The shipping port which can offer the best services and equipment for discharge to bulk carriers will naturally attract the most revenue. Consequently, this port can grow in size, produce additional employment opportunities and bring money into the hinterland. The meaning of “best” discharge can be narrowed down to two points: effectiveness and reliability. This is relevant to the skills of the people working on the project and the equipment with which they are supplied. The port needs to work efficiently in order to offer excellent services to the shipping companies.
Good equipment means effective and reliable grabs with easy maintenance, fair spare part prices and a long life-time. This is the field of the grab constructor and manufacturer ORTS GmbH Maschinenfabrik (Germany). Flexibility, knowledge and 35 years of wide spread experience is the foundation of this company. High quality is ensured, because all grabs are self-constructed and self-manufactured in the workshops of Germany. These advantages are also known by the shipping companies – which are the main customers of ORTS – as they know we can quickly discharge bulk carriers in order to make profit. ORTS have a considerable amount of long term customers, some dating back as far as far 20-30 years in the shipping industry.
ORTS’ grabs are well-known for their high effectiveness (high discharge rates), reliability and impressive endurability rate over millions and millions of tons of usage. Over the life-time of a grab, the purchase price becomes more and more diminished as companies with inferior grabs consistently pay out high maintenance bills. Quality, reliability and effectiveness are important factors to consider in a machine that needs to last a number of years. A cheap grab can very quickly become an expensive grab as you will find when it needs the first spare part after a short time of operation, has broken down during an operation or is never using its full clamshell volume.
Some special features from past models are a 115t dead-weight salvage grab with tractive forces of over 400t as well as dredger grabs with 60t and 80t dead weight. ORTS Maschinenfabrik covers the entire range of grabs on the market today including electro-hydraulic grabs, radio controlled diesel-hydraulic grabs, mechanical single-rope grabs, as well as mechanical 2, 3 and 4 rope grabs. Grabs are available as normal clamshell grabs or as orange-peel grabs (polyp-grabs) in different variations and designs. ORTS is also a pioneer in enclosed clamshell designs to protect the environment from dust.
Grab size is relevant to the need of the customer and special constructions are possible. Dredger and salvage grabs are available as well as a special grab for oil-recovering from the water-surface. Also, lifting beams with a SWL of 100t or more, flat- traverse-frames with a SWL up to 35t are in the program. Supplying crane equipment for operating electro-hydraulic grabs and installation and repairs of grabs (also other fabricates) are categorically better supplied and enhanced by ORTS.