Crane manufacturer Kalmar has received two separate orders totalling nearly 60 Ottawa terminal tractors from International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) in the Philippines.
A total of 42 Kalmar Ottawa terminal tractors, five Kalmar reachstackers, and two Kalmar rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) will go to Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).
A further 16 Kalmar Ottawa terminal tractors and two Kalmar RTGs will go to Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC).
Some reachstackers are due to be delivered to MICT by the end of April.
All Kalmar Ottawa terminal tractors will be delivered to Manila and SBITC’s new container terminal in Zambales during the third quarter.
The expansion of terminal operations currently underway at MICT and SBITC has required an increase in the existing fleets.
With more growth anticipated, ICTSI is keen to expand and increase its efficiency and the order is seen as a signal of its ambitions.
“MICT is ICTSI’s flagship operation and since 1988 we have increased the terminal’s annual capacity five-fold. We are expanding the cargo-handling fleet to make it the largest and most modern terminal operation in the Philippines,” said Mohamed Ghandar, ICTSI Asia region director and MICT’s general manager.
The order will also allow Kalmar to restrategise while building on the success it has had with its Chinese joint venture Rainbow-Cargotec Industries (RCI).
“We are now shifting our focus on the STS business,” said Mika Virtanen, vice-president, RTG and STS Cranes at Kalmar. “We have been building up the STS-related business capabilities at the joint venture and RCI is now fully capable to take new STS orders. Our target is to be a significant player in STS business in the Asia-Pacific region.”
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.