped with additional special options. The machine will be used at the busy seaport to meet rising demand.

Over the past three years, container traffic through Bremerhaven has increased 50% and the port currently handles 5.6 million TEU annually.

Kalmar won the contract to supply Eurogate with 48 ESC440W machines last April and the straddle carrier delivered was part of this contract.

Emanuel Schiffer, president of Eurogate, says straddle carriers have always been the best option for the Bremerhaven operation.

"Kalmar's straddle carriers have a reputation for good product reliability, which is imperative for our productivity. Bremerhaven plays an important role in Germany's exports; therefore, we cannot compromise on reliability.

"Environmental issues are important to us. Our biggest challenges in Bremerhaven are fuel utilisation, controlling emissions and noise protection. Noise protection efforts are especially important when we work close to cities. Kalmar fulfils these requirements well. At the moment, we are investigating the possibility of using hybrid straddle carriers."