Kalmar Returns to Cartagena
Finnish port equipment manufacturer Kalmar has won an order for 23 rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and 79 Kalmar Ottawa T2 terminal tractors from Colombia’s Sociedad Portuaria Region de Cartagena S.A. (SPRC) and Terminal de Contenedores de Cartagena S.A. (Contecar), both owned and managed by Port of Cartagena Group.
Kalmar will deliver five RTGs and 9 terminal tractors to SPRC and 18 RTGs and 70 terminal tractors to Contecar.
The total value of the order is approximately EUR 45 million, and the deliveries will take place between July and December 2016.
SPRC and Contecar currently have a fleet of two ship-to-shore cranes, 49 Kalmar E-One2 RTGs, 92 terminal tractors, 22 reachstackers and two lift trucks in operation at their terminals.
The latest order is part of SPRC and Contecar’s plan to keep up with their growing throughputs. From their current volumes of 1,400,000 and 3,200,000 TEUs annually, the terminals are anticipating a growth of 5 to 7% at SPRC, and 8 to 11% at Contecar over the next five years.
“Our main challenge over the next few years is how to manage the rapid growth while remaining focused on serving our customers during the transitions resulting from growth,” Eduardo Bustamante, Operations Manager at SPRC and Contecar, said.
”We expect to continue to achieve improved levels of productivity at lower operating costs with Kalmar equipment. We are also considering partially automating our RTG operations, so Kalmar, being the leader in this field, was a natural choice for us.”
