A G HMK 6407 Mobile Harbour Crane from Gottwald handling wind power stations at the Port of Emden, Germany.

Gottwald Mobile Harbour Crane – A Breath of Fresh Air in the Emden Cargo-Handling Business – Generation 5 Also a Success in Germany

Düsseldorf, 12 September 2007 – Since the beginning of July 2007, a G HMK 6407 Mobile Harbour Crane from Gottwald Port Technology (Gottwald) has provided a breath of fresh air to cargo handling for the Ems Ports Agency and Stevedoring Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (EPAS) in the Port of Emden, Germany. The new crane is used for handling all types of cargo. Its primary job is to load wind power stations that EPAS ships all over the world for the manufacturer Enercon.

Including this order, Gottwald has recently sold a total of three Mobile Harbour Cranes on the German market, increasing the overall number of cranes supplied to Germany to 47. The G HMK 6407 is the second model of Crane Generation 5 to be launched in Germany by Gottwald since the spring of 2006. Globally, the Düsseldorf crane and port technology supplier has already taken orders for more than 60 cranes of the new Generation 5.

G HMK 6407 Mobile Harbour Cranes for Handling Wind Power Stations

“With the G HMK 6407 from Gottwald, we are optimally equipped for the future,” says Siegfried Maecker, Managing Director of EPAS. “Handling wind power stations plays an increasingly important role for us. Enercon is one of the internationally leading providers in this sector and we anticipate further growth. Gottwald is also a world leader. The high number of customer references and the associated comprehensive know-how, the innovative design concept of Generation 5 and the flexibility which guarantees that with this crane, we can, of course also handle other project cargo in addition to containers and general cargo, short delivery lead-times and excellent service make Gottwald the first choice.”

The G HMK 6407 is just one variant of Model 6 of Generation 5, which encompasses models, 6, 7 and 8 and includes all three crane types, namely Mobile Harbour Cranes, Portal Harbour Cranes and Floating Cranes. The G HMK 6407 has a capacity of up to 100 tonnes and a working radius of up to 51 metres. The handover of the operational crane took place on schedule within seven weeks of award of the contract in May 2007.

Gottwald Sets Milestones in Sea and Inland Ports

“We are happy that we have won EPAS as a new customer in Germany. This order shows that our new product line, which has already enjoyed a very positive response from many customers worldwide, is also a success in Gottwald's home country,” says Heinz Hippler, Gottwald's Regional Sales Manager for Germany. In the Port of Hamburg where Gottwald cranes have been in use for many years, for fruit handling, for example, the first Generation 5 crane in Germany went into operation in September 2006. The G HMK 7608, currently the largest Mobile Harbour Crane in the Port of Hamburg, is also used predominantly for project cargo. At inland ports, too, Gottwald Mobile Harbour Crane technology – proven more than 1,000 times over worldwide – is enjoying great popularity. Likewise since 2006, an HMK 260 E Mobile Harbour Crane has been in operation in container handling at the inland terminals of Neuss-Düsseldorfer Häfen on the Rhine. “The most recent orders demonstrate the versatility of our cranes in an exemplary fashion, both in terms of the various infrastructures and the range of applications", states Hippler.

Further information available from:

Gottwald Port Technology GmbH
Postfach 18 03 43
40570 Düsseldorf, Germany
Peter Klein
Tel.: +49 (0)211 7102-3355
Fax: +49 (0)211 7102-3660
Mobile: +49 (0)173 722 10 74
peter.klein@gottwald.com