The Finnish port equipment provider Konecranes will supply the Hutchison Ports operated Port of Felixstowe with 17 automated rubber-tired gantry (ARTG) cranes, which will be fully electric, powered by busbars, and delivered as carbon-neutral.
This order marks the first Konecranes ARTG for the United Kingdom (UK), as well as the first Konecranes ARTG ordered by Hutchison Ports. It also constitutes the largest order of Konecranes ARTG for a single terminal or project, according to a statement.
Booked in the fourth quarter of 2021, the order will be delivered and commissioned in a project covering three phases, with the first phase expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023, with the delivery of six ARTG, while the remaining cranes are projected to be delivered in two batches, until Q4 2025.
“Konecranes will integrate Felixstowe’s existing ARTG with the Konecranes ARTG in a harmonised automation platform,” stated Darryn Scheepers, sales manager Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Port Solutions, Konecranes.
The automation will be completed by integrating Felixstowe’s eight existing ARTG with the Konecranes Remote Operating Stations (ROS) and the Konecranes Crane Task Management System.
A Konecranes Crane Adapter Module will adapt the controls to the Konecranes ROS and give the work orders to the existing cranes, while a single operator at a Konecranes ROS will be able to remotely handle up to five ARTG simultaneously across the yard.
The new cranes are estimated to help make Felixstowe’s large container throughput more efficient, as well as to aid the UK port’s decarbonisation investment.
