Straddle carriers at the Tilbury terminal.

Kalmar has won a contract to refurbish 13 of Tilbury Container Services' (TCS) straddle carriers.

The new contract is in addition to Kalmar's routine servicing of TCS's straddle carrier fleet.

The straddles would be assessed individually and repairs planned according to need. Kalmar contract maintenance manager Jason Smith said the work was "predictive maintenance" where the machines were repaired before they broke down.

The machines were currently 10 years old, having worked about 20,000 hours. Overhauling their Volvo engines could see them last another five years or 10,000 hours, a Kalmar statement said.

TCS initially planned to do the refurbishments itself but, after talks with Kalmar, decided it could afford a Kalmar contract and focus on cranes and breakdowns instead.

TCS currently operates 39 straddles (a mix of Kalmar and other brands) at its Tilbury terminal in the UK.