Three additional ship-to-shore cranes have been brought into operation at APM Terminals two joint venture terminals in Finland, Multi-Link Terminals in Kotka and Helsinki.
A new Konecranes ship-to-shore (STS) crane was brought into operation at Multi-Link Terminals Helsinki last month, replacing an older model. The new crane, measuring 40m in boom length, 31m in height and 70 tonnes in lifting capacity, is custom designed and developed specifically for the terminal, according to APM Terminals.
Combining the functionality of an STS and a rail mounted gantry (RMG) crane, it enables the accumulation of a shipload under the crane in advance, thereby increasing the speed of vessel handling. The new crane also reduces overall operating costs, as it reduces the amount of equipment and personnel required, according to the announcement, while it is also capable of handling containers 14 rows accross on a vessel.
The next step in Multi-Link Terminals’ STS fleet upgrade will be the modernisation of the existing Liebherr crane, when the height will be increased from 21 to 26.5m and boom length will be increased from 30 to 32.5m.
The Liebherr crane upgrade is expected to be completed this month. The crane upgrade programme in Helsinki has been a part of the ‘Door2Lng’ project headed by Containerships – CMA CGM GmbH and co-financed by the European Union from the Connecting Europe Facility.
In addition, Multi-Link Terminals in Kotka have two Ansaldo STS cranes relocated from Hamina port, Finland, which complement the existing STS and mobile harbour crane (MHC). The cranes both have a capacity of 40 tonnes under the spreader and an outreach of 32 metres and 38 metres respectively, the latter being the largest crane in Kotka by outreach.
APM Terminals added that the equipment itself has completed testing and will be put into operation once the systems necessary to put the cranes into operation have completed testing, while the operation of these higher capacity cranes will allow the Kotka terminal to handle higher tonnage vessels, carrying up to 14 container rows on deck.
The terminals are a joint venture between Global Ports (75%) and CMA Terminals SAS (25%). The equipment was purchased as part of Global Ports’ ongoing facility upgrade programme. Global Ports is a joint venture that combines the global expertise of APM Terminals (30.75%) with the local knowledge of Delo (30.75%), one of the largest private transportation and logistics holding companies in Russia.
