Five cranes at Maasvlakte I to be retrofitted for serving
Rotterdam, Netherlands – APM Terminals Rotterdam Maasvlakte I will enhance five ofthe terminal’s existing post-Panamax cranes to a 23-container row reach toaccommodate the latest generation of ultra-large container ships. The retrofittinginvolves engineering and software adjustments expected to be completed in time for thearrival of the 18,000 TEU capacity Marie Maersk, the fourth Maersk Line EEE-Classvessel, currently the world’s largest ships of any type, which is scheduled to arrive inRotterdam on December 6thas part of the weekly Asia/North Europe AE10 service.
We are continuously anticipating and adapting to our customers’ needs to provideindustry-leading efficiency and productivity” said APM Terminals European PortfolioManager Ben Vree.
The world’s first 18,000 TEU vessel, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, paid its maiden call toAPM Terminals Rotterdam on August 16th. The EEE class vessels, at 59 meters (194feet) wide, are 9 meters (29.5 feet) wider than the 15,000 TEU Maersk E-Class vessels,which have a capacity of 15,500 TEUs. Triple E-class vessels have containers stacked 23rows wide across the deck, while current post-Panamax cranes were constructed with a22-container row wide reach. APM Terminals Rotterdam set a new terminal productivityrecord on the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller with berth productivity of 215 gross moves perhour and crane productivity of 37.1 gross moves per hour.
The booms of five of the 13 STS cranes now in operation at APM Terminals RotterdamMaasvlakte I are being extended for use on the 18,000+ TEU capacity vessels and willalso use new operating procedures. Maersk Line has received the first four EEE-Classvessels out of a total of 20 scheduled for delivery over the next two years. The newgeneration of container vessels with a capacity of more than 18,000 TEU is setting a newstandard for the industry.
Source: APM Terminals
