29 Alimak lifts are currently installed in Vietnam Ports and are contributing to their increased efficiency. Improving access to ship-to-shore cranes for operators and maintenance personnel, the lifts provide fast, safe and reliable vertical transport daily in any weather conditions.

Alimak Hek has recently supplied two Alimak rack and pinion lifts to Saigon Port. The lifts are installed on new ZPMC ship-to-shore container cranes at Vietnam International Container Terminals (VICT). Each of the two Alimak lifts installed on the crane legs has four landings, a load capacity of 400kg, a maximum speed of 0.8m/s and a 31m lifting height.

Saigon Port is the busiest port in Vietnam and the 33rd busiest container cargo port in the world. Saigon Port handled more than 3.2 million containers (TEUs) in 2007 (70% of Vietnam’s container traffic).

The first Alimak lift to be installed at a port in Vietnam was delivered to Vulcan/Kocks in 1991 for use on a ship-to-shore crane. Since then, 28 additional Alimak lifts have joined the ports of Vietnam.

Uptime and Productivity are Key

With vessel turnaround schedules measured in hours, it is imperative to maximise crane uptime. Alimak rack and pinion lifts provide safe, efficient access to the top of the crane for men, tools and repair parts facilitating frequent preventive maintenance and minimising costly downtime resulting from breakdowns. By allowing operators to access the crane’s cabin more quickly, a lift also substantially increases the crane’s overall productivity per shift.

Alimak lifts are designed to operate in demanding industrial environments, outdoors and indoors. Because an Alimak rack and pinion lift carries its own machinery, it does not require an expensive machine room or load-bearing lift shaft. Alimak crane lifts are installed in almost 100 countries around the world, with almost 2500 Alimak lifts installed in ports worldwide since 1971.