KWAI CHUNG, China -- Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, has taken delivery of eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes for use at its Kwai Chung facility.

The eight machines are half of a 16-unit order made to Shanghai-based ZPMC. The remainder are expected to arrive this month.

HIT managing director Eric Ip told the South China Morning Post that the six-high stacking RTGs were equipped with the latest technology.

"The new RTGs will increase our terminal productivity, while giving us the capacity to handle future increases in container traffic," he said.

Each RTG has global positioning, jack-up mechanisms and four gantry motors. An anti-truck-lifting system, which uses lasers to ensure containers are lifted safely from trucks, would be installed, Mr Ip said.

Their installation will increase yard-stacking capacity to more than 76,000 TEUs. HIT, which operates 10 berths at Kwai Chung, accounts for more than 50 per cent of the port's throughput, the company said.