HELSINKI's Cargotec has secured a deal to supply four of its Kalmar ESC340W straddle carriers to Malaysian port operator Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, the supplier company has announced.
    The 40-tonne cranes are scheduled for delivery to the company's Port Klang site in September. These latest straddle carriers will be used to replace the existing fleet with newer models as the ongoing growth of intra-Asia container traffic demands increased efficiency at terminals in the region. As the national load centre, Northport has 2,400 employees and was responsible for handling 3.3 million TEU in 2011.
    Northport has a longstanding working partnership with Cargotec and boasts a fleet including 26 ship-to-shore cranes, 62 RTGs, 37 straddle carriers, and 153 prime movers. This close co-operation is reinforced by a five-year service agreement in which Cargotec will provide continuous maintenance support for the new straddle carriers.
    This new four-machine deal follows a contract in which Cargotec was commissioned to refurbish and upgrade eight of Northport's ship-to-shore cranes at its Container Terminal Two.
    Over the last 12 months, Cargotec has converted the older cranes to utilise the latest crane management system software and wireless remote diagnostics tools to ensure faster recovery time, higher uptime, and lower maintenance costs in the future. Most are fitted with Bromma spreaders. Port Klang also now utilises the Navis terminal operating system, a Cargotec statement said.

(source:shipping online)