Forth Ports invests in 11 straddle carriers
The Kalmar equipment will be deployed at the firm’s container terminals in Grangemouth and London.
London Container Terminal (LCT) has taken delivery of six new Kalmar machines and Grangemouth will receive five new machines in early 2020.
In London, 3 of the six new straddles are part of LCT’s equipment replacement programme, with the other 3 going into service to meet the increase in container business at the terminal. The current fleet at the terminal is now 36 straddles. London Container Terminal handles a diverse range of conventional and reefer containers with cargos ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables to bricks and steel.
In Grangemouth the purchase of the five new straddles is part of a major investment programme at Scotland’s container terminal to increase its capacity for storing both conventional containers and reefers (refrigerated containers). The new straddle carriers will replace five of the existing fleet of 16 and commence the transition to four high straddles from the current three high straddles. The port also welcomed a new Liebherr ship to shore container crane last year which is already delivering faster turnaround times. Grangemouth handles some of Scotland’s most valuable exports, such as fine foods and drinks, with more than £6 billion worth of goods passes through the port each year including steel plate, timber, paper and equipment for the oil and gas industry.
Stuart Wallace, chief operating officer at Forth Ports said of the multi-million pound order: "We are investing across the group and with these 11 new Kalmar straddles for our busy container terminals in London and Grangemouth, we secure their position as key shipping and distribution locations offering some of the most efficient landside operations in the industry. At LCT we have the capacity to handle in excess of half a million containers each year and it is the only UK port truly servicing both deep sea and short sea customers. Customers of LCT also benefit from access to Europe’s largest portside chill store sitting on the doorstep of the largest consumption market in the UK."
