Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded the contract to heighten three ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes operated by DP World Antwerp Gateway NV.
The order was booked in Cargotec's Q1, 2016 order intake, and the project is scheduled for completion during Q2, 2017.
The order continues Kalmar's long-standing relationship with DP World, a leading global operator of marine and inland terminals.
The Antwerp Gateway terminal is continuing its expansion in anticipation of significant growth in container movements and in response to the ever-increasing size of vessels.
Kalmar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the heightening as well as commissioning of the project.
The three cranes, operational since 2006, will be heightened by seven metres.
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Jef Lambregts, Technical Manager at DP World Antwerp Gateway, said: “Kalmar's technical and project management expertise in this kind of highly specialised project is second to none.
“We were extremely happy with the results of the previous crane-heightening project that we concluded with Kalmar in 2016 and are confident that this next phase will also be completed smoothly and on schedule.
“Upgrading our STS cranes in this way is vital to ensure we remain competitive and can continue to meet the demands of our shipping line customers.”
Erik Kocken, Manager of Crane Upgrades Projects at Kalmar, said: “The professional planning and execution we provide in this kind of heightening project keeps disruption to the terminal's operational efficiency to a minimum.
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“Our relationship with DP World is a long and fruitful one, and I'm extremely pleased that they have once again chosen Kalmar to support them in their continued drive to improve the efficiency of their container-handling operations.”
The cranes will be heightened by inserting leg extensions underneath the portal beams and installing bolted flange junctions in the existing welded crane leg construction.
During the operation the cranes are jacked up using specialised jacking towers and hydraulic jacks.
The project will also involve structural reinforcements in crane travel and trolley travel direction.
