The Port of Felixstowe, the UK's largest container port, has taken delivery of six rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and two ship-to-shore gantry (SSG) cranes.

The cranes arrived at Felixstowe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), on January 15. The machines were part of an order for 10 RTGs and two SSGs placed with Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) of Shanghai. With the delivery of the remaining four RTGs, scheduled for February, the port will have 78 RTGs and 25 SSGs.

The cranes were shipped from China, a nine-week journey, during which they were secured and braced against bad weather and heavy seas. Once unloaded, the cranes will be checked, and should be fully operational within weeks.

The SSGs will be the largest at the port, with a lift height of 37 metres above the quay, and a lifting capacity of 85 tonnes. Each is capable of handling containers stowed 22 wide, and is equipped with a twin-lift capability.

The RTGs will stack containers five high, and straddle seven wide. The 16-wheel machines will supercede the existing four-wheel Paceco machines at Trinity Terminal. The RTGs are fitted with Noell drives, based on Siemens inverters, and are powered by Caterpillar diesel engines. Each machine weighs 152 tonnes (including spreader attachment), and has a 40 tonne capacity.

Felixstowe plans to extend the quay at its Trinity Terminal by 270 metres. Subject to approval, the new quay will be operational in 2003, boosting Felixstowe's annual capacity to more than three million TEUs.

The port's container terminals, Trinity and Landguard, have seven and two berths respectively, providing a total quay length of 2.5km. The port has 23 quay cranes operating on the berths, and 74 RTGs to handle container movement.