Port of Felixstowe takes delivery of three STS gantry cranes

The European port received three ship-to-shore gantry cranes built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., which will be operated at Berths 8 and 9.    The Port of Felixstowe took delivery of three new ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., which will be operated at Berths 8 and 9.
   The new STS cranes can handle containers stowed up to 24-wide and have a lift height of 49.5 meters above the quay, which allows them to work containers stacked up to 10-high on deck, regardless of the tide.
   In addition, the cranes are designed to work with tandem-lift spreaders, which allows for two 40-foot containers to be handled simultaneously. The cranes are also equipped with driver aids, which include partial automation of the loading cycle.
   When expansion of Berths 8 and 9 is complete, the two berths will provide 1,285 meters of quay and a depth of 18 meters below chart datum, according to the Port of Felixstowe’s website. Since opening in 2011, Berths 8 and 9 were designed to handled mega vessels.
   “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,” Port of Felixstowe CEO and HPH Europe Division Managing Director Clemence Cheng said in a statement. “We will commission these cranes over the next few weeks and the extended terminal will be operational during the fourth quarter this year.”
   Situated in southeastern United Kingdom, the Port of Felixstowe handles over 3.7 million TEUs each year. Approximately 30 shipping lines operate from the port, which offer around 90 services to and from 400 ports worldwide, according to the port’s website.