KCI Konecranes VLC has won a EUR10 million contract from ZAO First Container Terminal (ZFCT) for two panamax ship-to-shore container cranes for the Port of St Petersburg, in Russia. Delivery is scheduled for October 2003.

The order comes as container traffic at the Port of St Petersburg is expected to grow 30 percent in 2002. ZFCT said it would also open a new container jetty next year.

The new cranes will be equipped with KCI's electrical control system, and have a lifting capacity of 50 tonnes and an outreach of 38.5 metres. The cranes will be built at KCI's Hanko, Finland, factory.

KCI is a leading engineering group, specialising in advanced lifting solutions. The company competes in all parts of the industrial and harbour crane market. In 2001, group sales totalled EUR756 million.