This page tells you how cargo containers are handled in ports of Hamina and Kotka. Ports in South-East Finland are Finland's most important export ports. Steveco Oy is working as a port operator in both towns, Kotka and Hamina. In Hamina, also Oy Hamina Multiterminals Ltd operates with containers.

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http://www.hamina.fi/satama/indexn.htm

Port of Hamina is situated in the Gulf of Finland approximately 75 nm east from Helsinki. Hamina is one of the country’s largest export ports providing over 2.8km of multi-purpose quays. The port has facilities for the handling of cargo, bulk, and containerised. Hamina has excellent rail links to the hinterland and F.S.U./Far East. Main road E18 passing by to St.Petersburg. Port of Hamina is the European Union's closest gateway to Russia - just 35 kilometres away. St. Petersburg and Moscow are closet than you might think from Hamina by either road or rail and Finland share the same rail gauge as Russia.

This combination is used to move containers to the hold onboard RORO ships. The mafitrailer is attached to the tugmaster with a so called gooseneck. Mafitrailer is either 20' or 40' long and containers must be lifted on it by different means of hoisting and moving.

Tugmaster with Container Mover

If a container mover is attached to a tugmaster this system can lift and transport one or two containers at a time. Container mover has two rearwheels, which can be raised and lowered which actually gives it the capability of heaving containers. Container mover chassis is telescopic and therefore adjustable for different lengths of containers. Container mover can handle both empty and loaded units, but only if they are not stacked.

Tugmaster with Cassette System

Tugmaster is attached with so called pump cart, this pump cart is driven under a 40´ long cassette and then it is lifted up. This combination is also used to move containers to the hold onboard RORO ships or move containers in harbour area.

In Hamina and Hietanen gantry cranes are rail-mounted gantries (RMG), which means that there is rails on the quayside and gantries could move only along the quayside. Gantries are also available in rubber-tired (RTG) models. With RMG rail gauge is nowadays up to ca 50 metres, and outreach ca 50 - 60 metres from quayside (if there is a boom). When lifting containers there is need to use spreader. Spreader is a device connecting container to lifting machine with twist locks. Designed for grabbing the container from top. Due to many lengths of containers these devices can be manual or automatically telescopically adjusted to different container sizes. Port of Hamina has two gantry cranes and Port of Hietanen has three.

In Hamina, mobile cranes are also used to lifting containers. These cranes are rubber-tired, so they are easy to move. Crane is drived to the quay side and side bearings are used to lock a chassis. Hoisting system turns 360 degrees and containers are "swinged" to the quay. When using mobile cranes, the lifting efficiency is not as high as gantry cranes, but they are more versatile. Mobile cranes are suitable solution for temporary container handling.

Reach-stacker is a four wheel truck, with rear wheel steering, it has also a telescopic boom with a spreader. Reach Stacker grabs the container from top and it is suitable for handling of loaded and empty containers. Containers can be set in one over five stacks.

Stackers are suitable for handling empty containers. Stacker has the same structural basis as reach stacker, i.e. four wheel truck, with rear wheel steering, but stackers grab the container by side, reach stackers on the top. Containers can be stacked even one over seven. When container stacks are this high special driving skills and experience are needed, when working with a stacker.

Straddle carrier

A machine intended for lifting, moving and stacking of loaded and empty containers. Straddle carrier has usually eight wheels - four on each side, in two pairs - and it can have all wheel drive and steering. The driver's cabin is high above from ground and the driver has superior visibility in all directions. Straddle carrier hoisting system has a stabiliser which keeps the container in horizontal plane during the lifting operation, it can also have the ability of weighing containers. Straddle carriers can handle both 20 ' and 40 ' containers. Straddle carrier takes the container between its 'legs' and can stack containers even on one over four basis (five layers high), in Hietanen one over two basis, or it can carry container to a trailer etc. There is eleven straddle carriers in Hietanen.

When unloading or loading a container vessel, there is need to lift containers and that is done with cranes. In Hamina there is used both, gantry cranes and mobile cranes. In Hietanen gantries takes care of lifting.

When a container is lifted away from vessel, it is placed on the mafitrailer or cassette in Hamina. Tugmaster drives it to the container yard. There is own yards to empty and loaded containers. In container yard the container is lifted away from mafitrailer or cassette by reach stacker which put container to the stack or lift it to the truck. Mafitrailer or cassette could also be loaded to the RORO vessel.

In the Port of Hietanen, straddle carriers be responsible for containers after lifting away from vessel,except empty containers which could also be handled with a tugmaster/cassette combination. When a straddle carrier takes a container, the driver sees on the monitor where to container should be carried. When loading a container vessel, straddle carriers finds containers to be loaded easily, because of Steveco's container monitoring system. Every straddle carrier has a computer which informs the driver where he will find the container and where it should be carried.