It’s great when manufacturers are keen to share their order books. Obviously it helps us in the press out and offers a handy overview of the market, but more importantly it’s a sign that business is good. Unfortunately, that’s not something we’ve been able to take for granted for a while now, even with the largest companies.
As you’ll note from the tables placed around this article, gantry cranes is one of those pleasing markets in which manufacturers are all too happy to tell us about their sales – from Japan’s Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co, Ltd (MES) to ZPMC[TN1] , Konecranes and Cargotec. Rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) and rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) are a continuing source of good news stories in terms of contracts and developments.
KEEP IT GREEN
Unsurprisingly, the focus of product development in this market hasn’t shifted much in recent years from the familiar synergy between ecology and economy. Manufacturers are still striving to reduce the environmental impact of their products to not just meet regulations, but also lessen operational costs for their clients. The challenge, of course, is doing so without compromising on productivity. Cargotec has taken an innovative approach to tackling this issue with the latest addition to its RTG portfolio and range of Kalmar E-One2 RTGs, the SmartPower. This specialist machine differs from traditional diesel engine RTG designs in that it is optimised to proficiently carry out the cranes’ most common operations, rather than every possible operation.
Cargotec identified that RTGs are usually designed to be suitable for “the rare occasion” when a full load needs to be hoisted with full acceleration and speed. By creating the E-One2 SmartPower with a smaller diesel engine and an intelligent power management system, the manufacturer states that it can deliver significant savings for typical RTG operations that involve handling between 9 and 18 containers per hour.
So while the engine is less powerful than those of some of its market counterparts, at 9 litres per hour it offers what Cargotec calls the lowest fuel consumption of any diesel-electric RTG on the market. By eschewing the ‘one-size-fits-all’ principle, the manufacturer argues that it can deliver a more bespoke solution to deliver both optimal performance and economy. That, it states, is where the “smart” bit of the name comes from. Reducing running costs is also a key aspect of Liebherr’s ongoing development of its RTG technology. The manufacturer states that it is currently working on a new engine and drive algorithm with a view to further reducing running costs. It has noted an increased importance of all-electric models in its RTG business, having delivered a zero-emission crane to the Port of Cork, Ireland, earlier this year. Dual-power all-electric and diesel RTGs delivered to Sharjah Port in the United Arab Emirates have also been among recent orders. Additionally, Liebherr points to its ability to equip RTGs with DGPS, auto steering and other technologies that enhance productivity as a way of saving costs.
FUEL FOR THOUGHT
Konecranes offers the optional Diesel Fuel Saver system on its RTGs, which reduces fuel consumption by eliminating high-speed idling and also minimises noise emissions. This system provides power on-demand, only supplying the RPMs required for the work the crane is performing, so no energy is wasted. The manufacturer states that this can result in savings of tens of thousands of Euros a year per RTG, without compromising on productivity. A further modular option for Konecranes’ RTGs is the Hybrid Power Pack, which turns a diesel RTG into a diesel-electric hybrid RTG, thus dramatically reducing fuel consumption. Much like a hybrid car, this takes energy generated during braking and converts it into electricity to recharge the energy store, from which the crane then derives its power whenever possible.
Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co, Ltd (MES) has been delivering Paceco Transtainer RTGs, fitted with a large lithium ion storage battery since May 2010. Again, the hybrid system works by storing and reusing energy during as a container is lowered. The MES original Engine Variable Speed Control (EVSC) fitted on these machines controls engine speed by optimally synchronising with the loading condition. The hybrid Transtainer has since undergone further enhancements, increasing its capacity and in turn improving the energy storage potential so the engine size could be reduced along with emissions. MES states that it is dedicated to continuously contributing to the conservation of the environment by offering state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly equipment.
Â
A QUIET EVOLUTION
This ongoing dedication to further developing RTG technology is common among all the companies to which World Port Development spoke for this article. With fuel prices and environmental regulations evolving as they are, the manufacturers really have no other choice. Of course, those regulations also stretch beyond merely fuel emissions; the increasingly tight requirements regarding noise reduction have resulted in Cargotec placing the matter high on its agenda for RTGs. The manufacturer boasts that, in removing the diesel engine, its all-electric E-One2 Zero Emission RTG is “the most quiet solution available.” It has also worked to reduce noise in the diesel-electric SmartPower version, with that aforementioned smaller engine housed in a specially designed, noise-limiting compartment. Cargotec adds that, even when regulations do not demand noise reductions, the increasingly congested urban areas in which terminals operate may lead to this becoming a greater concern. Additionally, the E-One2 range aims to minimise overall costs by maximising maintenance intervals. All of the RTGs in the line have a 1,000-hour maintenance window, with equipment and support services on offer 24 hours a day. It also describes its 9+1 RTG as being “unique” in its width, offering an alternative to RMGs. “Where commonly RMGs were desired for large rail operations as several tracks can be covered simultaneously,” the company details, “this can be achieved with the RTG as well – with the RTG requiring less infrastructure (no rail) and hence [providing] a greater amount of flexibility. The Kalmar RTG crane range varies from a 4+1 to 9+1 block size, with 1 over 3 or 1 over 6-high stacking.”
Recent orders for E-One2 RTGs include the first two eight-wheel units of this class ever supplied to an Ecuadorian client. These were ordered in early November by cargo handling firm INARPI S.A for a new inland yard operation on Trinitaria Island, Guayaquil – the largest city in the country. The cranes are scheduled for delivery in July 2013 and will join existing Kalmar equipment in the INARPI S.A fleet, including six DRF450-65 reachstackers and five Ottawa C50 terminal tractors. Further to this, in October Cargotec announced that it had received an order for four E-One2 Zero Emission RTGs from International Transportation and Trading Joint Stock Company (ITC Corp). This was for the company’s new port at Phu Huu Ward Dist 9, Ho Chi Minh City. These machines are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2013. They will service the first phase of the port development, which is set to open in the following quarter. This will comprise a 41-hectare area with 900 meters of quay that will handle 2,000-TEU container ships and 36,000 DWT vessels. Cargotec states that important factors behind ICT’s investment in the Kalmar RTGs include their environmental friendliness, related savings offered by a more than 30% reduction in fuel consumption, and long maintenance intervals.
Â
LASTING SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Maintenance savings are also a central feature of 10 eight-wheel RTGs that Konecranes delivered to Indonesia’s Belawan International Container Terminal (BICT) in June. These machines’ wheels rotate while turning, thus reducing wear on the rubber tyres and the container yard in comparison to traditional so
lutions, and extending the crane’s length of service. The BICT contract was the result of a longstanding relationship, with the 10 new units bringing the total number of Konecranes RTGs at the terminal to 15. Such long-term connections with clients have been a cornerstone of much of Konecranes’ recent activity. This was notably the case in an order it received in August from the Bolloré Group in West Africa, for nine RTGs to MPS Container Terminal in Tema, Ghana, and Benin Container Terminal in Cotonou, Benin. Bolloré Group, the leading private concessions operator in Africa, now has a fleet of 67 Konecranes RTGs across West Africa. Features of the latest cranes include Auto Steering and Variable Speed Engine and Fuel Saver technology. Similarly, an October delivery of three Konecranes 16-wheel RTGs to Luka Koper in Slovenia was based on a decade-long relationship. Ordered in January, these are the first 16-wheel RTGs at the port, featuring active load technology, the Fuel Saver system, and the Autosteering and Autostop features. In the same month, the manufacturer received an order from another long-term client, the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) in the US. This was for eight 16-wheel RTGs for the Barbours Cut Terminal, increasing its fleet of 16-wheel Konecranes RTGs to 30. PHA already has 49 of the manufacturer’s RTGs operating across all of its terminals, and this is the authority’s second order for fuel-saving models from Konecranes. The manufacturer delivered its first RTGs to the port – which, as a handler of almost 230 million tons of cargo per year is the largest in the US in terms of foreign waterborne tonnage – in 2003.
ORDER, ORDER!
Liebherr has also notched considerable success over the past year, with a notable glut of orders across Europe and Africa. This includes deliveries to DCT Gdansk (Ukraine), DP World Sokhna (Egypt), the Port of Cork (Ireland) and OJSC Petrolesport at St Petersburg, Russia. Again, many of these are rooted in existing client relationships; the deliveries to Gdansk bring the terminal’s fleet of Liebherr RTGs to a total of 14, complementing five ship-to-shore cranes supplied by the manufacturer. The Egyptian delivery of six 1 over 5 RTGs increased the DP World Sokhna site’s fleet to 11. The St Petersburg contract involves two deliveries; the first was for six 1 over 5 RTGs that can stack 6 containers wide, the second for a further five that stack 7 wide.
In 2011, Liebherr delivered more than 30 RTGs – a total it will better this year and is projected to trump once again in 2013. Liebherr’s year began with a delivery of three 16-wheel RTGs to Termont Montreal, Canada, and the manufacturer recently installed two RMGs for the Freightliner Ltd Southampton Maritime Rail Terminal, UK. Both of these cranes were launched in a ceremony on 15 October, with the names Freightliner Fortis 15-10-2012 and Freightliner Agilitas 15-10-2012. Freightliner, the UK’s largest rail freight operator with an 81% market share of all deepsea maritime containers that enter the UK, had previously invested in Liebherr cranes for its Birmingham and Manchester terminals in 2009 and 2008 respectively. The manufacturer’s RMG order books for 2013 are already looking healthy, with nine deliveries scheduled for next year.
It boasts that such strong demand for its gantry cranes – particularly RTGs – is driven by a range of factors that differentiate Liebherr from its competitors. For RTGs, Liebherr highlights the perks of its eight-rope reeving anti-sway system, which is supplied as standard on all its stacking cranes. This, coupled with the simultaneous operation of the gantry, hoist and travel motors allows for “superior positioning of the spreader and eliminates the need for a headblock.” The simplified hoist configuration optimises drive power for maximum energy-efficient operation, Liebherr states. The manufacturer adds that it can offer “an increase in productivity of between 30 and 40%” when compared with alternative designs. Paceco España, a licensee of the global manufacturer Paceco and subsidiary of the Mitsui Group, is currently in the process of delivering five RTGs to the Port of Bilbao. These eight-wheel Transtainer models, which were ordered back in May, are being delivered in two stages. The first shipment, which is being completed at the time of going to press, involves the delivery of two units. The remaining cranes will be shipped in January.
SUCCESS BREEDS CONFIDENCE
Such widespread news of large gantry crane deliveries and orders, combined with projections for 2013, is heartening. This staple technology of port operations may date back to an archetypal principle that’s more than 150 years old, but the manor in which it continues to evolve around the modern world’s requirements still allows plenty of scope for manufacturers to innovate. So while nothing should ever be taken for granted, we can at least retain confidence that the RTG and RMG market should continue to be a source of good news and – hopefully – success for both operators and manufacturers.
[TN1]Assuming you are using the ZPMC spreadsheet – they’re not mentioned elsewhere as they didn’t provide additional info.