The training center for port operators in Antwerp, known as OCHA (Opleidingscentrum voor Havenarbeiders), has commissioned Kalmar to provide two hybrid straddle carriers with the aim of expanding its fleet of equipment intended for driver training. According to the manufacturer, the delivery of the two machines is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026, and the order has been recorded in the order book for the first quarter of the current year.
OCHA manages a training program that combines simulator training with practical experience on real equipment, in order to prepare drivers to operate straddle carriers in real port working conditions. The program is structured over three weeks: a first phase of one week in simulators, followed by two weeks of practice on real machines, after which operators are ready to join port operations. The two new hybrid straddle carriers will add to OCHA's current fleet, which consists of five Kalmar machines, and will support the training activities of the center, which has been using equipment from the Finnish manufacturer since 2003.
Geert De Bondt, operations supervisor at OCHA, has noted that the center has large-scale training facilities with a special focus on crane and straddle carrier operations, and that having reliable, high-quality equipment is essential for developing its programs. De Bondt has highlighted the close relationship that OCHA has maintained with Kalmar over more than two decades of collaboration and has expressed willingness to incorporate the new machines into the center's fleet.
For his part, Damien Cols, global clients director at Kalmar, has emphasized the importance of comprehensive training as a key element in ensuring safety and efficiency in cargo handling operations. Cols has appreciated that OCHA has once again selected Kalmar equipment for its training programs, which provide port workers with practical experience considered essential for the development and maintenance of the necessary competencies in their daily performance.
The relationship between OCHA and Kalmar dates back over twenty years, a period during which the Antwerp training center has continuously relied on the manufacturer's equipment to prepare operators who subsequently join the terminals at the Port of Antwerp. The choice of hybrid straddle carriers in this new order aligns with the widespread trend in the European port sector towards the progressive electrification of cargo handling equipment, a transition in which hybrid models represent an intermediate solution that allows for reduced fuel consumption and emissions without sacrificing the operational autonomy of conventional equipment.
OCHA has been updating its training resources in recent years. In 2022, the center added new instructors and received a training simulator supplied by the U.S. technology company GlobalSim, with which it also maintains a collaboration of more than two decades. The simulator allows students to practice realistic scenarios in safe conditions, with adjustable parameters that include adverse weather situations, which contributes to improving both the quality of training and the professional prospects of future port operators.