STS upgrade for MSC Terminal VLC

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract to upgrade eight ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at the MSC Terminal VLC in Valencia, Spain.

The contract involves increasing the height and extending the handling capabilities of the STS cranes so they can handle larger vessels. The Paceco cranes are limited to a maximum vessel size of 16,000 TEU. Kalmar will extend the boom on all eight cranes by 6 metres and increase the height of six of the cranes by 10 m. The upgrade will increase the terminal’s capacity to 19,000 TEU.

José Ignacio Fernández, Kalmar South EMEA head of crane upgrades, said, “We are delighted to have received this order from MSC Terminal VLC, the biggest contract to date for STS crane upgrades in our region. Upgrading an existing crane's handling capabilities provides a cost-effective solution for ports and terminals looking to quickly gear up for the continued increases in vessel size. Kalmar Crane Upgrades Competence Centre for South EMEA will be completing the entire project, which is a testament to our specialist capabilities to handle such a complex process.”

Sven Valentin, MSC Terminal VLC manager, said, “The main benefit of working with Kalmar is their undoubted technical expertise and outstanding service. Upgrading eight cranes is a substantial job to undertake, but with their impressive track record in performing similar projects we have total confidence in their ability to meet our needs.”

The project was signed into Cargotec’s 2015 third quarter intake and all cranes are scheduled to be operational by mid-2017.