MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured a contract to deliver electrically-driven RoRo equipment for two new car carriers under construction at Shin-Kurushima's main facility, Onishi Shipyard, in Japan. Each ship will be supplied with a stern ramp, a side ramp, six internal ramps, a ramp cover and hoistable car decks. The order is booked into Cargotec's 2012 fourth quarter order intake.

"MacGregor electric drives are not new to the shipping industry," says Magnus Sjöberg, Sales Director for MacGregor RoRo. "They represent proven, mainstream technology with a solid history of operational reliability and performance. One of their major advantages is the elimination of hydraulic oil leaks that cause pollution and cargo damage.

"An additional advantage is that they are easy to monitor and service," explains Mr Sjöberg. "These new vessels will be fitted with a touch-screen monitoring system for the electric drives, which has improved the commissioning process of each of the drive units because of its user-friendly interface and flexibility."

The monitoring system will provide a continual data stream and equipment status updates. It has been optimised for future developments and is ready for external integration into other ship management safety systems.

The first vessels with all-electrically-driven internal and external RoRo outfits entered service in 2011, including Nissan's eco-friendly coastal car carrier, Nichioh Maru, which was also delivered by Shin-Kurushima.

MacGregor is the world's leading brand of engineering solutions and services for handling marine cargoes and offshore loads. MacGregor products serve the maritime transportation, offshore and naval logistics markets, in ports and terminals as well as on board ships. Our cargo flow solutions integrate cargo access, stowage, care and handling functions to suit a particular ship's cargo profile.

MacGregor is part of Cargotec. Cargotec's sales totalled EUR 3.1 billion in 2011 and it employs approximately 10,500 people.