Konecranes celebrates 1,000th RTG crane
29 November 2016
Konecranes and the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) have celebrated the 1,000th rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) crane manufactured by Konecranes. The Port of Savannah in Georgia, USA, took delivery of it earlier in 2016 at the Garden City container terminal.
In honour of the occasion, the RTG was specially painted with a ‘stars and stripes’ design, mirroring the US flag.
The Georgia Ports Authority took delivery of its first Konecranes RTG in 1995. It was the world’s first container crane without hydraulics. Konecranes’ patented Active Load Control (ALC) system was fitted to help give the highest container handling productivity. It also had eco-efficient AC drives supplied by Konecranes.
Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority executive director, said, “Garden City is the single busiest container terminal in the United States. This star-spangled RTG is an inspiring sight here at the Port of Savannah.”
Lynch continued, “We now operate a fleet of 146 Konecranes RTGs and 22 Konecranes ship-to-shore cranes. This fleet is the linchpin of our business — the link between our road and rail connections and the most shipping services calling on any port in the US Southeast.”
Tuomas Saastamoinen, Konecranes port cranes sales and marketing director, added, “In 1995 we delivered our very first RTG crane to the Port of Savannah, Garden City Terminal. As we delivered more batches of cranes over the years, I appreciate how the GPA has worked closely with us to constantly improve our crane design.
“It feels wonderful to have delivered our 1,000th RTG to the GPA in 2016, and to be celebrating that event with them. So much growth has occurred for both the GPA and Konecranes since 1995. I’m confident that we’ll keep on growing for many years to come,” Saastamoinen concluded.
