Position as market leader in the electrification of container cranes assured

The leading Turkish container terminal operator Marport Terminal Operators S.A is converting 18 Rubber Tired Gantry cranes to mains electrical operation / Conductix-Wampfler responsible for RTG conversion, steel construction, and installation of conductor rails.

Conductix-Wampfler AG, a part of the Conductix-Wampfler Group and the global leading manufacturer of systems for power and data transmission to moving machinery, has received another order from Turkey for the conversion of diesel-powered Rubber Tired Gantry cranes (RTGs) to electrical operation. After Yilport, Marport, the Turkish port with the greatest container traffic, will in the future use the globally leading "E-RTG" technology developed in Weil am Rhein. Conductix-Wampfler was chosen for the conversion of the RTGs, the steel framework construction, and the installation of conductor rails in the Marport West Terminal in Ambarli, west of Istanbul. Marport who handled 1.7 million TEUs in 2010 operates 35 RTGs and plans to convert all units to mains electrical operation.

Lower costs, save the environment

Diesel-driven RTGs often account for a good half of the power consumed in a port, and are thus responsible for a significant part of its CO2 emissions. Since diesel prices are continually rising and environmental protection is more and more important, many operators are looking for alternative power concepts for these essential cranes. Using Conductix-Wampfler's E-RTG system, these cranes can quickly be converted to cost-saving, environmentally friendly electrical operation. The electrification can use the Drive-In solution, the Plug-In solution, or a motorized cable reel, depending on the individual needs of a port.

Plug-In solution selected

Due to space restrictions, Conductix-Wampfler will convert the RTGs at Marport’s West Terminal using the Plug-In system on-site. The work has begun in May, with a test phase in one block. In all, 18 cranes in 14 blocks will be converted, each of which will receive Plug-In units on both sides of the RTG. More than eight kilometers of conductor rails will be installed for the entire system length of almost two kilometers.

The order from Turkey is just one more in an unbroken series of RTG conversions over the past four years. Conductix-Wampfler has already concluded orders for other terminal operators in China, Korea, Japan, and Turkey. "In the area of electrification of container cranes, we are the undisputed market leader," says Daniel Dörflinger, CEO of Conductix-Wampfler AG. E-RTG conversions have saved customers just about 60 million US dollars and more than 51 million tons of CO2 emissions to date.