Eucon benefits from high-cube flats
Short-sea shipping line Eucon Shipping & Transport
Ltd, with operational bases in Ireland and Rotterdam, has recently
taken delivery of an order for 48 high-cube 40ft folding flatracks
for operation on its European routes. Designed by flatrack specialists
Domino Flatracks to meet Eucon's particular operational requirements,
the units were built by Chinese container manufacturer Singamas
at its Yixing factory, near Shanghai.
Eucon's new 40ft x 9ft6in DOMINO flatracks,
designed by Domino Flatracks, have a 25% increase in cargo capacity
and have flush folding end walls which can also lift off for vehicle
loading
Eucon's requirement was for
folding flatracks with a higher than standard cubic capacity, while
it also wanted to be able to stack six collapsed flats into a single
8ft6in high module. After finding that the 40ft units on offer from
leasing companies were not suitable for its requirements, the shipping
line approached Flatrack Containers to develop a special design.
To meet Eucon's objectives, Domino Flatracks remodelled
its flush-folding Domino Type(4) design to produce a 9ft6in high
flatrack, with its base depth substantially reduced down from a
nominal 600mm to 400mm. In this way, Eucon has been given an extra
half-metre internal height throughout the length of the flatrack,
which translates into a 25% increase in cargo-carrying cubic capacity.
Additionally, the company is able to transport
collapsed flatracks as 6in1, 8ft6in high modules (instead of 4in1),
thereby cutting the cost of relocating empties by up to one third.
Although the gross rating of these newly designed units is down
from 45 tonnes to 34 tonnes, a strength capability is offered by
Domino Flatracks at 45 tonnes.
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The first of its kind being a 6in1 flush
folding DOMINO collapsible flatrack folding 6 into 8ft6in
Two other notable new features,
designed to give users enhanced flexibility, have been incorporated
into Eucon's new flatracks and these are now offered throughout
the Domino Flatracks range.
A gooseneck tunnel is now fitted at each end of
the container, enabling the units to be positioned either way round
on a gooseneck chassis.
The flatracks also include removable end walls,
giving users the flexibility to end-load a flatrack with vehicles
by simply driving them on and off. The flatracks' end walls can
be removed in just a few minutes with a 1 tonne lift truck and can
be replaced just as quickly.
Eucon reports that the new flatracks are already
making a significant contribution to its container fleet operations.
According to Ed Taapken, Managing Director of Eucon, 'These new
units have been successfully deployed into our fleet - they are
carrying a wide range of cargoes and we are obtaining high utilisation
from them'.
Singamas was selected as the manufacturer of the
units because of its capacity to undertake the project quickly.
'In this instance' says Martin Clive-Smith, Managing Director of
Domino Flatracks, 'Singamas was the preferred supplier, being able
to produce prototypes and start production of the units, which include
special customer features, very rapidly.'
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