Kalmar Industries, part of Cargotec Corporation, has been awarded a contract to supply Colombia’s Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena (SPRC) with a variety of container handling equipment for its new Contecar terminal in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. The order includes 30 terminal tractors, seven E-One+ rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes and five reachstackers. The smaller equipment is scheduled to be on-site by November, and the RTGs will be operational by May of 2009.

As one of Kalmar’s best South American customers, the agreement further demonstrates the importance of long-term partnerships where continuous support remains paramount in maintaining efficient terminal operations.

Dan House, Kalmar’s Managing Director, sub region Latin America, says SPRC expects sizable increases in cargo traffic at the Port of Cartagena. To accommodate such growth, the terminal operator looked to Kalmar yet again as a reliable partner in equipping its new container terminal with innovative and productive equipment. He comments:

“Kalmar’s long partnership with SPRC dates back to 1997. Because they have a sizeable fleet of Kalmar machines at their existing terminal, Kalmar was the preferred supplier of equipment to the new Contecar container handling operation. Due to continued growth in container traffic, SPRC’s terminal will reach its 1.2 million TEU limit in the next few years. Contecar will be able to provide a further 3 million TEU capacity in a clean, modern and efficient facility.

“By sticking with Kalmar, SPRC gets the benefit of having a consistent fleet of equipment across both terminals. This commonality simplifies operation and maintenance. SPRC trusts Kalmar’s quality and support.”

The order for seven eco-friendly E-One+ cranes featuring real benefits in quality and reliability, as well as easier maintenance and faster on-site assembly, will bring the total number of Kalmar RTGs ordered by SPRC to 27. The latest units will be 6 + 1 wide and 1-over-6 high. All will be supplied with Kalmar’s Smartrail®, an autosteering and container positioning verification system, and Remote Monitoring Interface (RMI), a tool for remote machine monitoring, maintenance tasking and reporting. SPRC was the very first terminal in the world to use Kalmar’s Smartrail® when their first four Kalmar RTGs were supplied in 1997.

SPRC chose Kalmar terminal tractors capable of moving 60-ton payloads to shunt trailers around its 32-hectare terminal. The purpose-built units, renowned for their excellent maneuverability and superior reliability, will give SPRC an edge in maintaining quick container moves in the terminal yard as fast vessel turnaround times are evermore critical.

The five Kalmar DRF450-65S5 reachstackers, designed to tackle the heaviest and most demanding applications, will offer SPRC further advantages in operational flexibility with the capability to lift 45 tons in first row of container stacks, 31 tons in the second row and 15 tons in the third row. The units’ environmentally friendly engines feature low emissions, smoother automatic gearshift and driver controls. Kalmar’s DRF-series sets new standards for reliability, performance and easy maintenance.