Big Columbian port order for Kalmar

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a major port equipment order from long-standing customer Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura SA (SPRBun) as they gear up for growth at their operations in Terminal Especializado de Contenedores de Buenaventura S.A. (TECSA) in Buenaventura, Colombia. The order was booked into Cargotec's 2015 second quarter order intake, with delivery of all units scheduled to be completed by April 2016. The value of the order is more than €25 million.

The delivery includes 14 Kalmar E-One2 rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and six Kalmar forklift trucks. The new equipment is set to complement an existing fleet of 26 Kalmar Ottawa terminal tractors.

Victor Julio Gonzalez, general manager of SPRBun, said, "Our decision to work with Kalmar once again is due to a number of critical factors. The quality and design of the Kalmar E-One² RTG proved to be commercially very attractive to us, and throughout our long-term relationship Kalmar has always offered us the most efficient solutions as well as spare parts supply. As we continue to grow, the possibility of adding Kalmar process automation in the future will help us to maximise productivity in our terminal."

Troy Thompson, vice president of Ports and Terminals, Kalmar Americas, said, "It is particularly satisfying to have gained this major order that clearly underpins the longstanding partnership between SPRBun and Kalmar. We are committed to providing our customer with the best equipment and technology to deliver reliable performance, operational safety and optimum productivity at their terminal."

Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura SA is the oldest port in Colombia and the main port on the Pacific Ocean with key focus of operations in container, automobile and bulk cargo handling, principally serving Bogota. Handling a current annual volume of 380,000 TEUs, throughput is expected to increase to 850,000 TEU by 2020 as they develop their domestic operations and enter the transshipment market.