en.Wedoany.com Reported - Tropical Shipping has ordered four Gottwald ESP.6 mobile harbor cranes from Konecranes for container handling operations in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the equipment scheduled for delivery and commissioning in the second quarter of 2027.

The order was confirmed in the second quarter. Of the four cranes, one will be deployed in Riviera Beach, Florida, one in St. Croix, and the other two in St. Thomas.

This will mark the first time mobile harbor cranes are put into service in St. Croix and St. Thomas, enhancing cargo handling capacity at the two islands' terminals. Tropical Shipping has operated Konecranes equipment for more than two decades, with several early Gottwald mobile harbor cranes still in service. This new order will introduce Konecranes' sixth-generation crane technology across multiple terminals of the carrier.

Kevin Blake, fleet maintenance director at Tropical Shipping, stated that Konecranes equipment has delivered the reliability and performance required for over 20 years, and the new cranes will support faster lifts per hour, while the diesel-electric platform brings efficiency gains and lower emission characteristics. Blake also noted that deploying the first mobile harbor cranes in St. Croix and St. Thomas marks a significant upgrade to Tropical Shipping's cargo and maintenance operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The agreement also includes Konecranes' Truconnect remote monitoring system. Since most of Tropical Shipping's maintenance work is carried out in-house, the system will provide operational data that Konecranes can use to help identify spare parts and technical support needs.

According to Konecranes, these diesel-electric cranes can also be configured to operate on renewable diesel, hybrid, or fully electric power.