DP World Southampton Continues to Equip for the Future

DP World Southampton has recently placed an order with Kalmar for 15 new straddle carriers, a mixture of replacement and new machines, which will be delivered into operation during the first half of 2009.

The order will be made up of seven 3 high machines and eight 4 high machines with one of each type of machine being fitted with Kalmar’s new hybrid technology which will enable energy savings and a reduction on the environmental impact of the machine.  The other 13 machines are capable of being retro-fitted with the hybrid technology if the trialling of the two machines is, as hoped, successful.

Talking about the new order, Brendan Bilston, Head of Operations, said:

It is extremely important to ensure that we regularly update and add to our fleet of straddle carriers with new machines to enable us to provide a reliable and efficient service to our customers.  This new order comes with the added benefit of two trial machines which will offer potential fuel savings and will reduce the impact of the machines on the environment – I look forward to seeing the results.”

The hybrid system allows the hoist motors to be used as generators when lowering containers, the energy produced is then stored until needed.  Similarly, when the machines brake or decelerate, energy can be drawn from the drive system and stored.  The machine’s supercapacitor energy storage system uses the saved energy before making further demands on the diesel engine.  This can provide 25-30% fuel savings and can save more than 50 tonnes of CO2 per straddle carrier per year.