Kalmar to deliver revolutionary RTGs to Port of Oslo
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract to supply eight zero emission rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, featuring new Kalmar SmartPort automation technology, to the Port of Oslo in Sydhavna, Norway. The order, valued at approximately EUR 17 million, will see all eight machines delivered within an 18 month time frame, the company said in its press release.
The RTGs will play a significant role in boosting capacity at the port, which is planning to increase container throughput from 210,000 to 450,000 TEU annually. The Sjursøya Container Terminal in Sydhavna (south harbour) has been designed specifically to operate around RTG, straddle and shuttle carrier systems. The Port of Oslo already uses Kalmar equipment and in 2002 took delivery of the world's first zero emission RTGs with cable reel supply at their Ormsund Container Terminal.
The all-electric, 50 tonne capacity cranes will be the most advanced in the world. The cranes will be the first to benefit from the automated positioning functionality, realised within the Terminal Logistic System software platform already applied for Kalmar automated stacking cranes (ASC), Kalmar AutoStradsTM and AutoShuttlesTM. The driver can monitor the crane's automated movements by on-board cameras. The automation allows the drivers to optimise productivity as they can fully concentrate on picking and placing of containers only.
The automated positioning will be supported by a number of Kalmar SmartPort process automation solutions. To eliminate the risk of knocking down containers from the stack to the truck lane, the cranes will be provided with a container stack profiling system. The RTGs will also feature a complete data transmission system between the control room and the cranes, allowing the terminal to provide an optimum maintenance regime for the equipment, and transfer of any other operational data for future purposes. Productivity and efficiency are further improved through Kalmar SmartStack, which reports the container moves to the terminal operating system (TOS) without any actions from the driver, automatically keeping track of the inventory.
Raimo Ukkonen, Vice President, RTGs at Kalmar said: "The Port of Oslo is forecasting a significant increase in container throughput and has once again chosen Kalmar RTGs for the job. In addition to the machines' zero emission benefits, the equipment and process automation solutions will considerably improve safety, security and equipment availability. With terminals seeking higher levels of cost-effective performance and a safe operation in particular, Kalmar is well placed to meet these requirements with its industry-leading solutions."
"Kalmar won this important tender in all categories based on a systematic evaluation. As the Port of Oslo is located in a highly populated urban area, environmentally considerations, especially energy consumption and noise level were important issues in the evaluation process. The Port of Oslo is proud to be the first terminal to deploy this revolutionary technology in RTGs that makes our operations more sustainable, safer and quieter. Through these innovative features that Kalmar is delivering us, our RTG drivers will be among the most efficient RTG operators in the world," concludes Svein Olav Lunde, Director Technical Operation & Maintenance Department at the Port of Oslo.