New Mobile Harbour Crane for HHLA Frucht

The HHLA Frucht- und Kühl-Zentrum (fruit and refrigeration centre), a company owned by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and the terminal operator SEA-invest, has put into operation an extremely high-performance Terex Gottwald bicable-type G HMK 4406 mobile harbour crane. The crane will be used at Hamburg’s O’Swaldkai multi-purpose terminal, primarily to process reefer ships transporting bananas. It can hoist the sensitive fruit both on pallets from the cargo hold as well as discharge reefer containers arriving as deck cargo. “The new mobile harbour crane also enables us to very efficiently handle the increasing number of containers that are now carried on board fruit carriers”, says the HHLA fruit and refrigeration centre’s Managing Director, Axel Hoeckrich.

With a maximum load capacity of 100 tonnes and a working radius of up to 46 metres, the mobile crane is also suitable for handling heavy goods and project cargo for almost all other ships. According to Axel Hoeckrich, “Its versatility potentially offers us new business areas in port handling”. “This modern crane strengthens Hamburg’s fruit port, which is already the most important location for fruit handling and trade in Germany.”

Two smaller, fourth-generation HMK 90 E cranes are already being used by HHLA Frucht. Like these cranes, the new one can also be moved swiftly to the quayside. All of the cranes have a high working speed, which provides for good productivity and ensures that there is no disruption to the cold chain, especially when handling fruit pallets.