Chinese port equipment manufacturer ZPMC has delivered quay crane with twice more seismic capacity than traditional designs to the Port of Izmir, Turkey, to prevent damage from earthquakes.
The delivery is part of a series of container handling technology deliveries to ports and terminals, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an online update, the Chinese-state-owned company said the quay crane for the Port of Izmir has a “special seismic design scheme” which will ensure its stability despite being in an area at high risk of earthquakes.
The crane’s lifting capacity of 65 tonnes and a lifting height of 51m, with a back reach distance of -4m, which ZPMC said will enable it to handle containers from vessels on both sides of the wharf.
According to ZPMC, the pandemic made it harder to communicate with the Port while it was designing the crane and the project team had to overcome “difficulties such as freezing weather” while ensuring the “timely shipment” of the crane.
Additionally, ZPMC said its Zhenhua 29 vessel successfully delivered three quay cranes to COSCO’s Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) and two rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for the Port of Izmir, Turkey.
COSCO’s new remote controlled quay cranes have a lifting height of 46m and a lifting capacity of 65 tonnes. They took eight months to build from manufacturing to shipment and mark the first time the PCT will use semi-automatic cranes.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic ZPMC has delivered port equipment to its customers and even entered new markets, such as Cambodia and other areas of Southeast Asia.
In November 2020, speaking exclusively to PTI, ZPMC said the pandemic had made the maritime industry better understand the value of automation technology.
