VICTORIA International Container Terminal has received what it claims are the two biggest quay cranes in Australia.
The new cranes are part a $235-million expansion that aims to boost VICT’s capacity to 1.25 million TEU.
VICT chief executive officer Bruno Porchietto said the cranes have a hoist height of 49 metres, which is 10 metres higher than 39 metres on the five cranes already at the terminal.
“We are now ready to receive the biggest vessels that will come to Australia as part of the upsizing strategy undertaken by all the major shipping lines in the world, which will see an increasing number of supersized vessels sailing into Phillips Bay and mooring at VICT, the only terminal in Melbourne that can receive them,” Mr Porchietto said.
The cranes, manuractured by ZPMC, have a boom outreach of 60 metres and are capable of operating 22 containers across on a vessel.
Mr Porchietto said the outreach is 10 metres longer than that of existing cranes, which are capable of handling 19 containers across.
Lashing platforms for removing or placing pins in the containers are mounted 15 metres high, and would improve production times compared to the existing cranes where pinning is completed at quay level.
“Like our existing cranes, these new cranes are operated remotely and are fully automatic,” Mr Porchietto said.
VICT’s expansion project is scheduled for completion at the end of the year.
