Konecranes image: Konecranes equipment will move containers of municipal solid waste from New York City.

Konecranes has made a breakthrough into a new area after receiving an order for container handling cranes for use in waste handling in New York, USA.

The order was placed by New York Container Terminal (NYCT) last month and includes two RTGs and two RMG cranes. The cranes will be used for moving containers of municipal solid waste from New York City. The cranes will be delivered to NYCT's terminal on Staten Island by the end of 2014. The value of the order is confidential.

The purchase of the cranes is part of New York City's solid waste management program. Waste from the city will be packed into specially designed containers and transported via barge over the Hudson River to NYCT's Staten Island terminal.

The new Konecranes RMGs will unload the sealed containers at the terminal, where the Konecranes RTG cranes will then load them onto trains. The containers will then be transported to specific energy-from-waste facilities.

"This is a very exciting contract for us - a breakthrough in fact - and will open up a new business segment for our container-handling cranes," says Jussi Suhonen, Konecranes' sales director for port cranes in the Americas.

The cranes, which have been specially designed for heavy-duty operation and have a lifting capacity of 50 T, will include advanced features like the Konecranes Active Load Control, which enhances personnel safety and improves terminal productivity.