August 30 - The four new RTG (rubber-tyred gantry) cranes delivered by the heavy lift specialist, BigLift, to Teesport, UK, are a key component of the current GBP16.7 million (USD27.3 million) expansion of the container terminals at Teesport and represent

The Konecranes RTGs, manufactured in Finland and Poland for a total investment of around GBP5 million (USD8.16 million), are the first of their type to be supplied by Konecranes in the UK and will allow PD Ports to significantly improve handling capacity on the Teesport Container Terminal as volumes continue to grow. 

Teesport's container terminals saw volumes increase by 45 percentin 2010 and capacity is currently being expanded from 235,000 to 450,000 teu. The company's overall strategy is to expand port wide capacity to at least 650,000 teu 

The RTGs, which were purchased after a rigorous selection process, are fitted with the latest Konecranes fuel saving system and have been designed to take future environmental requirements into account, including switching from diesel to electric power. The cranes are also equipped with the latest GPS-assisted technology for container yards. This includes the autosteering feature, which keeps the crane on a pre-programmed straight driving path, thus improving safety and increasing productivity. The RTG container positioning system is connected to the port's terminal operating system, ensuring correct, real-time container positioning and maintaining accuracy in inventory.