Gottwald Generation 5 heads for Mississippi

Associated Terminals LLC (AT), operating on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, USA, has ordered a Gottwald Generation 5 G HPK 6400 B - its fourth floating crane from the German manufacturer.

The unit will be used for transhipping a range of cargo, including bulk materials, from large ocean-going vessels to smaller river barges on the Mississippi River. It is a variation on the Model 6 and is derived from Gottwald's mobile harbour crane technology. It is designed as a four rope grab crane for professional, heavy-duty bulk handling.

The grab capacity is 50 tonnes, up to a radius of 31 m. It can be used alongside ships of all sizes and, depending on the terminal and operating conditions, is designed for handling rates of up to 1,000 tph. The model is scheduled to start commercial handling in February 2010.

"Floating cranes are an intelligent blend of proven mobile harbour crane technology, with individually designed barges. They can be designed in all available variants and provide all the benefits of the proven mobile harbour cranes, such as low specific investment costs, short delivery lead times, good spare parts availability and reliable service," says Robert Wassmer, CEO of Gottwald Port Technology GmbH.