New container gantry cranes for the Container Terminal Burchardkai
21 Nov 2024 12:00 Economy
Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB), operated by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), received two new container gantry cranes on Wednesday, destined for berths 1 and 2 in the port of Waltershof.
The new cranes arrived in the Port of Hamburg on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, on board the vessel Zhen Hua 27. The vessel is expected to remain at Athabaskakai until 23 November to prepare the cranes for unloading at the terminal. The vessel will then move to its final position at berths 1 and 2 to allow the cranes to be installed on the quay by the end of November. Final commissioning of the cranes is scheduled for early 2025.
Ingo Witte, Managing Director of CTB, commented: “The deployment of the new container gantry cranes marks another decisive milestone in the comprehensive modernisation of the Burchardkai terminal. Our goal is clear: we want to make container handling at CTB more efficient, sustainable, and future-proof. Thanks to their size, these cranes offer our customers maximum flexibility when handling the largest container ships.”
CTB's new container gantry cranes are among the most advanced in the world, capable of handling ships of up to 24,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). Each crane is 80 metres high with booms that also span 80 metres, allowing them to cover 26 rows of containers. These cranes replace the smaller models previously used at the terminal. Since 2019, CTB has been operating similar mega-ship gantry cranes, and by 2026, three more cranes of this size will be added to ensure greater flexibility in handling Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) at Waltershof Port. After the expansion, CTB will have 18 mega-ship cranes out of a total of 26 gantry cranes.
As Germany's largest seaport terminal, Burchardkai plays a crucial role in supplying European consumers and businesses on a daily basis. The facility is undergoing a major upgrade without disrupting operations and is considered the world's largest brownfield project in the industry. By 2026, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) will handle the transport between the quay and the automated block storage area. In addition, block storage capacity is being continuously expanded, with three new storage blocks coming online in the coming weeks. CTB is also building a new 5,000 m² workshop to support the maintenance and servicing of equipment and systems.
Sustainability is a key focus in the development of the terminal. The container gantry cranes, storage cranes, rail cranes and new AGVs will be powered exclusively by electricity from renewable sources. The new workshop will also be equipped with a photovoltaic system. HHLA's overall goal is to achieve climate neutrality throughout Europe by 2040.
Two new container gantry cranes have arrived at the Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) operated by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).
