KINGSTON WHARVES Ltd. (KWL) has acquired its second Gottwald Mobile Harbour Crane to the tune of US$3m. The Gottwald, which arrived on August 3 on the MV Edisongracht, a Spliethoff vessel, will allow the Company to improve the level of productivity in its operations, as this model can lift con-tainers up to 45 tonnes in weight.
According to the KWL's operations manager, Alrick Mitchell, "The Gottwald crane is much easier to service than our older models and we can get up to 30 moves per hour, so it will certainly help us to achieve our objective of 28 moves per hour."
The German-manufactured mobile harbour crane is able to lift heavy project cargo such as transformers and generators, large equipment, as well as containers. Its unique spreader bar, which interchanges with a hook, allows the crane to lift cargo in excess of 100 tonnes.
The Gottwald was assembled in three weeks and commissioned into service on Saturday, August 29. According to Mr. Mitchell, the crane successfully passed the industry standard "24 hours endurance test", which involves operating the crane continuously for a 24-hour period. During this commissioning exercise, the crane was required to conduct a heavy 120-tonne lift. A certification engineer approved the operation, thereby officially commissioning the crane.
The new Gottwald increases to three the number of harbour cranes on the Kingston Wharves terminal. Kingston Wharves is a multipurpose facility operating in Port Bustamante and has been receiving and storing cargo for over 59 years.
