Hello, there are some differences between a quayside container crane and a mobile crane. In every important port that handles a big number of containers it will be a quayside crane.

 This are some advantages of using this cranes:
                                                                      - you can move more containers per hour than using a mobile crane, this is because  the mobile crane  rotates slowly  from the ship to the shore and the quayside trolley  moves fast and lineally.

                                                                       - the out reach and the capacity of a mobile crane may be lower than the quayside crane.

 As an example some mobile cranes can handle 25 containers per hour against 45 containers per hour for quay side crane, at  50m ( max outreach) a mobile crane can lift 30 ton under spreader against 65 t under spreader at 60m (max outreach) for some quayside cranes.

All this doesn't mean that mobile cranes are non useful, they have versatility and can move along all the harbour area to lift things in other places far from the quay or to  discharge containers but no so fast as with a quayside crane.        

I agree what Martin is saying  that for bigger volumes and to handle the bigger ships you will probably go for gantry cranes.

Other advantages of gantry cranes besides the already mentioned higher productivity are :

- higher availability than mobile cranes

- lower maintenance cost

- longer total life time

- easier to work with long twin (two 20 foot containers), the bigger cranes can lift 4 20 foot or 2 40 foot containers

- gantry can do direct loading/discharging from/to chassis, in case of a mobile you need the support of a reachstacker

brgds

Joris Thys

MD Katoen Natie Terminals

First of all, thank you very much for your valuable inputs, very much appreciated.

Our terminal is a 100,000 TEUs container terminal, consider a small port. We do not have much budget for the quay equipment. Most of the vessel call to our terminal are less than Panamax Vessel (less than 13 row). Do you think that we should go for MHC or QC ? What are the advantages for using MHC ? We are handling some general cargo as well.

It is any how recommended to make and compare budgets for both solutions given that both are technically achievable.

It is correct that for a gantry crane you need substantial higher investment >

* place crane rails and foundations if not available, electrical infrastructure,  ...

* cost of a new crane have to be estimated at least 8 mio usd, you can always obt for a second hand crane, good ones are available, but that has to fit with yr existing infrastructure and transport for special equipment nowadays is very expensive

Advantages for MHC are >

* cheaper in purchase, versatile,

* you have to check if the quaywall can support a MHC operation

* for vessels upto 13 containers width you will need a 120 tons mobile crane, cost new ca  4 to 4.5 mio dollars

The people from portvision have a good technical database on mobile cranes, gantry cranes etc and they can help you to obtain a good product and price. One of their engeneers is based in China for the follow up of the production of the 4 ZPMC cranes we have bought and we are very saitisfied with the job they do, it is saving us money and we obtain a better product.

May be this could help you, there are other kind of cranes that combines advantages of BHC and QSC.

You could look for a fixed cargo crane, this cranes are fixed to the quay.  They have less capacity and outreach but your inversion should be lower than installing MHC or QSC. In the other hand you will still having the problem of adapting your quay  foundations.A fixed cargo crane could lift around 30 t in hook operation at 30m max radius. With this cranes you could handle general cargo and containers too.

Other solution is buying a traveling cargo crane they work similar as quay side cranes because they move in a fixed rail so with only one you could operate along your quay but you will have the cost of placing the rails. The lifting system is like a MHC a luffing cylinder that could handle around 35t under hook at 37m max radius. They are suitable for loading and unloading containers and general cargo from a Panamax size vessel.

I recommend you to contact Port Vision manager Esteban Siniscalco (esteban.siniscalco@portvision.eu) he could send you technical details of every kind of crane and assist you in your purchase.

Rgards

Thank you guys for yours valuable inputs .... very useful and very much appreciated.

Best Regards

I am using a habour mobile crane LHM250 with spreader and it is the best crane i have ever operated ou of all the different cranes I have driven. I have operated tower cranes, I used crawler and truck mounted cranes, it is the best design crane in the world.  I am operating quayside cranes at the moment, although they are a good crane, they are no comparisment to the new lehbrehr in regards of operating procedures, hope to hear from you soon.

 Regards Paddy