Port of Hamburg terminal operator Hamburger Hafen und Logisitik AG (HHLA) is making further preparations for the latest generation of mega-ships.
It has ordered two new container gantry cranes for its Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT), which will be able to handle ships with a capacity of 20,000 standard containers (TEU).
HHLA had only just recently ordered three new cranes for HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai. The ultra-modern container gantry cranes for CTT will be supplied by the Liebherr Company and produced in Germany and Ireland.
Dr. Stefan Behn, member of the Executive Board of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, emphasizes the strategic significance of the decision: “We are systematically preparing ourselves for the ever increasing number of ultra large vessels. In future, we will also be able to handle these vessels at our Container Terminal Tollerort with our usual high level of efficiency. In contrast to others, we are therefore making a clear commitment to Hamburg as a location by introducing numerous measures to further strengthen the more efficient coordination of traffic, both onshore and offshore.”
The newly ordered container gantry cranes from Liebherr have a jib length of 74 m and a lifting height of 51.5 m above the quay wall. They are designed for container ships with 24 transverse container rows and can discharge and load two small containers simultaneously when operating in twin mode.
The cranes are therefore optimally suited to efficiently handle container mega-ships of the latest 20,000-TEU class. Each container gantry crane weighs 1,500 tonnes and can handle a maximum payload of 63 tonnes.
In contrast to other container gantry cranes, the new CTT cranes are fitted with a timber jib, giving them a comparatively low overall weight and making them optimally suited to the requirements of berth 5 at CTT.
Liebherr pre-produces large components of the cranes in plants in Killarney, Ireland and in Rostock, Germany and finally assembles these at the Port of Hamburg. The contract includes an option for three additional container gantry cranes of the same model.
Dr. Thomas Koch, Managing Director at Container Terminal Tollerort, explained, “By ordering these container gantry cranes, we are preparing the terminal for the latest generation of ships and therefore securing the competitiveness of CTT.”
