China-based port equipment supplier Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has delivered three remote controlled intelligent quay cranes to the Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) at the COSCO-run Port of Piraeus, Greece.
Delivered at the end of July 2021, the machines arrived on the ‘ZPMC 29’. They are the first machines in Greece to operate with what ZPMC calls a “smart core”, which enables easier semi-automated container handling operations.
The new quay cranes were independently developed and built by ZPMC from May 2020.
They feature a lifting height of 46m, rated load of lifting appliance of 65t, lifting speed of 180m/min, trolley speed of 240m/min, front extension distance of 60m, rear extension distance of 17m, crane speed of 45m/min, pitch time of 6 min, gauge of 20m, and a lifting efficiency doubly increased than the old quay crane.
All three are equipped with remote control system, with mature anti-sway system, real-time ship profile scanning system (SPSS), precise chassis positioning system (CPS), high-definition closed circuit television (CCTV), and container number recognition system (OCR).
The whole crane is equipped with leading sensors, scanners and cameras, which can realise high-efficiency remote semi-automatic quay crane operation and automatic operation of quay crane in the middle after the driver remotely operates both ends to grab and place the container.
“This is the first time for the terminal to mobilize semi-automatic quay cranes, which can be operated remotely by the driver in the control center, without working on the crane,” ZPMC said.
“These three new cranes with “smart core” will be combined with the original cranes of the PCT terminal after layout adjustment to improve the loading and unloading capacity and service quality of the container terminal in Piraeus Port, making the on-site operation smoother, orderly and safe, and also providing support for the future automation transformation of the terminal.”