Terex Port Solutions to Supply Ten Terex Straddle Carriers
Terex Port Solutions (TPS) has received an order for ten Terex® NSC 634 E ECO straddle carriers from Freeport Container Port (FCP), which is part of Hutchison Port Holdings, with an option to purchase an additional 12 machines. From May of this year, the straddle carriers will be in operation at the FCP terminal on Grand Bahama Island. They can stack 9’6’’ high-cube containers 1-over-2 and, to enable high handling rates, have lifting capacities of up to 60 t under the spreader coupled with maximum travel speeds of 30 kph. An outstanding feature of the Terex NSC E ECO straddle carrier is its hybrid drive system, consisting of both a diesel-powered generator and electrostatic short-term storage media, which results in significantly reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emissions compared to a traditional drive system.
“For some years, Terex hybrid straddle carriers have proven their worth in everyday cargo handling”, reports Guido Luini, Managing Director of Terex Port Solutions in Würzburg. “The fact that we have received this order from Freeport Container Port for a fleet of machines equipped with this technology is confirmation of the great acceptance for it and, at the same time, of our leading position in this segment of the market.”
The preferred ecological and economic choice
Twenty-five diesel-hydraulic Terex NSC 644 H straddle carriers are already in use in the Freeport terminal. As FCP gradually expands its terminal, it is placing particular emphasis on the cost effectiveness and environmentally compatible operation of the handling machines used. In view of this approach, it was, according to Luini, logical that the customer ordered Terex Straddle Carriers with hybrid drives.
The leader in straddle carrier hybrid drive technology
Terex Port Solutions has played a key role in developing straddle carriers: from diesel-mechanical machines to diesel-hydraulic and now diesel-electric drive technology, which has led to the hybrid drive. In this type of drive, excess energy recovered during braking and lowering motions is stored in transient storage media (consisting of high-performance capacitors, or ultracaps) and then used for the next straddle carrier work cycle. This technology means that load surges on the primary energy source, being usually a diesel-generator set, can be mitigated while allowing it to run in a smoother, energy efficient manner.
According to operators, they see an immediate benefit with up to 20% less fuel consumed by Terex straddle carriers with hybrid drives compared to conventional, economical diesel-electric drives, depending on terminal and operating conditions. Hybrid operators also reported reduced exhaust gas and noise emissions in the terminal.
Terex focuses on customer benefits – sustainable electric drive technology
Terex Port Solutions is committed to electric drive systems. “Electric energy offers the best efficiency rating, high potential for deploying more energy-efficient technologies and the full advantage of renewable energy sources. This is why, wherever it makes sense, TPS cargo handling machines are offered with solutions for using power from the harbour mains,” explains Luini. “For our mobile machines, such as straddle carriers, which cannot be hooked up to external power, we offer drive variants with hybrid technology based on diesel-electric systems. In its latest development, TPS has produced battery-powered automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for horizontal container transport.”
“In view of our goal to provide solutions in line with our customers’ environmental visions, the order from Freeport Container Port for innovative hybrid straddle carriers confirms that our drive systems are on the right road towards the sustainable operation of future-orientated cargo-handling machines,” concludes Luini.