September 15 - Cargo handling equipment provider Cargotec has opened up new service stations in Zeebrugge, Esbjerg, Liverpool, Cadiz, Ferrol, Kaohsiung and Balboa.

Bernt Gunnarson, business development director for MacGregor Service at Cargotec, says: "By combining Cargotec's global marine service network with a wide range of maintenance and service solutions for customer fleets, we are able to increase our availability for customers and also reduce a ship's lifecycle costs."

Last year, Cargotec's MacGregor business unit secured a contract with SE Shipping Lines of Singapore worth around € 32 million to supply cargo handling including hatch covers and company's new 450-tonne SWL cranes for four 25,000 dwt heavy-lift vessels being constructed for SE Shipping at the Wenzhou Zhongou shipyard in China.

Delivery of the cargo handling equipment is planned for 2010 and the first ship with new equipment is expected into service at the end of 2010.