To be fully prepared for the 21st century, Kalmar has introduced a revolutionary new container handling system that is based on a low-height shuttle carrier.

Virtually all of the major ocean carriers today are building post-Panamax container ships of 5,000 to 6,000 TEU, and some have taken things even further with ships of 6,000 to 7,000 TEU+. Drawing board designs show ships of 8,000 TEU to 12,000 TEU and, based on information supplied by the major carriers, many ports are already equipping themselves with high-speed gantry cranes capable of working ships carrying containers 22-across on deck. The ships may be bigger, but turnround times must not suffer.

This new trend has raised the question of crane productivity and, in particular, the question of how to move large numbers of containers quickly to and from the ship's side. After all, there is no point in building giant ships designed to be serviced by four or more fast ship-to-shorecranes if the container flows between the import/export stacks and the ship are not going to match the ship-to-shore capabilities.

To meet this challenge, Kalmar has a revolutionary solution: a low- height shuttle carrier. Designed primarily to convey containers between the ship's side and container stacks served by rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) or rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs), this machine is also able to stack containers two high and therefore can also be used for loading and unloading road trucks.

The shuttle carrier is a tempting alternative for terminals that are looking for more efficient ways to handle container transport between the stacks and the quay cranes, and still maintain high density stacking by RTG or RMG yard cranes.

 

Most medium-sized and large ports today operate using RMG/RTG or straddle carriersystems. Now there is demand for a system that combines the best features of these two dominant systems: the large storage capacity of yard cranes with the flexibility and speed of the straddle carrier system.

While RTG and RMG cranes take care of the storage area, fast container transport between the stacks, quay and interchange area is handled by shuttle carriers.

 

With its ability to lift, carry and transport containers, it is a far superior alternative to other methods of transporting boxes between the quay and high density stacking areas.

Using the shuttle carrier, there are natural buffer zones both at the end or alongside the stacks and under the ship-to-shore cranes. Since it never needs to wait for the cranes, either on the quay or at the stacks, the shuttle carrier is able to provide the required operational speed and complete a high number of cycles per hour between ship and stack.

 

The shuttle carrier is essentially a smaller, simpler version of Kalmar's proven straddle carrier design. Since it only stacks two-high, the shuttle carrier boasts a much lighter construction and higher running speed. A lower center of gravity also enables it to achieve higher cornering speeds safely.

All of Kalmar's well-known Driver Assisting Features (DRAF) as well as the future automation system are available to shuttle carrier users as appropriate interfaces with terminal yard management systems, allowing container positions to be recorded automatically.

The pioneering development of this revolutionary shuttle carrier concept has been carried out in close cooperation with Hessenatie NV, the Antwerp stevedoring company.

For more information: Ilkka.annala@kalmarind.com