Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is to supply 12 diesel-electric straddle carriers to Forth Ports Limited. Seven of the machines will be operated at the London Container Terminal (Tilbury) and the remaining five at Forth Ports Grangemouth. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2022 Q1 order intake, and delivery of the machines is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.

London Container Terminal, situated at the Port of Tilbury (London), is the largest of the eight ports owned by Forth Ports. It is the largest multimodal port terminal on the south-east coast of the UK, with an annual throughput of 16 million tonnes per annum. The port offers services for a variety of cargo, such as ro-ro, container, forest products, grain and bottles, as well as cruises and real estate solutions. The new machines will replace part of Forth Ports' current fleet of nearly 40 Kalmar Straddle Carriers. 

Forth Ports Grangemouth is Scotland’s largest port handling nine million tonnes of cargo each year through specialist container, liquid and general cargo terminals. This cargo flow represents as much as 30% of Scotland’s gross domestic product (GDP), highlighting the port’s essential role as an economic facilitator for Scotland. Situated midway between Scotland’s main cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, the port is the ideal logistics and distribution hub with 70% of Scotland’s population within 1 hour’s drive and unrivalled connectivity via road, rail and sea.

The Kalmar Straddle Carrier is driven by a highly efficient diesel-electric power unit and offers excellent manoeuvrability, quiet operation and easy maintenance. The spacious, ergonomic cabin and intuitive user interface improve productivity by ensuring that operators benefit from the best possible driving experience. The Kalmar Straddle Carrier complies with the latest exhaust emission regulations.

Stuart Wallace, Chief Operating Officer, Forth Ports: “We have been very happy with both the reliability of Kalmar straddle carriers and the local support available, so it was an easy choice to turn to Kalmar once again. We are familiar with the new, next-generation machines, so we are confident they will build on the same excellent reliability and efficiency we have come to expect from Kalmar machines.”

Mikko Mononen, VP, Sales, EMEIA, Kalmar: “We look forward to strengthening our long-standing and successful partnership with Forth Ports with the delivery of this new order, continuing our great working relationship that began in 2005. The 8th-generation machines include a number of refinements and improvements developed in close collaboration with customers, and have proven to be a reliable and dependable choice.”