The cranes are the first of eight similar machines that will be delivered over the next few weeks.
The Port of Felixstowe, the U.K.’s busiest container port, has taken delivery of its first four remote-controlled rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes, announced port investor, developer and operator Hutchinson Ports on Tuesday.
The electric-powered cranes were built by ZPMC in Shanghai and are the first of eight similar cranes to be delivered over the new few weeks, the port said in a statement. It also has two remote-controlled ship-to-shore gantry cranes, which are currently undergoing manual testing before being deployed in full remote mode.
The RTGs will serve berths 8 and 9, where an additional 18,000 TEUs of container storage has been created. The new cranes are capable of stacking containers six high.
“The physical stress to a driver’s back, neck and shoulders will be significantly reduced and the vibrations experienced as cranes operate will be eliminated altogether,” Robert Ashton, the port’s operations director, said in a statement. “Operationally, we will be able to deploy equipment more dynamically to meet peaks in demand and locating operators, vessel controllers and supervisors closer to one another will lead to improvements in alignment and communication.”