Two 1100 tonne cranes have been moved from Ports of Auckland’s Fergusson Container Terminal to make way for bigger ships and automation.
Fergusson terminal’s two older, smaller cranes have been lifted off their rails so the three newer, larger cranes can be positioned at the north of the terminal, where they will be able to work bigger ships.
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson says its the engineering team worked closely with crane manufacturing company ZPMC to carry out the project.
“We run a very busy terminal, so getting this job done quickly and with minimum disruption to shipping was essential.
“It’s a bit like doing knee surgery at half-time and then getting your player back on the field for the second half.”
Moving the cranes and the level of automation now available gives the port the ability to handle freight for an extra million people in Auckland – an extra 30 to 40 years of capacity, Gibson says.
That equates to 1.7 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) each year. One TEU is about the same as a 20 foot container.
Future technology will give the port additional capacity to serve a regional population of five million – more than three times the current population, he says.
