Kalmar's AutoRTG system

The year has kicked off with some significant crane orders for the big players.

Konecranes has won an order from South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) for three Konecranes RTGs equipped with hybrid power packs. This is the second order for Konecranes hybrid RTGs. The cranes will be delivered in Q1 2020 to the Wando Welch Terminal, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

The new RTGs will be hybrid for eco-efficient operation without compromising crane performance. The hybrid system will have a lithium-ion battery pack and advanced battery management system that will monitor the charge level and the general health of the batteries. Konecranes will be able to monitor the status of this system via TRUCONNECT remote connection. The hybrid system, fully modular and retrofittable, comes with an eco-efficient Tier 4f engine that will charge the batteries when necessary.

Meanwhile, Kalmar has won a tender to supply a complete AutoRTG system to Belfast Container Terminal in Northern Ireland. The system will comprise eight automated rubber-tyred gantry cranes (AutoRTGs) controlled by the Kalmar Terminal Logistic System (TLS) and new-generation remote control (RC) desks.
Delivery of the system is scheduled to commence at the end of 2019.

Belfast Container Terminal (BCT), the largest in Northern Ireland, is owned by and located in Belfast Harbour and is operated under concession by Irish Continental Group. Belfast Harbour is Northern Ireland's principal maritime gateway, handling approximately 70% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and 20% of the trade for the island of Ireland as a whole. The AutoRTG system will replace the manually operated rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) system currently in use at the terminal. The cranes will be factory pre-tested and they will be delivered to BCT fully erected.

Separately, Kalmar has signed an agreement with Exolgan S.A. to supply a total of four rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) with hybrid drivelines for its container terminal in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The delivery is scheduled for late 2019.

The Exolgan terminal in Buenos Aires is a general cargo and container-handling port terminal with strategic road, rail and river transport connections. As the leading port operator in Argentina, Exolgan handles one third of the country's total foreign trade container volume. The company is part of ITL (International Trade Logistics), a group of businesses specialised in managing port and logistics processes. The Kalmar Hybrid RTGs form part of Exolgan's fleet expansion programme. Exolgan's current Kalmar fleet includes RTGs, empty container handlers, forklift trucks and reachstackers.

The cranes delivered to Exolgan will be 6+1 rows wide and 1-over-5 high, with a lifting capacity of 40 T under the spreader. They will be fitted with the Kalmar SmartRail automated gantry steering solution with Container Position Indication (CPI), which automatically controls the gantry steering and feeds container coordinates to the terminal operating system. They will also feature the Kalmar SmartProfile spreader anti-collision system.