Kalmar celebrates the opening of the Port of Vuosaari as its fleet of Kalmar equipment reaches 240

Cargotec’s Kalmar business area has delivered four new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and nine other new container handling machines to the Port of Vuosaari in Helsinki, Finland. This new equipment is being joined by other Kalmar machines that are being moved to Vuosaari from two existing smaller Helsinki ports and Port of Kotka, bringing the total fleet of Kalmar machines at Vuosaari to 240. The operating activities of the smaller Helsinki ports will be transferred to Vuosaari by the end of 2008.

The Kalmar STS cranes are capable of servicing post-Panamax vessels in twin-lift operation, where two 20ft containers are lifted simultaneously using a 40ft spreader. Preparations are being made for future tandem-lift operation, in which two 40ft containers are lifted side by side.

The nine other items that have been supplied by Kalmar are three shuttle carriers, two electric straddle carriers, three EC DRT100 empty container stackers and one terminal tractor.

Kalmar’s revolutionary low-height shuttle carrier has been designed to convey containers speedily between the ship's side and container stacks. The machine is able to stack containers two high and therefore can also be used for loading and unloading road trucks.

Kalmar's ESC electric straddle carriers meet the strictest environmental regulations and tough noise standards. The machines feature electrically controlled engines, which lower exhaust emissions and reduce fuel consumption, making them environment-friendly as well as cost-effective. Their soft landing system and automatic container picking system minimise the noise generated at container handling and the subsequent positioning of containers on the stack or ground.

Kalmar’s EC DRT 100 is an empty container stacking solution that moves and stacks quickly and accurately, helping to maximise the capacity of the container yard.

The Kalmar TT242 is a robust 4x4 terminal tractor ideally suited to handling semitrailers, terminal trailers for containers and roll trailers with goosenecks. For RoRo handling, Kalmar heavy duty tractors have a high tractive effort to easily climb steep ramps and perform tight turns on slippery decks.

Maintenance contracts
Kalmar has also been awarded maintenance contracts for the equipment in Vuosaari by the Finnish port operators Finnsteve and Steveco, both long term partners with Kalmar. The full service contract for Finnsteve includes full maintenance, repairs and spare parts for the four Kalmar STS cranes. This is Kalmar’s largest STS maintenance contract to date and also includes the provision of a team of four on-site Kalmar experts.

Steveco has commissioned Kalmar to provide maintenance for straddle carriers, terminal tractors and reachstackers at Vuosaari.

Vuosaari will be one of the most modern ports in the Baltic Sea when completed in 2009. By this time, traffic channels will be ready, along with most of the business park. Vuosaari Harbour will serve as Finland's main gateway for unitised cargo. Reshipping and transit traffic will account for only a small part of cargo. Vessels will transport unitised goods packed in containers, trucks and trailers. Imports will include food, consumer and durable goods such as cars, industrial raw materials and semi-manufactures. Exports will include forest-based and engineering products.

Finnsteve specialises in the handling of unitised cargo (containers, trucks and trailers) at the Ports of Helsinki, Kotka and Turku. Activities include stevedoring for scheduled liner traffic, the operation of cargo and service terminals, container depot and repairs, and customs clearance. The company has approximately 930 employees.

Steveco Oy is Finland's market leader in the transport of products from Finnish wood-processing industries as well as transit cargos. Steveco employs approximately 1000 people and operates at the ports of Kotka and Vuosaari. Steveco's subsidiary Saimaa Terminals operates in Lake Saimaa area and at the port of Hamina.

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