Maher Terminals selects Kalmar for Prince Rupert

Maher Terminals of Canada Corp has opted to outfit its new container handling operations at Fairview Terminal in the West Coast port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia with multiple Kalmar equipment.

The New Jersey-based marine terminal operator has ordered in the last year a total of 17 DRF450-60S5X reach stackers and 34 terminal tractors. All units will be commissioned by the terminal's opening in October 2007.

As a longtime user of Kalmar equipment, the latest order from Maher Terminals reinforces the strategic partnership between the two companies.

Maher Terminals in the Port of New York-New Jersey is Kalmar's largest global straddle carrier customer with 183 units, which were recently equipped with Kalmar's Smartpath, a container position verification system, and Fleetview, a system for monitoring and coordinating container handling equipment.

The marine terminal operator also took into operation three Kalmar reach stackers in 2005 for handling containers for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Millennium Marine Rail facility.

Maher Terminals' new Kalmar reach stackers at Fairview Container Terminal will support container yard and intermodal on-dock double stack rail operations.

The units will feature increased load capacities of 45 tonnes in the first row, 35 tonnes in the second row and 18 tonnes in the third row.

The Port of Prince Rupert offers the shortest route between Asia and North America, the deepest harbour in North America, and on-dock access to Canadian National (CN)'s high capacity double stack rail network.

Phase 1 of the Prince Rupert container terminal project - a joint venture between CN, Maher Terminals of Canada Corp and the Prince Rupert Port Authority - will provide an annual container handling capacity of 500,000 TEUs, which will be increased during Phase 2 to two million TEUs.