Port of Felixstowe Welcomes First Cranes for Felixstowe South

20th April 2010

The Port of Felixstowe has taken delivery of the first shipment of Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) from ZPMC for its new Felixstowe South Terminal.

The brand-new ‘eco-RTGs’ are the same size and have the same capabilities as the most modern equipment on the port’s Trinity Terminal. With a lift capacity of 40 tonnes, each crane is capable of spanning seven container stacks, and able to lift a container over five-high stacks.

The incorporation of ‘eco’ technology will reduce emissions by an estimated 40% with corresponding saving in fuel and noise pollution. The savings are achieved through the use of a hybrid drive system, developed by Siemens, which is based on a finely tuned variable speed diesel power pack.

David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, commented:

“The arrival of these cranes marks another important milestone in the delivery of the Felixstowe South project. The terminal is the only fully committed deep-water container facility in the UK and underlines our position as the clear market-leader in this sector. These eco-RTGs are industry-leading in their class, and as well as being operationally very efficient, will help us to further reduce our environmental impact, and achieve our environmental goals in 2010.”

The RTGs’ hybrid drive system is based upon the technology and drive systems already successfully marketed on buses, especially in the USA, where there are over 700 such vehicles in operation. Not only does the system reduce fuel consumption but it also allows a smaller sized power pack to be fitted, reduces engine maintenance, gives a long engine life, eliminates high speed engine idling, and reduces the maintenance of the electrical drive components.

The new cranes were manufactured by Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) in Shanghai and transported fully erect to the Port of Felixstowe. They will undergo an intense commissioning and testing process before becoming operational on the Port’s newest terminal later this year.

Port of Felixstowe (PFL) is the largest container port in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. PFL is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group. HPH, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), is the world's leading port investor, developer and operator with interests in a total of 50 ports, spanning 25 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. HPH also owns a number of transportation-related service companies.

Port of Felixstowe (PFL)