Tropical Shipping has ordered four Konecranes Gottwald ESP.6 mobile harbor cranes for container-handling operations in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The order, booked during the second quarter, includes one crane for Riviera Beach, Fla., one for St. Croix and two for St. Thomas. The units will be delivered and commissioned during the second quarter of 2027.
The cranes will be the first mobile harbor cranes deployed on St. Croix and St. Thomas, expanding quayside cargo-handling capacity on the islands.
Tropical Shipping has operated Konecranes equipment for more than 20 years, including several earlier-generation Gottwald mobile harbor cranes. The latest order will introduce the manufacturer’s Generation 6 crane technology at several of the carrier’s terminals.
“For more than two decades, Konecranes equipment has delivered the reliability and performance we need,” Kevin Blake, Tropical Shipping’s director of fleet maintenance, said. “These new cranes will support even faster moves per hour, while the diesel-electric platform brings the efficiency and lower-emission profile we're looking for.”
Blake said deploying the first mobile harbor cranes on St. Croix and St. Thomas represents a major upgrade for Tropical Shipping’s cargo and maintenance operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The agreement also includes Konecranes’ Truconnect remote-monitoring system. Tropical Shipping performs most of its maintenance internally, and the system will provide operating data that Konecranes can use to help identify spare-parts and technical-support needs.
The diesel-electric cranes can also be configured for renewable diesel, hybrid and fully electric operation, according to Konecranes.
