The Mantsinen 95R provides ABP with a customised, cost-effective cargo- handling solution at the Port of Ipswich.

Cooper Specialised Handling has delivered and installed a Mantsinen hydraulic crane at the Port of Ipswich. The Mantsinen 95R is the last of five supplied to Associated British Ports (ABP) facilities around the UK.

Port of Ipswich required a customised solution due to a number of technical considerations, including the port's suspended quays, which are load-sensitive, and the restricted distance between the quay face and the warehouses in certain parts of the operation. Since the new Mantsinen hydraulic crane is replacing an existing DD2 quay crane, there was also a need to match performance and lift the same loads at the same operational radius.

ABP's existing DD2 wire rope cranes operate on 4 m wide rails, so Cooper had to take into account where they lie relative to the quay edge to ensure the Mantsinen 95R would perform all operations while situated on these crane rails.

The crane has also been specified with an extra high slew ring, which sits at 7 m, to aid the operation.

To ensure a clear view into the largest vessels and hoppers, the cab height needed to be a minimum of 10 m above ground level. The Mantsinen 95R's cab elevator is therefore a distinct advantage, as it affords crane operators a direct line of sight into the hold and means they do not have to rely on cameras.

Andy Constable, ABP's head of operations at the Port of Ipswich, says the Mantsinen machine's faster cycle time will improve throughput, with a corresponding impact on productivity. "We will also benefit from better berth utilisation, enabling us to service more vessels, and this, in turn, will enhance the service we provide to our customers."

ABP's Port of Ipswich handles 3 million T of cargo per annum and is the UK's largest export grain port, exporting 500,000 T of cereals a year. The new Mantsinen crane will be deployed to load/unload bulk cargo, predominantly fertilisers and animal feeds, but also has the capacity to handle aggregates.

It has been supplied with Mantsinen's quick-release system for easy interchanging of attachments, which include a semi-automatic bag frame, four hydraulic grabs and a hook and rotator to facilitate the handling of a variety of cargoes.

The cost of the new crane was not disclosed, but the overall ABP order is worth GBP6 million (USD7.67 million).