Thamesport (London) has taken delivery of its seventh ship-to-shore gantry crane and eight Rubber-Tyred Gantry cranes (RTGs).
The ship-to-shore gantry crane is 72 metres high. It can handle containers stowed 21-wide, with the ability to twin-lift containers to a maximum capacity of 85 tonnes.
Chris Lewis, chief executive of Hutchison Ports, which owns Thamesport, said: “The new gantry crane will improve our ability to handle the latest generation of ultra-large container ships, which is important considering the UK is facing increasing capacity constraints at deep-water container ports.”
The eight RTGs can stack containers one over five high, as opposed to the current one over four high, performed by the existing Rail Mounted Gantry cranes.
The 16-wheel machines are fitted with AC drive engineering based on Siemens inverters and will be powered by Caterpillar diesel engines. The additional RTGs will help improve yard handling capability and increase the speed of landside operations.
The company expects the ship-to-shore gantry crane to be fully operational in six weeks.
