GOTTWALD Port Technology says US based Associated Terminals (AT) has recently ordered a Generation 5, G HPK 6400 B Floating Crane.
According to Gottwald, the ordered crane is a variant of Model 6, derived from Mobile Harbour Cranes. The new crane scheduled to enter service February 2010, will be used for transhipping a variety of cargo including bulk materials and general cargo from large vessels to smaller barges.
Gottwald says the G HPK 6400 B is designed as 4-rope grab cranes for heavy-duty bulk handling with a grab capacity on the ropes of 50t up to a 31m radius. The new crane can be used alongside ships of all sizes andare designed for handling rates of up to 1,000tph.
The Associated Terminals recent order is said to be the third Floating Cranes it has ordered to date, making the new crane the most powerful crane in it fleet and among the most powerful on the Mississippi River.
The manufacturer says the new crane will join another of the same model, which has been operating since January 2009 and an HPK 330 EG, one of its Generation 4s, operating since 2006.
Gottwald says the new order brings the total number of Floating Cranes sold since their launch in 2004 to 16. And of these, nine are used on the lower Mississippi.