PD Ports welcomes four new RTG cranes to Teesport

News Release PD Ports, Harbour Office Tees Dock (Port Operations Centre) August 19, 2011

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London, 19 August
2011 - The four new
RTG (rubber-tyred gantry) cranes delivered to Teesport today are a key component
of the current £16.7million expansion of the container terminals at Teesport and
represent the biggest single equipment investment in the port since the
container terminal opened in 2003.
The Konecranes
RTGs, manufactured in Finland and Poland for a total investment of around £5
million, are the first of their type to be supplied by Konecranes in the UK and
will allow PD Ports to significantly improve handling capacity on the Teesport
Container Terminal as volumes continue to grow.
“By switching
from the current handling system using reachstackers to these RTGs we can store
many more boxes on the same area, due to their ability to create higher, wider
container stacks,” says Mark Pearson, PD Ports Project Director. “They also
improve the number of containers handled per hour.” The
16-wheel RTGs have a lifting capacity of 50 tonnes and can stack 1-over-5
containers high and 6 plus truck lane wide.
Teesport’s
container terminals saw volumes increase by 45% in 2010 and capacity is
currently being expanded from 235,000 to 450,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent
unit, the standard measurement for sea containers. The company’s overall
strategy is to expand port wide capacity to at least 650,000 TEU so further
improving employment security for the current 500+ Teesport employees, and
potentially creating new opportunities for additional employment, especially
important at a time when the local and national economies remain under serious
pressure to create jobs.
The
RTGs, which were purchased after a rigorous selection process, are fitted with
the latest Konecranes fuel saving system and have been designed to take future
environmental requirements into account, including switching from diesel to
electric power.
The
cranes are also equipped with the latest GPS-assisted technology for container
yards. This includes the autosteering feature, which keeps the crane on a
pre-programmed straight driving path, thus improving safety and increasing
productivity. 
The
RTG container positioning system is connected to the port’s terminal operating
system, ensuring correct, real-time container positioning and maintaining
accuracy in inventory. 
Mr
Pearson says the operators will go through a full training programme and he
expects the RTGs to be in full operation by the end of
September.</DIV></BODY></HTML>