Konecranes has in March 2008 received an order for twelve rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes from Spanish company MSC Terminal Valencia (MSC), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company group. Konecranes will also provide servicing for the RTGs ordered. The cranes will be delivered at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. The value of the order is not disclosed.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. is one of the leading global shipping lines. During the past few years the company has expanded its maritime fleet substantially and is today the second largest container carrier. The company has also increased its ownership in container terminals. To keep up with the continuous increase in container traffic, MSC decided to invest in twelve RTGs for their container terminal in Valencia. Konecranes is well known in the container terminals in Valencia, since it has previously delivered tens of RTGs to them.

The RTGs ordered are new generation RTGs, which have been designed to take account of future environmental requirements. Thanks to a special fuel saving system they can save up to 30 % in fuel consumption. They have a lifting capacity of 50 metric tons and can stack one over five containers high and six plus truck lane wide. The cranes will also be equipped with Konecranes YardIT GPS autosteering, container positioning and autostop features.

"Through this delivery Konecranes is strengthening its position as leading RTG supplier in the Mediterranean area," says Aku Lehtinen, Director, RTG cranes at Konecranes. "Our strong position and service network in Spain, together with the advanced technical solutions offered were decisive factors in signing this agreement."

Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses�, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment and machine tools of all makes. In 2007, Group sales totaled EUR 1,750 million. The Group has 8,400 employees, in more than 470 locations in 43 countries. Konecranes is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Helsinki (symbol: KCR1V).