New cranes reduce congestion

The five ZENHUA36 cranes, produced by Chinese firm ZPCM, cost a total of €58 million. They will be located in the new container terminal developed as part of the port’s investment in the upgrade of Pier 21.

“The Port of Ashdod is constantly working to alleviate congestion created resulting from the global supply crisis that has disrupted the operation of the world’s major ports since the outbreak of the corona pandemic,” said Shiko Janna, chief executive of the Port of Ashdod.

“The STS cranes, along with many other efforts, will help us reduce operational queues and promote technological improvements and, faster and more efficient management.”

The cranes are adapted to work with mega ships with a capacity of up to 24,000 teu and will be used by the port to handle non-standard containers and cargo. The cranes are 140.6 metres high in the raised arm position, with a marine arm length of 71 metres. The cranes are adapted to work with 62 metre wide ships that carry about 24 rows of containers.

Capable of lifting weights of up to 95 tonnes, each crane includes a TANDEM lifting device that allows for the removal of two 40 ft containers with a total of weight of 80 tonnes. They can be operated remotely from a control room or semi-automatically directly from the terminal operating system.

The cranes are expected to be fully operational by September.