The amplitude of this vibration can be up to one meter depending on the construction type and size of the container crane. Through [strong] high wind this could be even further increased.  To reduce this vibration, the crane legs for example can be strengthened. But it is often not sufficient to simply use thicker metal sheets. When constructing a stiffer crane structure, crane span cross-sectional area and overhead clearance must often also be modified on the container crane and this is for most container cranes difficult to realise.  According to Uwe Pietryga, Head of the Electrical Department at Kocks, modern harbour cranes are also of a lighter construction than their predecessors. They are also taller. Furthermore, they must also not take up too much quay space, allowing space for transport vehicles to drop the freight. Another option to reduce vibration is the use of passive mass dampers. A weight of up to 60 tonnes is suspended on a pendulum device. The vibration frequency is set by the length of this pendulum and energy is removed from the vibrating mass via a damper which finally damps the disturbing vibration of the crane. A passive mass damper of this type is, however, extremely costly to integrate in the structure of the crane – the materials required are considerable and the damping effect is limited. Compliance with tolerance values is essential when picking up and setting down containers. Deviations of up to several centimeters can normally be tolerated when picking up or setting down a container on a ship or on land. When the container bridge is vibrating too much, it is not possible for the crane driver to load or unload with any precision. The dynamic response of the motion then has to be reduced considerably in order to keep the excitation of vibration to a minimum. This consumes a great deal of time when containers are being transferred and, due to the additional costs that it causes, it is undesirable.

New methods
Therefore Kocks was looking at new methods in the design and equipment to ensure foreseeable dynamic behaviour of the crane structure under consideration of the impact through the drive forces (dynamic response). So another option had to be found to counteract any vibration. The company turned to Siemens for mechatronic support for the development of a scalable crane simulation tool. By using computer simulation Kocks was able to verify the results of the computer simulation with its findings compiled on a real Kocks Boxer container crane. With the tool it was also able to create a “crane toolbox” for easy adaption and simulation of other container cranes, emulate the drive chain and implementation of external forces (i.e. wind). By using a FEM tool it was also able to create a computer model of the entire crane structure and predefined “sensor points” as virtual measurement points in the model. As a result the company designed a mass damper to counteract the vibration on a container crane. With the simulation tool it defined its optimum position, weight and damping settings for the mass damper. It was also able to predict the crane structure behaviour before the crane has been built!

Intelligent damping
Together with Siemens Drive Technologies Division , Siemens developed a power driven damper with reduced weights, better damping performance and a potential for a range of other applications. Siemens developed a technique for active damping by using a linear motor with “intelligent” motion. It is mounted on the girder and a weight is attached, but is many times lighter than for a conventional, passive vibration damper. A sensor detects the vibration of the girder and algorithms use these values to precisely calculate how the linear motor has to be moved to neutralise the natural oscillation of the girder. Through intelligent acceleration and braking of the linear motor, the forces are directed into the girder. The vibration is reduced much more quickly and effectively than when using conventional techniques. “Higher, faster, better – for crane builders, this means installing their container bridges in a minimum of space, but still catering to a higher clearance, while at the same time ensuring faster throughput in freight handling. With the power drive damper Siemens provides an opportunity to fully compensate for the increased vibration susceptibility under these conditions. This opens up new perspectives in terms of speed and throughput of freight transfer using container cranes,” explains Elmar Schaefers, Manager of Mechatronics R&D at Siemens Drive Technologies. The power drive damper can be integrated in existing container cranes generally without the need for structural modifications. According to Joachim Zoll, Manager for Cranes at Siemens Drive Technologies, Siemens wants to launch active vibration damping with linear motors on the market by the middle of next year in cooperation with a crane builder.

Over the course of 2010, the industry of MHC manufacture provided a number of interesting stories as a depreciated market started to pick up. “The economic and financial crisis had a very negative impact on our business, dropping our order intake by over 50% at the peak of the crisis. The customers, however, have primarily put off projects instead of cancelling them,” Peter Klein, of Demag Cranes subsidiary Gottwald, tells World Port Development .  “Over the last quarters we have seen a significant improvement in our order intake, based on a higher demand for mobile harbour cranes,” he continues. “Due to the economic upswing, customers have restarted their investment programmes which has led to replacement investments in particular.” Liebherr has also noted a pleasing upturn in 2010, notching good order levels that promise much for the year ahead. “At the moment it seems the economic upward trend is stable,” says Joachim Dobler, marketing spokesman for Liebherr’s mobile harbour crane and reachstacker operations. “If this tendency lasts, the investment climate also for giant equipment like mobile harbour cranes is brightening up.”

A driving force
Among the technological developments noted within the market over the year was Mantsinen’s new generation models of diesel or electric-powered

HybriLift cranes.  The Finnish manufacturer has placed green awareness – and its related cost-saving benefits for the customer – at the top of its development agenda. The new Mantsinen 120 R HybriLift, Mantsinen 160 ES HybriLift and

Mantsinen 200 R HybriLift Heavy Lift mobile hydraulic cranes are already in production, ready to be delivered to the customers. All models are based on Mantsinen own-build HybriLift base machines. Mantsinen states that the 200 R HybriLift takes more load while using less energy. It has a maximum horizontal reach of 26–34 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 40 tonnes from 18 meters to boost productivity. This higher lifting capacity enables the 200 R HybriLift to handle steel coils of a weight of up to 35 tonnes with reduced engine output, optimising efficient loading and unloading and lowering operating costs. The crane operates with a C18, Tier3 Caterpillar engine, with a power of 522 kw and 1,800 rpm. In terms of maintenance, the crane offers access to all service points of the engine and pumps from inside the enclosed upper structure, which is accessible via a sliding door. The pumps and engine are stored in separate compartments and there is a thermostat-controlled cooling fan in the engine compartment. The company states that functionality is also a key factor for the HybriLift range, which can be delivered in wheeled, crawler, rail or stationary applications. Dobler states that Liebherr’s focus of improvements has been “towards environmental issues and even more flexibility in configuration to suit customers’ needs, as this is what market pressures demanded”. The main technological development for the company in 2010 was the unveiling of the energy-saving Pactronic hybrid drive system, which has initially been rolled out on the new LHM 550 – one of the major points of interest at the TOC Europe conference.  The LHM 550 is now available with two different boom lengths, giving a better ‘lifting coverage’ for the customer. With the standard 54-meter boom, the crane is more flexible in terms of application, making it “a universal all-rounder and key asset for handling everything, from containers to general cargo to bulk solids.” With the shorter, 48-meter boom, the LHM 550 turns into a specialised bulk handling machine. “Liebherr Pactronic is an impressive power booster. Hoisting as well as lowering speeds are increased substantially. Thus the crane’s efficiency reaches new levels with higher turnover figures (+30%). In addition, the crane’s fuel consumption is significantly reduced (-30%),” details Dobler. “This is achieved by fully utilising the reverse energy and surplus power within the system. Offering a unique combination of extremely low fuel consumption and supreme performance, Pactronic represents an essential milestone in Liebherr’s strategy on the way to genuine ultra-efficient, low-emission cargo handling.” Gottwald has placed a similar focus on providing MHC solutions that are both environmentally friendly and offer optimised efficiency. In March, the manufacturer introduced “the first-ever hybrid drive for mobile harbour cranes”, using  advanced diesel generators in connection with dynamic brake resistors and short-term energy storage to achieve fuel savings in the double-digit percentage range. To emulate the energy-recovery that has been possible in electric drives for some time, Gottwald developed a hybrid drive for diesel-electric cranes that includes short-term energy storage for the recovered energy, which is then made available to the crane’s power system for the next work cycle. The conventional brake resistors – in which excess energy is otherwise lost when it is converted to heat – only come into play if the capacity of the energy storage system is exceeded. As well as fitting new cranes with the technology, Gottwald announced it would be offering existing owners of its mobile harbour cranes upgrades to environmentally friendly, cost cutting dynamic brake resistors and hybrid drives. Furthermore, Gottwald also introduced its new Generation 5 Model 3 to the market at TOC Europe – another major talking point at the conference and exhibition. 

Tall Orders

At the time of publishing, manufacturers were not in a position to comprehensively divulge their order levels for the calendar year 2010. However, Mantsinen could inform WPD that it received orders for different models of hydraulic cranes as follows:

Mantsinen 50 RCT to a customer in Italy

Mantsinen 60 RHC to the Port of Vierow, Germany

Mantsinen 100 SHC to the Port of Posyet, Russia

Mantsinen 110 MCT to a customer in Norway

Mantsinen 120 ER HybriLift to a customer in Stockholm, Sweden

Mantsinen 120 R HybriLift to a customer in Finland

Mantsinen 160 ES HybriLift to a customer in Denmark

Mantsinen 200 R HybriLift to a customer in Ohio, USA

Among notable orders for Gottwald, the company recently secured sales for three cranes from customers in South Korea. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co, Ltd has ordered two Generation 4 cranes (one HMK 170 E and one HMK 260 E), which are scheduled to start commercial operation in summer 2011 at the Port of Gunsan. These were the fourth and fifth Gottwald mobile harbour cranes ordered by Ssangyong. Dongbu Express has acquired its third Generation 5, Model 4, G HMK 4306 B four-rope grab crane for professional bulk handling. This is scheduled to start commercial operation at the beginning of 2011 at the Port of Dangjin. In August, the company announced that a third G HMK 6407 mobile harbour crane had gone into operation at Guayaquil Container and Multipurpose Terminals (GCMT), in Ecuador. This took the total number of Gottwald cranes sold to Ecuador since 1987 to eight. Other notable orders for Gottwald in the second half of the year came from Port Manatee, Florida, USA, for a G HMK 6407 mobile harbour crane for container handling; and one HMK 170 E mobile harbour crane for the river port of Astrakhan in Russia (the first-ever Gottwald crane to be used in a Russian river port). Furthermore, the company received an order from the India-based Archean Group for a G HPK 8200 B floating crane, a variant of Model 8 of Generation 5, derived from mobile harbour crane technology. This is the third floating crane used for coal handling off the Indonesian coast and is being used for open-sea trans-shipment of export coal from barges to ocean-going vessels off the coast in the province Bengkulu (also known as Southwest Sumatra). With this order, the total number of this crane type sold since the launch in 2004 has increased to 18. A further, notable project for Gottwald in 2010 was a performance trial with a Gottwald G HMK 6407 B mobile harbour crane in continuous-d
uty coal handling. This was successfully completed by Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL), India. With an average capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes per hour, the four-rope grab crane unloaded an entire Panamax vessel carrying 62,324 tonnes of coal in only 61 hours, two minutes.  Full details of Liebherr’s MHC order intake for 2010 will not be available until January 2011, but at the time of going to press, the company was in a position to report a total of 70 units. In terms of comparative year-on-year performance, the company sold a similar number of LHM units to what was notched in 2009, with the LHM 500 named ‘crane of the year’ at the recent, annual International Bulk Journal (IBJ) Awards. Since its market introduction in 2003, Liebherr has sold and delivered more than 150 units of the LHM 500 to customers in more than 40 different countries. Approximately half of these were delivered in a four-rope configuration for dedicated bulk handling.

Orders for Liebherr’s portal slewing (LPS) range of cranes in 2010 were also similar to a “highly satisfying” 2009 in which six LPS units were delivered. In 2010, five units were delivered – among these were two LPS 600 units to Adani Petronet Dahej Port in India and one LPS 500 to DP World, Antwerp. The LPS is an efficient combination of a space-saving portal (mounted on rails) and the proven mobile harbour crane concept. Particularly on narrow quays, individual portal solutions permit (railway) trains and (road) trucks to travel below the portal. Another notable factor in 2010 was the delivery of the first LFS 500 to Puerto Coronel in Chile. Liebherr fixed slewing cranes (LFS) are a combination of a mobile harbour crane upper carriage and a fixed pedestal. LFS cranes are designed to provide cost- and space-saving solutions for installation on quaysides and jetties, especially where room for manoeuvring is limited and low ground pressure is essential.  Observing Liebherr’s orders by region, in 2010 the company recorded a 100% uptake in orders from customers in Latin America, increasing from five to 10 units. Orders from customers in Africa were down from 20 units to 10, however the company states that 2009 was an extraordinary year in terms of delivered machines (and as such the 2010 total is in-keeping with the five-year average of 12 units). The Far East is not typically a large market for Liebherr’s MHC deliveries, but 2010’s preliminary total of five units was a notable increase on the 2009 figure of two units.

DETERMINATION = PROMISE

The impressive development of the MHC market in 2010 promises much for the year ahead. With manufacturers determined to continue enhancing mobile harbour cranes ecologically, economically and ergonomically, with optimised efficiency and speedier operations, this will be a market that maintains our dedicated attention in 2011 and beyond.

The balance of 760,000 TEU was handled by smaller terminals including Jurong Port, which handled the lion share (724,000 TEU). “2009 was a year of unprecedented hardship and challenges for the port and shipping industries. The global economic downturn and massive slump in global trade caused a drastic drop in demand for container shipping,” said Eddie Teh, Group CEO, PSA International. Despite the slowdown in container throughput investments in expanding terminals to create additional container capacity continue. According to a PSA Corporate spokesman, a total of 20 container berths at Phases 1 and 2 of Pasir Panjang Terminal (PPT) are currently in operation, with another three berths coming on stream progressively. When the Pasir Panjang Terminal Phase 2 is fully completed, PSA will have a total of 54 container berths at its four container terminals in Singapore – Pasir Panjang Terminal, Tanjong Pagar Terminal, Keppel Terminal and Brani Terminal.  The 54 container berths will have a total capacity of 35 million TEU. As part of long-term planning, the Ministry of Transport and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) are also proceeding with the development of Phases 3 and 4 at Pasir Panjang Terminal. This will add another 16 new berths with additional handling capacity of 14 million TEU to the Pasir Panjang Terminal. 

For 2010, expectations are that these figures improve as many economies are getting ‘back on their feet’. Although nobody at Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) would like to make an estimate for 2010, PSA Singapore Terminals handled 11.3 million TEUs from January to May 2010, up 13.7% from the same period in 2009. It this growth would continue PSA would be able to handle a total of 27.12 million TEU and smaller terminals will contribute around 864,120 TEU giving Singapore a total of almost 28 million TEU. But according to Teh, although the last two months of 2009 and the first two months of 2010 showed tentative signs of recovery the road ahead will be bumpy and uncertain, and all indications point towards a slow and drawn out recovery with different regions rebounding at different rates.

Good news – bad news
Between January and October of this year, Singapore terminals handled 23.6 million TEU, up 11% compared with 21.3 million TEU in the same period last year. In October alone, they posted an increase of 4.7% year-on-year in container throughput to 2.4 million TEU from 2.3 million TEU in October 2009, according to Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Total cargo volumes handled by Singapore’s terminals were up 7% in the first 10 months to 417 million tonnes from 390 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2009, the authority said. Among the terminals, PSA International, Singapore’s largest container port, handled 2.3 million TEU in October, up about 4.5% from 2.2 million TEU in October 2009. But in November, Shanghai Port, Singapore’s major contestant for its Top 100 Container Port ranking saw container throughput rise by 19.5% year-on-year to 2.6 million TEU from 2.2 million TEU, while its total cargo throughput increased 33% to 40.7 million tonnes from 30.7 million tonnes the year before. Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) reported to have witnessed an increase of 20% in total cargo throughput for the first 11 months to 391 million tonnes. Total container throughput handled by the Chinese largest port operator grew by 18% to 26.6 million TEU between January and November of this year, compared with 22.6 million TEU in the previous year. This would be disappointing news for Singapore as SIPG outperformed its regional rival in the first 10 months. Over this period SIPG recorded container throughput of 23.9 million TEU compared with 23.6 million TEU for Singapore.

According to Datuk Seri Kong Co Ha, Malaysia’s Transport Minister, between January and October, the ports’ trans-shipment, export and import container throughput increased 17%, 17.6% and 14% year-on-year respectively. Between January and October, Port Klang, a major port hub situated 40km from Kuala Lumpur, handled a total 7.4 million TEU – up 48.5% compared to the same period in 2009.

Port Klang
2009 was a tough year for Port Klang, the port’s financial performance was also impacted by the global economic crisis. Container traffic shrunk to 7.3 million TEU, down 8.3% from the previous year. Although “the fall in container volumes was less than forecasted after the authority projected a 10% decline in container throughput”, according to Kee Lian Yong, General Manager at Port Klang Authority. Westports throughput in 2009 was 4.5 million TEU compared to 4.9 million TEU the year before, a decrease of 10.4 %. Nonetheless, the terminal is still operating well below its projected annual container handling capacity of 7.2 million TEU and thus has much room for future growth. Container throughput also decreased at Northport from 3.0 million TEU in 2008 to 2.8 million in 2009. For the year 2010 Port Klang, the gateway to Kuala Lumpur, has projected container throughput to reach 8.2 million TEU. In August 2009, Northport welcomed the arrival of the APL vessel Dallas. The occasion marked the inauguration of a new service from APL – a subsidiary of Singapore based Neptune Orient Lines. Northport (Malaysia) hopes to foster greater business partnership by jointly promoting APL’s services to the world. This venture is expected to provide a further boost in growth and productivity to Northport. Meanwhile, French-based CMA CGM, the world’s third largest container shipping company, has opened a dedicated on dock depot (ODD) at Westports. The infrastructure of Port Klang also improved last year. After the dredging of the North Channel and waters along Northport’s wharves in 2008, work on deepening the South Channel was completed in December 2009. The channel’s new depth of 16.5m and width of 500m now allow the new generation of Suezmax vessels of 12,000 TEU and more to enter and leave the port anytime without having to rely on tides. Restrictions on two way traffic in the channel for large vessels have also been lifted. Port Klang has 23 container berths with total quay length of 5879m with a depth alongside of up to 16.5m and are able to accommodate vessels up to 160,000 tonnes displacement. Plans are in the pipeline to develop a new 300m container wharf at Northport as well as another 600m container wharf at Westports over the next 2 years.

Port of Penang
The Port of Penang, Malaysia is strategically located in the Straits of Malacca. It has been servicing worldwide shipping since the 18th century. Established primarily to facilitate exotic spice trading, the port has since evolved to become a modern, high volume centre in Asia, offering a variety of facilities and modern equipment to handle containers, liquid bulk cargo, dry bulk cargo and general cargo. A 2.5km railway track links the North Butterworth Container Terminal to the Butterworth railway station. Work on phase IIIA expansion of the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) is progressing well with 65% of the construction completed.  When completed in 2011, the NBCT with a total quay length of 1.5km will have an annual capacity to handle 1.2 million TEU per annum. This year, six new post-Panamax STS cranes will be delivered for the NBCT project. Penang Port has also invested some RM175 million in the purchase of seven container cranes to boost terminal productivity. In 2009, Penang Port handled an increase of 3.1% of container throughput to 958,476 TEUs from 929,639 TEUs in 2008. In July 2010, Penang Port handled a record breaking of 99,568 TEU in one month also and it is anticipated that the total number of containers handled in Penang in 2010 will exceed the one million TEU mark. Earlier this year, the Free Commercial Zone (FCZ) System developed by Penang Port Commission (PPC) became operational. To date, 97% of the system has been completed after adjustments were made to three modules following recommendations of the Malaysian Statistics Department. The FCZ System enables port users to declare their documents in an expeditious, safe and convenient manner 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Port of Tanjung Pelepas
Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) is situated at the mouth of the Pulai River, to the west of Johor Baharu, Malaysia. Last year, PTP handled a total of 6 million TEU – 7.5% more containers over the previous year. PTP’s strategy focus now to enhance feeder connectivity and increase its mix of local cargo is expected to attract more shipping lines to the port. According to Mohammad Sidik Shaik Osman, PTP chairman, the growth was achieved in a very difficult year for the industry, in which many shipping lines and ports faced double digit falls in volume due the global economic downturn. Part of the increase was due to the launch of new services and the addition of French shipping company CMA CGM as a new port customer. “There was also a 9% increase in local volume from the Johor industrial hinterland,” he said. For 2010 the goal is to build on last year’s strong performance and enhance its competitiveness against regional ports. Despite the fact that PTP is constantly hitting productivity figures of 35 moves per hour as compared to the industry average of 25, Sidik predicts an overall challenging year ahead despite signs of a global economic recovery. “2010 will clearly be a challenging year. We expect lower operational costs for shipping lines to be a key focus area”, Sidik said, adding that the port viewed this as an opportunity as shipping lines would look for more efficient and cost-effective alternatives. “PTP has much to offer both existing and potential new customers. Cost efficiency, world class service levels and unlimited capacity allows customers to extract greater efficiencies that will ultimately improve their bottom line,” he told World Port Development.