28.10.2013

Turkish mobile harbour crane upgrade

Terex Port Solutions has completed a major upgrade of mobile harbour cranes for Turkish container terminal operator Mardaş Marmara Denizcilik Işletmeleri.

Based in Istanbul, the port operator chose to upgrade its six Gottwald Model 7 mobile harbour cranes, in order to cope with larger container vessels. Working in cooperation with its service partner Eksen Makina Servis Ticaret, Terex extended each crane’s tower by five metres and moved the boom pivot point up to a height of around 28 metres. This and other changes allowed for an increase in the maximum lifting radius from 51 to 54 metres. The cranes are now able to load and unload vessels with higher container stacks as well as an additional container row.

Eksen’s owner Bülent Sandal said: “Although tower extensions are part of our business, the order from Mardaş presented a particular challenge for our team. There were only four weeks available to retrofit each crane and also very little space on the quay. To prevent any impairment of normal terminal operation every individual work step was precisely planned and had to be implemented just as accurately on site.”
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Six of Mardaş' Gottwald cranes have been upgraded to handle larger container vessels

Mardaş general manager Galip Kendigelen added: “Since the first retrofitted cranes became operational, the flexibility of our fleet has increased considerably. Our container terminal is located in the largest port in Turkey and at an interface between Asia and Europe, where maritime trade is growing steadily.”