New quayside gantry crane at the Gdansk Container Terminal

21.06.2007

On 16 June, the heavy duty vessel "Zhen Hua 20" arrived in Gdansk with the shipment of a bulky quayside gantry crane ordered by Port of Gdansk Cargo Logistics Ltd - operator of the Gdansk Container Terminal. The crane was manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. Ltd - world's biggest producer of port-dedicated cargo handling equipment and steel structures. The purchase of the gantry crane from China was decided based on economic reasons coupled with fast turnaround time on the order. The crane is over 50 metres in height and has a 38-metre outreach over the water and a 28-meter outreach over the quay.

The transportation method used by the crane manufacturer provides for the shipping of such machinery in whole. Once the vessel was berthed at the Szczecinskie Quay, the supplier provided a purpose-made railroad subgrade across the quay together with a flexible passage connecting the ship with the quay. On its own wheels, the gantry crane traveled down the subgrade and onto the quay. The operation was carried out with the use of a block and tackle pulley system mounted onboard the vessel on the one hand, and to water-filled containers based on the quay on the other. The propulsion system for ropes comprised a dedicated hauling winch mounted onboard the vessel. Upon bringing the crane onto the quay, it was hoisted by means of hydraulic jacks in order to rotate wheeled carriers 90 degrees. The weight of the gantry crane is approx. 900 tonnes and the time of its descending from the vessel totaled 2 hours.

The gantry crane, which is now installed on the quay, will improve the quality of container services offered by the Gdansk Container Terminal and is set to substantially boost the rate of cargo handling operations.