Santos Brasil S/A has ordered 12 Kalmar E-One2 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, making the container terminal operator Cargotec's biggest customer for the units.

The new order brings Santos Brasil's total number of Kalmar E-One RTGs to 41 machines.

Santos Brasil's newly inaugurated Tecon Santos Terminal 4 expansion will benefit from the new equipment, which will start arriving in the fourth quarter of 2011. Both parties have agreed to keep the value of the order confidential.

The new all-electric, environmentally friendly 16-wheel RTGs will be 7+1 wide and 1-over-6 high and come equipped with Kalmar Smartrail, an autosteering and container position verification system. Cargotec says the 16-wheel design combined with cranes' light weight puts less stress on terminal surfaces compared to conventional eight-wheel units. The cranes will feature 55T capacity twin-lift Bromma spreaders with load-sensing capability via the twistlocks.

Operating at the Port of Santos, Santos Brasil has been a Cargotec customer since 2000. Besides its existing 29 Kalmar RTGs, the operator has empty container handlers, reach stackers and heavy-duty forklifts from Cargotec.

Caio Morel, Santos Brasil's operations director, says standardising equipment offers some important benefits. "In terms of maintenance, it is a significant advantage to have a standardised set of equipment. If the equipment is in need of maintenance, all we need to do is cross the road from Tecon Santos to Cargotec's service facilities, where we benefit from quick and personalised after-sales service."

Tecon Santos Brasil is the largest container terminal in the country, capable of handling 2 million TEUs per year.