TMS Ship Finance & Trade Conference 2020

Savannah expands with two Konecranes MHCs

(Posted on 28/02/20)

In December 2019, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) chose Konecranes for the supply of two eco-efficient Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes for its Ocean Terminal in the Port of Savannah. After handover in July 2020, the cranes will improve the terminal’s flexibility in handling containers and general cargo.

The Port of Savannah is a major seaport on the Atlantic coast of the United States. They have seen continuous growth in business since the beginning of the century, breaking their own capacity records in 2018. Historically, the GPA’s Ocean Terminal has been dedicated to breakbulk, heavy lift, RoRo, and some containerized cargo. With only one existing ship-to-shore (STS) crane available in this area of the port, GPA felt it was time to invest in some new equipment that would boost their ability to handle an ever-increasing volume of imports.

“We’ve been working with Konecranes for many years, and their STS cranes and rubber-tired gantry cranes have always given us outstanding performance,” said Paul Harkness, GPA Director of Crane Maintenance and Repair. “This time, we felt mobile harbor cranes would offer the right flexibility for our needs, and it was natural to turn to Konecranes once again.”

Their two new cranes will be Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes in the G HMK 6507 variant. They can be used with vessels up to post-Panamax class and have a maximum lifting capacity of 125 tons each. Each crane is equipped with the innovative Konecranes hybrid drive, consisting of a diesel engine paired with ultracapacitors to fully comply with EPA Tier 4 final regulations. They also have built-in readiness for an external power supply to help lower operating costs while reducing noise and exhaust emissions.

Initially, Konecranes will have a dedicated engineer on-site to familiarize GPA with the new type of equipment. Also included with the purchase is a specialized maintenance package to ensure fast access to spare parts when needed.

“This order shows the power of Konecranes’ good reputation in mobile harbor cranes,” says Andreas Moeller, Senior Sales Manager, Konecranes Port Solutions. “We performed well in the Americas in 2019 as customers really appreciated our performance, reliability and innovative electric drive concepts, and we look forward to delivering more of the same this year.”

This is part of Powered by Ecolifting, Konecranes’ vision to minimize the footprint and improve the handprint of equipment for container terminals. From eco-optimizing diesel drives, to hybridization and fully-electrified fleets, we will continue to do more with less.