Kalmar delivers eight diesel-electric straddle carriers to Port of Tauranga in New Zealand

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has won an order to deliver eight diesel-electric straddle carriers to the Port of Tauranga in New Zealand. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2015 fourth quarter and 2016 first quarter order intakes, with delivery taking place during 2016.

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Located on New Zealand's North Island, the Port of Tauranga is the country's largest container terminal and premier freight gateway, with a current annual volume of 930,000 TEU. With significant land holdings, the port's key strength lies in its ability to grow to meet customer requirements and market demands, particularly the trend towards ever-larger container vessels. The port has invested NZD350 million over five years in order to prepare for these larger vessels.

Port of Tauranga currently operates a fleet of 28 Kalmar straddle carriers. The straddle carriers are used for loading road trucks and rail wagons, as well as for transporting containers to and from the quay cranes. The Port of Tauranga has been gradually switching over to diesel-electric straddle carriers to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. The terminal is also using Terminal Operating System (TOS) from Navis, part of Cargotec.

Dan Kneebone, Property & Infrastructure Manager at Port of Tauranga, says: "Kalmar diesel-electric straddle carriers play a vital role in helping to maximize productivity and efficiency while reducing running costs and environmental impact of our operations. Diesel-electric straddle carriers provide more efficiency through their twin lifting capability. This means that each straddle can pick up two containers instead of just one, which obviously leads to much quicker vessel turnaround times. They also are environmentally friendlier, which is very important to us.  We appreciate Kalmar's excellent local technical support, technological innovation and reliable delivery schedules. These new units will help us to remain competitive by ensuring that we are well prepared to handle significantly larger volumes of cargo per shipment."

John Nash, Sales Manager, Australia and New Zealand at Kalmar, says: "Our cooperation with the Port of Tauranga dates back to early 1990s when Sulphur Point, on the western side of the port, was opened with ten straddle carriers. Seven of the original straddles are still running. We're proud to continue supporting Tauranga Container Terminal and are delighted that they have once again chosen Kalmar diesel-electric straddle carriers, offering superior fuel efficiency, low noise and fewer emissions. Another benefit of using our machines is the ease of integration into the port's existing equipment pool."