Kalmar boosts MSC Antwerp
Kalmar has received one of the largest orders to date for its EDRIVE ESC straddle carrier with a request for 29 units from MSC Home Terminal in Antwerp. All 29 machines have a three-high stacking ability, while 15 units are equipped with Kalmar’ s extendable twinlift spreaders, which have a 50-ton capacity. The 29 machines are due for delivery late this year and early next.
Kalmar says the EDRIVE strads have proven their success in terms of environmental considerations, with low noise emission, low fuel consumption, low maintenance and repair costs and the use of less hydraulic oil.
The significance of the twinlift spreader is its ability to mirror the handling efficiency of terminal ship-toshore cranes. A ship-to-shore crane can lower two full 20′ containers 1.5 metres apart from each other on the quayside with its extendable twinlift spreader before swinging back to the ship to collect more boxes. For a number of reasons this speeds up the operation significantly, for example because seal inspection can be done immediately without extra handling. However, the straddle carrier’s conventional twinlift spreader could only pick up one of these boxes at a time.
In October last year Belgium’s Hesse-Noord Natie ordered nine Kalmar EDRIVE ESC straddle carriers for operation in its River Schelde terminals. Four of these units were specified with extendable twinlift spreaders, equipped with a 50-ton capacity.
With a lower centre of gravity, Kalmar says the strads offer more stability than their competitors. They also boast more engine power, 20% higher lifting speed, faster driving speed and better acceleration than competitors’ models, resulting in a 10% higher overall performance rate.
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