August 7 - The Black Sea port of Poti in Georgia has ordered two HMK 260 E mobile harbour cranes from Gottwald Port Technology GmbH (Gottwald).

The new cranes, which each have a maximum lifting capacity of 100 tonnes and a maximum radius of 44 metres have left the Gottwald factory in Düsseldorf and are scheduled to start commercial operations in the Port of Poti in September 2009. While initially it is planned to use them predominantly for container handling, in future the operator also intends to handle bulk material with motor grabs, which is a simple matter thanks to the universal character of the machines and the possibility of high-speed changing of the lifting gear.

Rony Saab, General Director of Poti Sea Port, remarked on the new order: "We opted for Mobile Harbour Cranes from Gottwald because we needed a handling machine that is both economical and universally applicable and because HMK 260 E Mobile Harbour Cranes have gained a good reputation in many of the world's ports with regard to handling rates, reliability and total cost of ownership. The new cranes will open up new opportunities for us, making us more flexible and helping us to continue to increase the competitive advantage of our port."

Jan Lind, Gottwald's Regional Sales Manager, said: "The entire Black Sea region is an important operational area for Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes of various sizes and performance ratings. I am pleased that, last year, we were able to gain a foothold in Georgia and that the Poti Sea Port has now also placed its trust in us."