Düsseldorf, Germany-based of mobile harbour crane supplier Gottwald has received its first order from Thailand. The Ngow Hock Group, Thailand, a marine logistics company, has bought two 100t HMK 260 E cranes.

The new cranes will be operated by Thai Prosperity Terminal Co., Ltd. (TPT) – located on a private wharf on the Chao Phraya River near Bangkok – to serve, among others, Regional Container Lines Co Ltd. (RCL), a container line belonging to the Ngow Hock Group.

The cranes were shipped from Düsseldorf in July, and are scheduled to be commissioned at the TPT terminal this month.

The HMK 260 E mobile harbour crane is a multi-purpose diesel-electric crane, claimed to be suited to material handling applications in ports with quay facilities for feeder vessels up to 25m wide.

The two cranes destined for Thailand are equipped with six axles (usually, the HMK 260 E has a five-axle chassis). The sixth axle can be fitted if the quay has a restricted load-bearing capacity. The crane stabilisers have also been adapted to the quay specifications.

Gottwald and TPT have also signed a customised service contract, which includes a service container on site and a stand-by service engineer ready to come to TPT at any time.

Gottwald, which claims to be the world’s leading supplier of mobile harbour cranes, with more than 950 cranes sold globally, has received orders for some 37 harbour cranes this year compared with 33 cranes in the same period of 2004. Apart from the two Thai cranes, these include one HMK 260 E and two HMK 170 E cranes for Malaysia, and one HMK 300 E crane for Korea, and an HMK 300 E crane for Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Miri Port Authority placed its first order with Gottwald for a HMK 260 E mobile harbour crane to support its container and off-shore-supply business at Miri Port. Sabah Ports Sdn. Bhd ordered two 63t HMK 170 E cranes to boost its container handling capacity in the Kota Kinabalu Port in Sabah.

In Indonesia and Korea, Gottwald’s 100t HMK 300 E mobile harbour crane, has attracted two new customers. The Indonesian port operator PT. Prima Nur Panurjwan has ordered one for its newly developed terminal in Tg. Priok Port, Jakarta.

Global Enterprises, Ltd in Pusan, Korea has also ordered an HMK 300 E for its Pusan terminal.