23-Sep-2004

The Port of Felixstowe took delivery of a further Ship-to-Shore Gantry Crane (SSGC) on Wednesday 22nd September 2004, from Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) of Shanghai. The shipment is part of an order for a total of ten Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGCs) and three SSGCs.

Together with the remaining SSGC, which is scheduled for delivery later in the year, the Port will boast a total of 88 RTGCs and 28 SSGCs. The order follows the delivery of ten RTGCs and two SSGCs from ZPMC for Trinity Terminal in 2002.

The crane has been transported by sea from China, a journey of nine weeks, throughout which it has been specially braced against bad weather and heavy seas. Once unloaded, it will be necessary to remove the sea-bracings to allow the crane to be checked, and any minor adjustments made. Following full commissioning tests, it is anticipated that the crane will be fully operational within a short period of time.

The new quayside crane will be amongst the largest in the Port, and is of a similar specification to the previous ZPMC cranes. It will be capable of handling containers stowed 22-wide, and will be equipped with twin lift capability and heavy lift capacity of 85 tonnes. It will be deployed on the Port’s Trinity Terminal.

Commenting on the arrival of the new crane, Richard Pearson, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, said:

“This injection of new equipment at the Port of Felixstowe will help to secure the Port’s competitiveness well into the future. Together with the extension of Trinity Terminal, which is due to come on stream shortly, we will be better placed than ever to handle the future growth in essential import and export trade, and to compete commercially against other European ports.”

The Port of Felixstowe’s additional 270-metres of deep-water container quay at Trinity Terminal will be fully operational in October. The extension will enable the Port to accommodate two of the latest very large container vessels simultaneously.