Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, August 28, 2015

VIG to deploy first hybrid shuttle carriers in U.S.

Virginia International Gateway terminal in Portsmouth put three new hybrid shuttle carriers into service last week. Kalmar, a division of Cargotec, delivered the environmentally advanced carriers in late 2014.

The VIG operations team said the deployment of the vehicles will increase container-handling capacity in an environmentally friendly manner. The hybrid technology developed by Kalmar for cargo handling equipment significantly reduces diesel fuel consumption and emissions, as well as engine noise levels.

The Kalmar hybrid shuttle carriers offer advanced

features such as active stability control as a standard, and the redesigned drive and steering which allows the machine to move diagonally in crab mode and around its vertical axis, enhancing the performance of the operations.

"Green technology, efficiency, accuracy of operations, and employee safety are important factors for us at VIG," said Joe Harris, spokesman for the Port of Virginia. "We are pleased with the cooperation with Kalmar and thrilled to see the first real hybrid shuttle carriers in the US now in action in our fleet."