On 12 October four new quay cranes arrived at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in Rotterdam. The heavy-lift vessel Zhen Hua 27 brought three Super Quay Cranes for large container ships and one Barge Feeder Crane for feeders and inland shipping. This is reported by Flows. It is the second shipment from an order of twelve cranes from the Chinese builder ZPMC. The first four arrived on 22 March.
What the terminal reports
According to El Estrecho Digital, which bases itself on information from the terminal, eight of the twelve cranes are now in Rotterdam. Nine cranes are intended for the deep-sea quay, three for feeder and inland shipping traffic. The expansion adds 1,000 metres of quay, bringing the total to 2,000 metres, and is to raise capacity to a maximum of 5.4 million TEU per year. There will also be new stacking areas, four extra rail tracks and automated equipment.
WorldCargo News describes the cranes as remotely operated. Before they enter service, tests and commissioning are still to follow. Even before loading in China, the parties involved checked components and connections for the link to the automated terminal, including camera systems and electrical connections.
Why the cable carrier has a hard job on a quay crane
A container crane is big steel, but it runs on cables. Power, control, cameras and sensors have to move along with everything that moves. On many cranes that connection to the trolley or the boom runs through a cable carrier. Which solution is in these new cranes is not stated in the reports. What is certain are the conditions in which a cable carrier works on a quay:
- Long travel lengths at high speed. A trolley travels tens of metres back and forth, all day. Such a travel length is too long to be self-supporting, so the carrier glides in a channel. Then the gliding limits for speed and acceleration count, and for many types they are lower than you would expect. How to check that is explained in determining cable carrier speed and acceleration.
- Weather, wind and salty air. Outdoors, the carrier and cables face UV, rain, frost and salt. That calls for a design and cables suited to it. See cable carrier for a container crane.
- More data, more cables. A crane that is operated remotely relies on cameras and a reliable data connection. Every cable that is added has to be given a place in the carrier, with enough room and the right bending radius.
What does this mean for terminals and crane builders?
New cranes get a lot of attention. But the existing cranes on the quay keep running too, and they have often been in service for years. That is exactly where it pays to check the cable routing in good time. Three points to take with you:
- Plan inspection before a stop. Wear on gliding shoes, links and channel is something you see before you hear it. Those who see it early can order parts before a stop is planned. The Carrier check helps you go through the points one by one.
- Recalculate when converting. If a crane is going to travel faster, or cameras and sensors are added, check whether the carrier and the layout still fit.
- Keep parts in view. A crane that is idle because of a broken link costs a terminal money straight away. With parts and repair you can request individual links and end brackets by article number or by photo.
What Wisman Techniek does
Wisman Techniek is a dealer of Tsubaki Kabelschlepp in the Netherlands and supplies cable carriers for long travel lengths, such as the TKHP and the M series, with channel, cables and end brackets. We work for cranes and ports in the Netherlands and Germany, from new projects to replacement and maintenance of existing carriers. Not sure whether the carrier of a crane still suits the current speed or cable package? Send us the details and we will check the calculation free of charge.
