strong demand for Gottwald 4-rope cranes for professional bulk handling
Demag Cranes is further expanding its business in the Netherlands with the delivery of a total of five Generation 5 Gottwald mobile harbour cranes to three major terminal operators. The buyers, existing customers of Demag Cranes, use these machines primarily for handling bulk materials and scrap,
but also for general cargo and containers. Commenting on the decision in favour of Gottwald four-rope
grab cranes, Adri Meertens, managing director of Verbrugge Terneuzen Terminals B.V., one of the customers, said: “We do not just need high-performance machines for bulk handling but also universally applicable and, as a result, economical cranes to strengthen our fleet. After carefully weighing up the available options, it was apparent that the Gottwald cranes offered us the best choice. Gottwald mobile harbour cranes offer high handling rates, long service lifetimes due to high crane classification, short delivery lead times and low specific investment costs, combined with flexibility in daily operation, as they cannot only work on bulk, but as the need arises, also on other goods. And that’s exactly what we need.”
“These orders confirm and strengthen our position in the Netherlands, which is one of our most important harbour crane markets,” emphasized Thomas H. Hagen, member of the management board of Demag Cranes AG and COO. “At the same time, these orders for mobile harbour cranes for professional bulk handling focus on our leading role in this sector.”
 
MODEL 6 AND MODEL 4 HARBOUR CRANES
The orders received in recent months, including three G HMK 6407 B four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling, variants of Model 6, show that there is a strong demand for sophisticated Gottwald bulk handling machines. Added to these are another Model 6 machine, a G HMK 6407 variant and one Model 4, G HMK 4406 crane. Model 6 Harbour cranes are universally applicable machines for high-performance applications and high handling rates.
Depending on the variant, they have lifting capacities of up to 125 tonnes, working radii of up to 51 metres and hoisting speeds of up to 120m/min. These features make this crane model the preferred choice for universal and special terminals servicing container vessels up to the post-Panamax size and bulk carriers up to Capesize. And even in the four-rope grab version, these machines do not forfeit their versatility. When fitted with the numerous lifting devices available, such as spreaders, they are also well suited to cater for any other types of cargo. The G HMK 6407 B four-rope grab variants recently ordered by Dutch customers have a 50-tonne grab curve and a maximum lifting capacity of 100 tonnes.
The G HMK 4406 mobile harbour crane is a variant of Model 4 with a lifting capacity of up to 100 tonnes and a maximum radius of 46 metres. This compact machine is ideally suited to the requirements of universal and special purpose terminals on the one hand, and alongside vessels up to Panamax class. At the same time, Model 4 is attractive for terminals which, on account of their size and development potential, are already anticipating larger cargo-handling volumes and increasing annual operating hours for discharging equipment.
 
TWO G HMK 6407 B FOUR-ROPE GRAB CRANES AND A G HMK 4406 FOR VERBRUGGE TERMINALS
B.V. Two Model 6, G HMK 6407 B four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling and one G HMK 4406 crane have been ordered by Verbrugge Terminals B.V. This long-time customer is a leading logistics provider operating several terminals in the Zeeland ports of Terneuzen and Vlissingen, the third-largest port region of the Netherlands located in the strategic heart of Western Europe on the North Sea, providing an excellent gateway to the entire European continent.
The two G HMK 6407 B cranes are destined for handling bulk, container and wood pulp (cellulose), a basic raw material for paper. The machines are fully equipped with a broad range of additional features, including a cellulose spreader, remote control,Teleservice and an active dust protection system.
One of the two G HMK 6407 B cranes was commissioned at the Verbrugge Terneuzen terminal in November 2010. The other started commercial operation in April 2011 at Scaldiahaven in Vlissingen, which was recently completed and officially opened in November 2010 by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Also at Scaldiahaven,Verbrugge Terminals B.V. has recently put into commercial operation a Model 4, G HMK 4406 mobile harbour crane, complete with spreader, for handling containers.
 
G HMK 6407 B FOUR-ROPE GRAB CRANE FOR ZHD DORDRECHT
ZHD Stevedoring (ZHD) ordered a Gottwald G HMK 6407 B four-rope grab crane from Demag Cranes, which entered commercial operation in March 2011 in the port of Dordrecht, one of the most important Dutch ports accessible by water from the east, west and south and with access to the major inland waterways of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
ZHD, which operates various terminal facilities in Dordrecht, Moerdijk and Rotterdam, has been doing business with Demag Cranes subsidiary Gottwald Port Technology GmbH since 1985. The new G HMK 6407 B crane will increase ZHD’s handling capacities in Dordrecht including loading, unloading, separation and stockpiling of all kinds of bulk materials together with the existing HMK 300 EG, a Generation 4 machine, which has been in reliable service since 2000. The HMK 170 EG Gottwald crane that was delivered to Dordrecht in 2008 will be transshipped to the Moerdijk terminal to strengthen ZHD’s crane fleet and increase the service level for Moerdijk’s customers.
According to Ron Bornet, adjunct director at ZHD, the deciding factors in selecting Gottwald Generation 5 mobile harbour cranes centred around the excellent experience gained with previous generations of mobile harbour cranes, complemented by short delivery times, technical expertise and the outstanding service, which is aimed at providing individual solutions and fulfilling specific needs.
Like the cranes for Verbrugge, the G HMK 6407 B for ZHD Dordrecht also comes with a broad range of additional features, including an active dust protection system and a tower extension, providing for an even higher boom pivot point and cab viewing position when handling scrap alongside large vessels, for instance. Furthermore, the diesel-electric crane is fitted with dynamic brake resistors. In this way, the machine’s energy rating is much improved and far less fuel is needed.
 
G HMK 6407 CRANE FOR COMBINED CARGO TERMINALS (CCT) MOERDIJK
Combined Cargo Terminals (CCT) has ordered a G HMK 6407 crane for its trimodal terminal in Moerdijk, one of the largest industrial complexes and port areas in the Netherlands. Moerdijk is a distribution port situated halfway between Rotterdam and Antwerp and less than four hours inland from the North Sea. With its connection to a widely branching inland waterway network, Moerdijk is part of the Trans-European Network of waterways.
The new G HMK 6407 will be used to handle all kinds of goods, including general cargo, containers and project cargo. The decisive reason for CCT to opt for Demag Cranes was the positive experience gained with its two Gottwald Generation 4, HMK 300 E mobile harbour cranes purchased in 2000.
According to CCT, these machines, with a lifting capacity of 100 tonnes each, have also enabled CCT to undertake special projects, as the cranes can not only work as individual units but also in tandem to load and unload very heavy cargoes.