Cargo

• Container Terminals
  • Terminal 5
  • Terminal 18
  • Terminal 25
  • Terminal 46
• Breakbulk Terminals
  • Terminal 91
  • Terminal 91 Construction
  • Terminal 115
  • Grain Facility
• Partner Profile
• Cranes
  • New Cranes
• Steamship Lines
• Ship Schedules
• Frequently Asked Questions

You are here: Home » Seaport » Cargo » New Cranes

New Container Cranes

How are container cranes unloaded from the ship?

Moving something as big as a container crane from the deck of a ship to a pier is quite a feat of engineering prowess. Here's how it works:

A pair of two-wheeled devices called "bogies" are attached at each of the bottom corners of the crane, for a total of eight bogies per crane. The bogies roll on a system of temporary rails from the ship and onto the dock. Winches aboard the ship are rigged to pull the cranes off the ship. A pair of 70-ton water tanks are used as counterweights, or "deadmen," for the winching system. Once the crane's permanent wheels are properly positioned above the crane rails installed on the pier, the bogies lower the cranes into place. The entire operation is coordinated with tidal changes and the ship must be ballasted to remain level as the weight of the cranes shifts from the ship to the pier.

Fact Sheet: New Container Cranes

What:

The arrival of four new 385-foot high container cranes owned by SSA Terminals at the port of Seattle's Terminal 18.

When:

Sunday, April 2, at approximately noon.

Where:

The vessel will berth at Terminal 18 and begin unloading the cranes on Monday, April 3.

Details:

The four, fully-assembled container cranes will provide a dramatic visual image a they steam into Elliott Bay aboard the Zhen Hua 1, a specially-built ship designed for hauling cranes and other cargo handling equipment.

Size

• Height: Boom up, 385.5 feet
• Height: Apex, 242 feet
• Outreach: 203 feet or all the way across a containership that is 23 containers wide. That is 85 feet or 10 containers wider than the cranes they replace.
• Weight: 1,200 ton apiece

Lifting Capacity

• 65 long tons - the equivalent of ten adult African elephants

Trolley Speed

• 800 feet per minute. Trolleying moves the containers horizontally along the boom.

Hoist Speed

• 395 feet per minute with a container, 590 feet per minute without a container. Hoisting lifts the containers vertically.

Power Draw

• Two megawatts at peak demand. The Columbia Tower draws 7 megawatts at peak demand. Each of the new cranes, as well as the Port's existing cranes, has a power factor correction unit that helps even out power demand and reduces overall power consumption.

Builder

• Zen Hua Port Machinery Company, just outside Shanghai