Maritime takes delivery of straddle carriers at BIFT

Maritime Transport’s intermodal freight terminal in Tamworth (BIFT) has welcomed the arrival of two new ESC450 straddle carriers supplied by Kalmar. Maritime’s latest investment in plant machinery will deliver a significant boost to both service reliability and uptime at BIFT, as container volumes continue to grow.  

Featuring a highly-efficient, diesel-electric drive, the eighth generation models are designed to accommodate a four-high container stack with a 40-tonne lift capacity, and boast excellent manoeuvrability, low noise, and easy maintenance, as well as spacious, ergonomic cabins that provide operators with the best possible driving experience. Capable of handling containers of all sizes, the new straddles will also connect to Kalmar’s fleet management system, Insight, offering machine and driver performance data, and direct reporting of faults.

Both straddle carriers were ordered in Kalmar’s Q1 intake with delivery scheduled for Q3. Parts arrived at BIFT on 28th June, ahead of schedule. Kalmar’s technicians will spend the next four weeks assembling them to replace three SISU machines. Kalmar’s Complete Care service agreement on both machines will also provide Maritime with preventive and corrective maintenance services for the next ten years, enabling better operational and financial predictability, lower operational risk, and reduced downtime.

To date, Maritime has invested more than €3.75m in all-new top specification container handling equipment at BIFT, which now benefits from two Konecranes Noell N SC 644 E straddle carriers purchased in 2019, and two Sany SDCY100K6GC empty container handlers supplied through Cooper Handling Solutions as well as the new Kalmar machines.

John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal and Terminals, Maritime Transport: “The arrival of our new straddle carriers reinforces BIFT as one of the country’s most integral intermodal terminals with unrivalled access to the Midlands, and will play a key role in facilitating increased container volumes in the coming months as we introduce more services to our customers, including the BIFT to DP World London Gateway flow that commenced on 28th June.

“Kalmar has delivered cutting-edge container handling equipment across our terminals in Wakefield, Trafford Park, and East Midlands Gateway, and we will continue working closely with them as we invest in our infrastructure.”

Dave Patterson, Vice President, Market Area South & West Europe, Kalmar: “Kalmar straddle carriers are trusted by terminal operators across the globe, and the state-of-the-art ESC450 model in particular has a proven track record of enhancing container handling efficiency. It is great to be able to continue our strong cooperation with Maritime, supporting them with their business operations at one of the UK’s leading intermodal terminals.”