The Port of Houston Authority (POH) in Texas, USA, has placed a USD7 million repeat order for five rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) with Konecranes VLC. Delivery is due in the first quarter of 2004.

POH operates 10 Konecranes RTGs. In 2002, the port's Barbours Cut terminal handled more than one million containers. Executive director Tom Kornegay said the new RTG cranes were needed to ease congestion, which was slowing operations at Barbours Cut.

Konecranes VLC managing director Mikko Uhari said delivery of the five new RTGs would see a total of 125 Konecranes machines operating in North and Central America. KCI Konecranes has a market share of more than 50% in the US RTG market.

Mr Uhari said the RTGs would be manufactured and erected in Europe before being transported by ship to the Barbours Cut terminal in La Porte. The 16-wheel RTGs would initially be one-over-four containers high and six-plus-truck wide, and would be serviced through KCI Koneports' branch office in Houston.