Gottwald Port Technology GmbH has disclosed details of a Floating Crane order placed in 2007 by an US-based customer for the delivery of two Generation 5 G HPK 6400 B Floating Cranes. The two Generation 5 cranes were ordered by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) for its wholly owned subsidiary American River Transportation Company (ARTCO) on the lower Mississippi.

Another Floating Crane order placed with Gottwald in 2007 came from St. James Stevedoring Co., L.L.C. (SJS), with which Gottwald developed the first Floating Crane in 2004. This specialist mid-stream operator, also located on the lower Mississippi, took delivery of its third Gottwald HPK 330 EG crane.

The formation of a stevedoring joint venture between ARTCO and SJS will now bring together these five Gottwald Floating Cranes under the name of St. James Stevedoring Partners LLC, headquartered in Convent, Louisiana, to provide the mid-stream transloading of bulk and break bulk cargo between ships and river barges in the lower Mississippi River area.

“Bringing five Gottwald cranes together will change the stevedoring landscape of the lower Mississippi River as we provide excellent service, and a commitment to communications and technological development to the bulk industry,” said Paul Morton, President of St. James Stevedoring Co., L.L.C. “For 23 years we have provided a high level of service and this step takes us into the future. Gottwald’s Floating Cranes, based on proven Mobile Harbor Crane technology, represent the state of the art in stevedoring bulk crane transfer and have become ubiquitous on the world stage.”

Among the crane features is a gross lift of 40 metric tons at a 36 m (117 ft) radius. Each Gottwald crane utilizes both 33 and 15 m3 (44 and 20 cubic yards) buckets and is PLC controlled. The operator sits at 22 m (73 ft) that provides excellent visibility of work area and enhances safety to workers and improves productivity.

“We are grateful to ARTCO and SJS for placing their confidence in our company,” said Bob Histon, General Manager at Gottwald USA. “This is again a true milestone for Gottwald, further strengthening our reputation as pioneer in innovative solutions based on Mobile Harbor Crane technology and serving as an excellent reference to attract new customers, not only on the Mississippi River, but all over the world.”

Since the market launch in 2004, Gottwald has commissioned or taken orders for twelve Floating Cranes. They are deployed worldwide in mid-stream operation in ports and sheltered waters, on rivers and in coastal waters and even on the open sea; for ship-to-ship as well as ship-to-shore handling; for import and export related operations.