Konecranes delivers new order to leading container terminal on the Mediterranean
In October 2020, Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT), a subsidiary of COSCO, ordered two empty container handlers and one forklift from Konecranes to boost their fleet capacity at the Port of Piraeus, the main sea port of Athens, and the largest port in Greece. The lift trucks arrived in March 2021, when the three new machines joined four additional Konecranes empty container handlers already operating at the terminal.
China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited is a world-leading shipping company headquartered in Shanghai. It is one of the largest container ship companies in the world, and has been present at the Port of Piraeus since 2009, where it owns and operates PCT. The terminal’s main activities are the loading and unloading of vessels and storage services for containers handled by the port. The geographical location makes the port a logistics hub for Europe, Asia and Africa, offering proximity to the Suez Canal, feeder connections to Mediterranean, Black Sea and Adriatic destinations, and multimodal access to the Balkans and Central Europe. These advantages ensure that there is a continuous flow of container traffic through the terminal. With a steadily growing volume, PCT ordered three more lift trucks for the terminal.
“We bought our first two Konecranes empty container handlers in 2017, and they’ve performed very well,” says Mr. Dimitrios Megalooikonomou Deputy Technical Manager of PCT. Mr. Dimitrios Avgeris Operations manager of PCT commented “Because of an increase in demand for our storage facilities, we ordered two more of the same in 2019, and we needed two more again this year. This time, we also decided to add a forklift truck for more flexibility in our container handling. Konecranes lift trucks have lived up to their reputation for outstanding reliability and productivity, and our drivers appreciate the ergonomic design especially suited for our hot climate.”
“Repeat orders from PCT demonstrate that they’ve been very pleased with the high quality we consistently deliver to all our customers in both products and services,” says Tobias Nilsson, Sales Director, Konecranes Lift Trucks. “Local agent Craneports helped us to quickly build a strong, trusting relationship from the very start, and have provided excellent spare parts and local support as well. We look forward to continuing our work with PCT for many years to come.”
Of the three new lift trucks that arrived at PCT in March, two were Konecranes SMV 7/8 ECC 90 empty container handlers, used for stacking empty containers up to 8 high, and featuring a high rear-mounted cabin to improve visibility. The third was one 20-ton SMV 20-1200 C forklift for general repair and cargo support around the terminal, with a lifting height increased to 7,000 mm, a customization for better access to the tall container stacks. In all three vehicles, an electronic warning system prevents overload, and the air-conditioning in the cabin as well as a hydraulic oil cooler and a turbo II filter make them particularly suited to operating in high outdoor temperatures. Their Stage V diesel engines follow the strict environmental guidelines for non-road mobile machinery in Europe while maintaining full power and load capacity. Fitted with a wide range of accessories and options, at their core is a set of quality components that provide stability, safe handling, and long-lasting performance through continuous operation in three shifts a day, for a total of more than 5,000 hours per year.
