full service and maintenance contract
Forest product handling and shipping specialist, Interforest BV, has placed an order for a Kalmar ship-to-shore (STS) gantry container crane for its terminal in Rotterdam. The purchase agreement, signed on 14 January 2004, incorporates a full service and maintenance contract covering the first five years after commissioning. Due to the expansion of its terminal, Interforest has decided to acquire its first container crane to shorten ship turnaround times while increasing the number of ship visits.
Interforest, owned by the Swedish company SCA, will begin container stevedoring activities on 1 October 2004. Up until now, containers have been handled by Interforest using vessels’ own cranes or neighbouring container terminals, such as ECT Home Terminal. However, as the operator is shipping more of its forest products in containers, this arrangement is no longer economical, says Bob de Lange, Managing Director at Interforest:
“This costs time and money and for a liner service it is, of course, important to be able to follow a strict schedule.
Interforest has been renting 6.5 hectares of terminal space from the Rotterdam Port Authority – an area that was recently in use by ECT Home Terminal. The total area reserved for Interforest operations will expand to 18 hectares including a 500m quay capable of servicing two ships simultaneously. A recent deal with Star Shipping of Bergen, Norway will boost Interforest existing annual throughput of 30,000 TEU by an additional 60,000 TEU.
Mr De Lange explains why he chose Kalmar ship-to-shore crane:
“Kalmar is known to supply quality and reliable container cranes and has many references in Rotterdam, Antwerp and various other European terminals.
“Kalmar short delivery time, their proactive approach in offering financing and a competitive pricing for a multi-year full service contract sealed our decision to co-operate with them.
The gantry crane is scheduled for delivery 1 October 2004 includes features such as a 38m outreach, a 15.24m railspan, a 20m backreach and a 40-tonne loading capacity under the spreader and up to 60 tons under the rotator. Aside from handling containers, the machine is also suitable for handling breakbulk cargoes.
René Kleiss, Vice-President, Kalmar Ship-to-Shore Cranes concludes:
“This order proves that after its recent success in selling super post-Panamax cranes, Kalmar is also competitive in the Panamax-size crane sector.
Notes to editors:
Press information can be found on Kalmar website www.kalmarind.com. Simply click on News Room to be taken to a list of recent press releases or on Press Pictures to be taken to the Kalmar photo gallery.
Photographs to accompany this release are also available on the Dunelm website at www.dunelmpr.co.uk. Click on the photo gallery button, then the Kalmar logo and you will be taken to a selection of thumbnail images which lead to downloadable photographs (300 dpi). The captions for the photographs read:
Pictured from left to right are: Jan Jochmann, Operations Manager, Interforest BV; Cock Angevaren, Project Manager, Kalmar Industries BV; René Kleiss, Vice-President, Kalmar Ship-to-Shore Cranes shaking hands with Bob de Lange, Managing Director, Interforest and Peter van der Donk, Kalmar Industries BV (at the back).
Kalmar is a global provider of heavy-duty materials handling equipment and services to ports, intermodal traffic, terminals and demanding industrial customers. Kalmar focuses on supplying handling solutions that enable customers to operate with a high level of efficiency and reliability. Every fourth container or trailer transfer at terminals around the world is handled by a Kalmar machine.
Kalmar provides a large range of value added services such as maintenance contracts and fleet management. Manufacturing plants are situated in Sweden (as is the head office), in Finland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Malaysia, China and the USA.