DFT is part of the container and terminal division of Irish Continental Group. It operates the most modern container terminal at the port of Dublin serving vessels connecting the port with other Irish ports of Cork and Belfast, as well as Continental ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Today the terminal handles approximately 325 000 TEU annually and expects a 20% growth over the next five years. The ordered equipment forms part of DFT’s investment programme focused on ensuring the terminal is equipped with the latest technologies to support the forecasted growth.
DFT will be supplied with two Kalmar AutoRTG cranes with fully automated stack operation and remote controlled truck handling. DFT will start with semi-automated functions which are controlled remotely, and add fully automated features in the stacking area in the future. Kalmar is also responsible for integrating the cranes to the terminal operating system. Kalmar’s engineering team, that has a permanent presence at the terminal, will also provide service, maintenance and technical support.
Alec Colvin, DFT General Manager says: “DFT are delighted to confirm this order and are looking forward to extending our long-time partnership with the latest driver assisting, semi-automated and automated solutions. As a trusted long term supplier with a demonstrated ability to deliver on our expectations and their commitment to be a technology leader in this area, Kalmar stood out as the ideal partner for our company.”
DFT’s fleet already includes 5 RTG cranes, 4 empty container handlers and 1 reachstacker by Kalmar.
Tero Kokko, Senior Vice President, Automation and Projects at Kalmar commented: “RTG automation is developing fast. For existing terminals it is a key question how to get started without disturbing operations heavily. We have given this a lot of thought and in our approach the terminal can start with remote control and automation assisted moves, and evolve to full automation gradually. This is one of the first RTG projects of this kind in the world, so we are excited to move forward and continue to support DFT with their automation journey and their ambitious growth targets.”