The Port of Felixstowe announced the delivery of its first remote-controlled rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). Built by crane manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. (ZPMC), the arrival of the four machines will be followed by the delivery of four other units during the next few week.
The port also has two remote controlled ship-to-shore gantry cranes currently undergoing manual testing before being deployed in full remote mode.
Robert Ashton, Operations Director at the Port of Felixstowe, stated
The new cranes represent an important step towards a greater degree of remote working at the Port of Felixstowe. Remote working will deliver benefits for both our employees and our customers.
He continued that for the drivers the ergonomics are better than a traditional operation. Specifically, the physical stress to a driver’s back, neck and shoulders will be significantly reduced and the vibrations experienced as cranes operate will be eliminated altogether.
The new RTGs will serve Berths 8&9 where an additional 18,000 TEU of container storage has been created to meet growing demand at the UK’s leading container port.
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Concluding, the new cranes are electric-powered and capable of stacking containers 6-high to enable more efficient use to be made of the new yard area.
