Three new ship-to-shore gantry cranes have been delivered to the Port of Felixstowe, the Port of Britain. Built by ZPMC in Shanghai, the new cranes will be operated on the port’s Berth 8&9 which are currently being extended to increase the port’s ability to handle the latest ultra-large container ships. The cranes are all designed to handle ships with containers stowed up to 24-wide and have a lift-height of 49.5 metres above the quay to allow them to work containers stacked up to 10-high on deck at all states of the tide. Commenting on the latest crane arrivals, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe and Managing Director of HPH Europe division, said: “The project to extend Berths 8&9 at the port, on which these cranes will operate, will allow us to work more mega-vessels simultaneously. We will commission these cranes over the next few weeks and the extended terminal will be operational during the fourth quarter this year.” The new cranes are equipped with driver aids and are designed to work with tandem-lift spreaders allowing two 40′ containers to be handled at the same time. The driver aids include partial automation of the loading cycle to reduce strain on the drivers and to increase productivity. They are part of a programme of investment at Felixstowe that has seen the development of Berths 8&9, the opening of a third rail terminal at the port, and the announcement of a new 1.4 million square foot logistics park in recent years.
