The ASCs will enable VICT to expand its current capacity at the Port of Melbourne located at Webb Dock East. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2021 Q3 order intake, with delivery expected to be completed in Q2 2023.

“Kalmar solutions form the backbone of our operations at Webb Dock East. The yard capacity expansion and the new Automatic Stacking Cranes will allow us to increase the productivity of our operations to meet the growing customer demand on both quay and landside. The additional storage blocks will also add resiliency, allowing for improved planned maintenance, minimising disruption to our stakeholders,” said Jon Wheeler, COO, VICT.

VICT, owned by International Container Terminal Services, Inc (ICTSI) is Australia’s first fully automated container terminal which welcomed its first vessel in March 2017 and since then has handled the largest in capacity, longest in length and highest exchange within Australia in a single call.

The 35-hectare terminal has a design throughput capacity of over a million TEU and is the only terminal in Melbourne capable of handling the largest container vessels. The six new Kalmar ASCs are part of VICT's capacity expansion program, and the cranes will join the current fleet of 20 Kalmar ASCs operating at VICT that have been delivering truck turn times of sub-35 minutes.

The cranes will be delivered fully erected and tested to ensure rapid, smooth integration into the terminal’s automated operations. VICT’s automated operations are powered by Kalmar One Automation System – a complete end-to-end system that combines Kalmar automated equipment and a pre-integrated and tested software solution.

The OneTerminal deployment at VICT currently includes the recently upgraded Navis N4 Terminal Operating System (TOS), a Kalmar Automatic Stacking Crane system with 20 Kalmar ASCs, 11 Kalmar AutoShuttles, and the Kalmar Automated Truck Handling system. Earlier this year, VICT ordered an additional six Kalmar AutoShuttles to be delivered by the end of this year, increasing their total fleet to 17 units.

Kalmar is also responsible for the maintenance and support of the automated container handling software solution operating at VICT as well as related technical support. In 2020, VICT signed a three-year Kalmar Parts Care agreement covering the availability of Kalmar genuine spare parts for their fleet of Kalmar equipment.

“We are excited to continue our long-term collaboration with VICT and help them gain the maximum benefit from their automated solutions. Our ability to deliver fully erected and tested machines will ensure that the customer can start to leverage their new solutions faster without disrupting ongoing operations,” added Daniel Ho, VP, Sales, Asia-Pacific, Kalmar.