'Be prepared' is the motto of the moment
One-over-five and one-over-six stacking has become the industry standard. Credit: Konecranes
Rubber-tyred gantries will continue to be the stackers of choice in port planning for the next five to 10 years, although the power supplies and fuels could well change, according to executives.
Ross Clarke of APM Terminals for one notes that one-over-five and one-over-six stacking is the industry standard and will continue to be so for some time yet. "One-over-six is a little slower and can be more rigid."
Adds a European port executive: "When space is at a premium, as often happens here, higher stacking is sometimes necessary. The US mostly does not have to deal with that problem."
Mr Clarke says that the industry is beginning to take notice of the trend in China and Asia of splitting the crane cycle to make each movement more compartmentalised and is showing port operators that fresh thinking is always around the corner.
Meanwhile, construction materials will continue to rely on the tried and tested trio of steel, concrete and cement. Europe's use of fly ash in concrete to increase durability is spreading to the US, while pre-cast concrete is being used as much as possible to limit water pollution and roller compacted concrete, widely used in the UK, is becoming more common across the Atlantic.
Consultants and engineers say that port operators are happy to stick to the standard 50-year lifespan for terminals and wharves and 20 years for pavements. But some are a little uneasy at investment banks, hedge funds and the like becoming investors as their sole concern is maximum return on the investment. This could lead to demands for project lifespans to be reduced to as little as 20 years, which would involve riskier methods and materials.
For ports such as Houston, hurricanes have to be factored in. Ty Thomas, vice-president at Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam, says structures have to withstand wind speeds of 180 km/hour and wave run ups of almost three metres.
But everyone is certain that the container will be the main shipping method for at least the next 10 years, albeit with changes in loading and stacking, such as the use of high density storage systems - "pigeon holes" - to speed up throughput.
One principle that has stayed unchanged is the need to get the right design before the project starts and 'Be Prepared', as the Boy Scouts' motto urges. "Look at the whole project cycle," says Halcrow's Quentin Holland, "before you get too far down the road. So many terminals have things bolted on at the end. Educating clients about what is needed and what are the costs is vital."
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