Pressure on some commodities has definitely put the viability of some proposed projects in jeopardy because of the perceived current downturn. It no longer seems to matter what bulk material is involved as all are impacted to some extent and the order books of the major manufacturers of heavy bulk handling equipment such as stacker-reclaimers have been squeezed. Contract successes that the major manufacturers will talk openly about are few and far between.

Just a year ago, several of the major makers of bucketwheel stacker-reclaimers were gearing up for what they thought would be their “best year ever” in sales.

Now, some have found things didn’t quite turn out that way and they’re eking out an existence in this sector of the bulk materials handling market by making deliveries of orders taken up to 24 months ago, but delayed for various reasons. As the coal market stalls, iron ore and copper surge  . . . it has always been thus in the topsy turvey world of bulk commodities, as one material soars, another flounders.

Capital efficient tonne

Decisions made amid signs of a resurgent coal industry a year or so ago, for example, are no longer so certain today as world market prices have dropped from the heady levels of just a year or so ago. Big mining companies seek to deliver “the capital efficient tonne” by fully utilising excess capacity in the supply chain and this often revolves around bulk handling machinery such as stacker-reclaimers. Ports play a role by streamlining stockyards and stacker-reclaimer systems to deliver a capital efficient tonne often with low-cost improvements. Some of these enhancements come following debottlenecking studies that highlighted changes needed to make better use of the supply chain and, again, stacker-reclaimers are often involved.

Westshore Terminals, Canada’s premier coal export terminal in Vancouver, for example, upgraded three of its stacker-reclaimers in 2012 when it was found during a debottlenecking study that the oldest three of four stacker-reclaimers needed chute replacements to improve capacity and efficiency. This work was carried out during a major partial terminal shutdown to take out a single rotary dumper and replace it with a new twin dumper set. Often stacker-reclaimers form part of a materials handling package upgrades at ports, which could also involve new conveyors, rail car dumpers, and shiploader or unloaders. These mega projects have also taken a hit.

Moderate year

One of the major manufacturers of stacker-reclaimers in the world, Metso Minerals Industries Inc, Bulk Materials Handling Group, says 2012 turned out to be a “moderate year – neither good nor bad.” Many companies are now “regrouping or rebuilding and we anticipate 2013 will be similar,” says David Hicken, Metso’s Vice President of Global Sales. Metso, with its base in Finland, sells all over the world and despite the threat of the United States falling over fiscal cliffs and other market deterrents, the company reports encouraging demand in Russia, Africa, and Chile and Peru.

Markets continue to be driven by the world’s big mining companies such as BHP-Billiton, Vale and Rio Tinto, and there’s a resurgence in demand for coal-fired power stations in India, says Hicken. The global prospects also include several North African countries and South American nations being fuelled by Chinese investment and development dollars.

Flat 2012

Another big stacker-reclaimer maker, FL Smidth, of Denmark, experienced a “flat” 2012. “This was okay in terms of processing orders and billings, but there was a lot of inactivity over new orders,” says Arrien Westhuis, Global Director of Business Development & Marketing, based in Bethlehem, PA in the USA.

Westhuis says that following the presidential election in November in the United States, the fiscal capex for mining was cut back from USD150 billion to USD135 billion “and I have a sneaky suspicion it will be cut back even further.” With a typical delivery time for a bucketwheel stacker-reclaimer taking up to two years, some buyers are find their customisation needs simply add time and time adds expense.

However, Westhuis says it’s very clear that materials handling has “a very bright future in terms of infrastructure requirements, particularly in the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and emerging countries. And he adds there are good prospects for the iron ore, coal, copper and fertilizer industries, especially among the major exporting countries such as Australia, Indonesia and Brazil. “There’s also a lot of work going on in China, but currently that is not one of our primary top targets.”

Peru visit

At ThyssenKrupp Fordertechnik (TKF) in Germany, Vice President Project Sales, Dr Wei Ye, is just back from Peru where he hopes his company will be successful in landing a major materials handling equipment contract involving a stacker-reclaimer, crushers and a conveyor system for iron ore mine and port. While it’s too early to reveal details – there is no s
igned contract – but, South American coal and iron ore projects “are the focus for us – they were last year and will be into the future.” Often, the buyer interest is in separate stackers and separate reclaimers depending on the project and the material handled. Last year, ThyssenKrupp sold five of the separate machines, including a sale to Russia’s Nakhodka coal terminal of a single stacker and a stacker and a separate reclaimer to mine and port sites in Liberia.

Dr Ye admits the past year for stacker-reclaimer sales was “not so spectacular” but still satisfying and notes sales in Holland, India, South Africa and Liberia. The Dutch success saw a stacker-reclaimer go to EMO Terminal and another to Europort.

Sales successes

Two more stacker-reclaimers were sold to India and its Jindal Power Plant, thanks to the sales efforts of TKF’s Indian office and will be delivered this year. And another two stacker-reclaimers will also be delivered this year to the Hindalco Power Plant for coal handling duties before year’s end. Other major manufacturers of stacker-reclaimers include Taim Weser, of Spain, which won a huge four machine order for the new Superporto Sudeste in the city of Itaguai in Brazil. The four stacker-reclaimers with a 60 meter boom, have a stacking capacity of 10,000 tonnes per hour and a reclaim of up to 12,000 tph were delivered in 2012 as part of a conveyor belt and stockyard machinery system for the primarily iron ore export port.

Sandvik Mining of Sweden last fall won a major materials handling contract for a Vietnamese steel plant involving 14 units – stacker-reclaimers, individual stackers and reclaimers, plus the supply, design and engineering of all structural, mechanical and engineering components. The contract will run through until 2015 and involves various materials such as iron ore, coke and sinter. And German manufacturer FAM (Forderanlagen Magdeburg) has recent stacker-reclaimer sales to ports and power stations in its domestic market as well as multiple sales to Australia and one to Mozambique.

Canadian made

Not to be outdone, Canada launched its own stacker-reclaimer engineered and designed by EMS-Tech Inc, of Ontario, and built by the Ramsay Machine Works in Sidney, BC. It will be the first stacker-reclaimer for the expanding port of Neptune Bulk Terminals and boasts “the best available, proven technology for dust suppression.” The terminal currently only has a reclaimer, which will remain on backup duties, and the new stacker-reclaimer is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of this summer. Neptune recently won Port Metro Vancouver approval for a $200 million expansion to double its capacity to 18.5 million tonnes a year.

While stacker-reclaimers are seen as behemoths of machines, they actually are the gentle giants of materials handling although they don’t come cheap, with price tags from between USD25-USD45 million depending on capacity and options. Although there are cost savings to be won in ordering “off-the-shelf” machinery, no two machines are built the same and the major manufacturers are continually customizing their deliveries around the world to meet specific customer needs. The bucketwheel stacker-reclaimer family can be found handling a wide variety of bulk commodities such as coal, iron ore, copper, cement, salt, magnetite and other materials.

Own worst enemies

No wonder Walter Kung, President of Tenova Mining, told a mining Industry Leaders Round Table late last year talking of materials handling equipment: “I think the clients are actually their own worst enemies sometimes. I don’t think we have ever built exactly the same machine twice; there is always some electrical or some hydraulic aspect that the client wants to customise.”

Some would contend that not much has happened in recent years by way of innovation with bucketwheel stacker-reclaimers, which outwardly look much like they did a decade ago. New control systems and automation usually top the list of advances; the use of 3D imaging for stockpile management is also becoming popular; and there have been improvements in water spray systems.

These days the stacker-reclaimers can be operated remotely or in automatic mode and in some cases three or four can be controlled by a single operator. In fact, most stacker-reclaimers come with the automatic option, although it is up to the customer to decide how frequently this method of stacking to the stockpile or reclaiming the product for shiploading is used.

Companies like Sandvik continue to spend big on across the board research and development – the company invests SEK3 billion a year in some 60 R&D centres around the world – and it’s no wonder that between 20-45% of Sandvik’s invoicing today is from products that were launched in the past five years.                                                            

The way in which we use optical character recognition (OCR) systems in ports continues to evolve at an exciting pace. Where initially these systems may generally have been seen as a security measure, they have risen in prominence as automation becomes a necessity of efficient terminal operations.

This makes OCR big business. Indeed, a recent report from the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) noted that the OCR market for ports accounts for an estimated turnover of USD50 million a year. This vibrant market has grown steadily in contrast to the tough economic times as it evolves and diversifies. And while most large-scale deployments in ports currently remain focused on applications for automation at the gate, there are numerous new opportunities for OCR at traditional container terminals in vessel and yard operations.

Indeed, Finnish access control systems specialist Visy argues that the algorithms and methods used at normal terminal gate solutions have resulted in its natural progression to making solutions for STS cranes and other equipment.

The PEMA report states that there are more than 1,700 OCR system installations worldwide. It adds that, through OCR’s role in automation initiatives to reduce emissions, the technology can help underpin the environmental sustainability of ports around the world.

This market buoyancy led OCR developer APS Technology Group to declare 2012 its most successful year to date in terms of both completed projects and new business. Indeed, at the time of going to press, reports emerged that the multinational ABB corporation was in the process of acquiring the San Diego-headquartered APS on the back of such results.

Naturally, the more technology advances, the more accessible and impressive OCR solutions become. Increasing computer power, ever-improving connectivity and reduced costs are all resulting in more features and greater reliability.

The shifting limits of standard IT set-ups are drastically altering the ways in which we process cargo on the terminal floor. As Visy attests, standard Wi-Fi networks can now be utilised for remote OCR operations in real time, moving labour tasks away from dangerous quay areas to greatly increase the safety of operations. The Finnish solutions provider embraces the spirit of delivering advanced OCR systems on commercially available hardware, standard interfaces and in-house software. This, the company states, enables users to scale and cater solutions for their exact project requirements, and guarantees the long-term viability of the installation.

HOLDING IT TOGETHER

With OCR playing this increasingly fundamental role in the automated future of our ports, developers are already stressing the importance of its integration with terminal operating systems (TOS). This is particularly notable when OCR is just one important but single cog in the wider terminal or port machine. Meta Rotenberg, VP Marketing and Business Development at Israeli company Hi-Tech Solutions (HTS), is a strong exponent of this view.

While OCR could in isolation be linked directly to a TOS, Rotenberg’s company states that it has noticed terminals introducing a number of subsystems in parallel to OCR.  This has led to HTS creating the ‘middleware’ software, Global Control System (GCS), which it developed with Dutch company IT Partner. This ‘layer’ of software is designed to operate as an intermediary between the various subsystems and the (terminal) host system. With a dedicated software module for each and every subsystem, GCS is designed to minimise the downtime and expense that can be associated with integration, while also offering a comprehensive tool to boost easy terminal management.

Developed in Microsoft.Net with an SQL Server database, HTS is continually, iteratively evolving GCS. The Israeli company states that, because the system is administered as a web-based application via the GCS WebClient, there is no need for deployment on a PC level, meaning it can be run from a standard web browser.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This holistic outlook is shared by APS, which identifies standardised integration for OCR and process automation as a key emerging trend. This relates to not only TOS/Host integration, but also peer systems operating, for example, on a crane.  APS’s Chief Operating Officer, Allen Thomas says providers need to drive standardisation if they are t
o simplify and speed up what tend to be the most costly integration phases.

Thomas adds that the market is in need of even closer focus on guaranteeing reliability and performance: “OCR systems were once judged solely on the accuracy of their identification. While this can be a useful metric, what is equally important is ensuing the underlying system is available 100% of the time the operation needs it. While this requires an additional level of proactive service and maintenance on the equipment, the end result is a far greater reliability and uptime ratings for the operation.”

This dedication to proactive service is echoed by Visy as it stresses the need for careful planning and consultancy. For this very reason, the company provides its experienced consultants for no charge to analyse customer processes and develop ideas with customers to “get real benefits from development projects”.

To further add to that personnel experience, and in response to automation trends in ports and intermodal facilities, in December Visy appointed Jochen Gripp as Regional Sales Manager in the German-speaking region. The 49-year-old, who has two decades of experience in direct sales, will be based in Hamburg. He will be responsible for expanding Visy’s Scandinavian market position and intensifying customer focus in cooperation with long-term service partner MT.

PRODUCTIVE TIMES

With the industry’s continuing growth, now is a great time for the developers of OCR systems to innovate and grab a market share.

To this end, HTS last year announced that it had been awarded several product patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The most recent of these came in December for its License Plate Character Recognition Systems. The patent covers HTS’s system for providing automatic character recognition and, specifically, the multi-level neural network-based characters identification methods and system.

Earlier in the year in June, the USPTO awarded HTS patents for its SeeContainer and SeeUTR products. SeeUTR is a system that provides the means for identifying a container and a transporting vehicle under a crane and reporting both the container ID and vehicle ID to a centralised data system.

Among Visy’s innovations is its Intelligent Recognition and Imaging Software (IRIS) solution. When fitted to straddle carriers (SCs), this collects information from every container the SC passes. A small fleet of SCs, or even a lone machine, equipped with IRIS can regularly roam the stacks and compare the actual yard inventory to the anticipated yard inventory. The SC can use a radio link to easily raise the alarm with land-based systems about lost containers or other issues (it could also be equipped with radiation detection equipment, for example).

On STS crane operations, Visy’s OCR can extract information and features such as ID, damage assessment pictures, seal presence and door direction from images that are taken when the box is moving. Higher quality images can be taken when a container is stationary, moving over a platform, or positioned on a trailer.

ORDERS COMING REGULARLY

We mentioned at the outset of this article how the OCR market is flourishing, and it certainly looks like it will continue to do so as automation becomes increasingly integral to operations.

HTS has had a great start to the year with its most recent order from the Port Authority of Panama (AMP). This is to provide OCR to 53 cranes spread across four terminals. It is part of the authority’s drive to implement an automated system for the purpose of auditing data provided by terminal operators in compliance with government requirements.

There is currently no system in place for the authority to audit data. The intention is that the OCR technology fitted to these cranes will introduce an automated system to create a new, streamlined audit process. This will also mean statistics regarding the movement of containers will be available in real time, whereas currently the information is provided on a monthly basis. 

In 2012, the Israeli company also sealed two further, major contracts, both via the Brazilian arm of HTS. The first, notched in April, was for 20 truck OCR SeeGate 3 gate systems and two rail OCR SeeTrain portals from the TECONDI Terminal in Santos, Brazil. The second came in September, from Libra Terminals. This was for 20 OCR truck gate systems to for Libra’s operations in Santos and Rio de Janeiro. Both orders were prompted by changes in the legal requirements for automation across Brazilian ports. However, HTS adds that expert consensus is that, even without legislation, commercial competitiveness would have dictated that such OCR updates were made sooner rather than later.

APS’s Allen Thomas states that the company is excited by two recently secured contracts for large, automated terminal developments with TraPac in Los Angeles, and Global in New Jersey: “These will be tremendously challenging projects, as both require that we deliver gate, crane and rail process automation solutions into functioning facilities, converting the terminal from manual to fully automated operations.”

Additionally, APS enthuses that relatively new customers such as Grupo TCB, ICTSI and Hutchinson Ports are all continuing to put trust in its products by dedicating to “even more new contracts at multiple global facilities for 2013.” The company has also seen a mutually beneficial partnership with Navis continue to expand. Navis’ new owner, Cargotec, has played an important role in this respect by helping to secure new business with the global petro chemical producer, Sabic, multiple marine terminals in Brazil (Wilson & Sons) and at an APM Terminals facility in NJ.

THE FINAL LINK

We live in a time when it’s hard to keep pace with the boundless progress of information technology, as evidenced by the burgeoning importance of OCR in ports. As Visy states, advanced OCR can help reduce operating expenses, optimise safety and security, and increase throughput capacity.

“Gate operating systems (GOS) for road and rail are well established and until recently were well ahead of the usage of OCR on the waterside and on container handling equipment (CHE) operations in terms of functionality,” the Finnish company tells WPD. “The crane OCR is the final link of the safety and operational chain that supports an efficient port and terminal automation. By implementing crane OCR, quayside processes can be managed with the same efficiency as road and rail processes and it can deliver a substantial return on investment.”

But even with the immediate differences that the technology is making in the present, it seems there is a lot more to come from OCR as a key element of port automation in the future. Indeed, APS’s Thomas cites eliminating randomness – a concept Tom Ward, Chief Engineer for Ports America, presented at TOC Europe – as the next step in maximising terminal efficiency.

“Operators are spending many millions per year on process improvement initiatives, while still allowing randomness to flourish in their facilities,” details Thomas. “For instance, most terminals allow outside truckers to drive unassisted in a container yard (and cause most of the accidents). Additionally, operators still rely on clerical staff to juggle paperwork and technology under a moving STS or RTG crane. If we compare any evolved, efficient industrial process (for example an assembly line or package sorting facility), we see smart people being moved away from dangerous, mundane work and into control rooms where they can manage systems and exceptions.”

Around the globe numerous dredging projects are being executed with one major objective – easy access for ships.  This round-up of dredging projects can give you a pretty good idea that ports and terminals are positive about the future and that trade around the world will be picking up again – albeit slowly and carefully.

Africa

Back in 2009, Le Port Autonome de Douala in Cameroon awarded a dredging contract to Jan De Nul for the access channel in the port of Douala. Deepening of the channel from -5.5m to 8m followed by 4 years of maintenance dredging. The soil to be dredged (approximately 11 million cubic meters) is soft silt and fine sand. The company is also completing the dredging operations of the access channels in the port of Pointe-Noire, Congo.

Caribbean

It seems that contracts for dredging works in the Caribbean awarded to Jan De Nul are all coming to an end in 2013. The company has been working at the Kingston container terminal in Jamaica since 2012 on a maintenance dredging project of the western part of the Kingston Container Terminal achieving a depth of -14m.

Another contract that is nearing its end was awarded in 2009 by Autoridad del Canal de Panama ACP for the widening and deepening of the Atlantic Entrance & North Approach channel. The soil to be dredged is Atlantic muck and Gatun Rock.

The construction of a new port at Galeota is also continuing with a completion date of 2014. National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd awarded the contract for dredging of the access channel, reclaiming of future quay walls and construction of quay walls to Jan De Nul. The soil to be dredged is (silty) sand and soft rock.

Europe

There are two contracts in Germany that will be completed this year by Jan De Nul. The first one is the maintenance dredging of 2.5 million cubic meters in the Elbe in Hamburg and port accesses with transport to and disposal in the North Sea. The soil to be dredged is soft clay and silt.

The other contract is for the maintenance dredging works of the river Weser. The Weser is the approach to the port of Bremerhaven and Jan De Nul is deploying its trailing suction hopper dredgers Taccola and Alexander von Humboldt. The works are executed in joint venture with Heinrich Hirdes. During this 2 year maintenance dredging contract, a total volume of 14 million cubic meters of sand and silt will be dredged.

Associated British Ports (ABP) in Southampton, UK has recently awarded Dutch-dredging contractor Boskalis Westminster the contract to widen and deepen a critical part of the access channel to the container terminal operated by DP World Southampton. This follows the announcement in December 2012 that the Marine Management Organisation had issued the necessary consents to undertake the works. The removal of 450,000 cubic meters of material at Marchwood will widen the navigation channel by 30m, thus improving accessibility and manoeuvrability for container vessels. The importance of the work for the port was underlined by the speed in which Boskalis Westminster was able to reposition its dredger, the Manu Pekka, so that work could start immediately.

The Manu Pekka is a back-hoe dredger fitted with an eight cubic meter bucket which can dredge to a depth of 18.5m. Four barges were mobilised from as far away as Malmo, Sweden to Southampton to begin their task of ferrying the material dredged by the Manu Pekka to the licensed disposal site off the Isle of Wight.

“We are glad to be working back in Southampton for ABP again and very pleased to be associated with a relatively small but important part of the overall development,” said Paul Datson, Boskalis Westminster’s Head of Capital & Coastal Business Sector. “While this type of project is relatively straightforward, it involves a significant amount of equipment which we have been able to move to Southampton at short notice.”

“The channel widening at Marchwood is the latest part of ABP’s planned investment to further improve the port’s ability to receive the largest container vessels, and we are pleased that Boskalis Westminster has been able
to start work so quickly,” said Dave Herrod, ABP Engineering Project Manager.

Dredging works between Vlissingen and New Sealock at Wintam, on both the Dutch and Belgian territory, are executed by Jan De Nul by means of trailing suction hopper dredgers, cutter suction dredgers and a sweep beam. The soil to be dredged is sand (13 million cubic meters) and silt (1.5 million cubic meters).

Last year, Jan De Nul was also awarded a five-year maintenance dredging contract by the Flemish Government for dredging works by means of the hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt in the Nortsea, the maritime access channel and in the ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge. The soil to be dredger is silt.

Jan De Nul is also working at the Western Outport of Dunkirk, France, where the construction of the port facilities for a future LNG terminal is well underway and will be completed this year. The work consists of dredging (approximately 5.5 million cubic meters), shore protection works, land reclamation and soil treatment by means of the cutter dredger ‘Ortelius’ and the hopper dredger ‘Pinta’. The soil to be dredged is sand.

One of the most challenging projects was executed by Dutch Aannemingsbedrijf Geluk by performing dredging work for Tiroler Wasserkraft AG (TIWAG), Austria. Geluk began work on a different dredging project for the same client that included the dredging of Lake Langental. The lake is accessed via a steep path with a gradient of 15%. Normally, only tourists visit the 2km high reservoir. Lake Langental is used by the Sellrain-Silz power station group. With an output of 781 megawatts, Sellrain-Silz is the most powerful power station in the east Alps region.

The large amounts of sand, gravel and silt from the mountains that are carried along by mountain rivers represent a threat to reservoirs and the turbines of hydro-electric power plants. Dredging of the lake was the only solution.

Far East

Capital dredging (approximately 1 million cubic meters) of very soft silty clay and clayey silt in the access channel and port basin by means of Jan De Nul’s TSHD ‘Sabastiano Caboto’will see the creation of Sittwe Port in Myanmar.

In Singapore the creation of new land at Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong on behalf of Surbana International Consultants is being executed by Jan De Nul. Construction of sub-sea berms, protection of berms by revetment works and filling behind berms by reclamation are all part of the works. The soil to be dredged is sand and clay.

In December 2012, Dutch-dredging contractor Van Oord was awarded a contract by PT PP (Persero) TBK for deepening the port and reclaiming land for a new terminal area in Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, the largest container port in Indonesia. The contract is part of the Kalibaru North Container Terminal Phase 1 Project, which will expand the port of Tanjung Priok by 4.5 million TEU. The client for the large port expansion is IPC, Indonesian Port Corporation. The entire project will take approximately three years to complete and provides a sustainable impetus for the economic growth of Indonesia. The contract value amounts to more than EUR 150 million. The dredging work will begin in the second quarter of 2013 and will be completed over the course of 24 months.

The Tanjung Priok project includes the deepening of the port, including expanding and deepening the access channel. A total of 25 million cubic meters of material will be moved. Most of the material will be pumped into closed basins adjacent to the new terminal for further expansion of the port. Approximately 10 million cubic meters of sand will be removed from the seabed in preparation for construction of the new terminal. Van Oord will be deploying trailing suction hopper dredgers, a cutter suction dredger and a backhoe.

Middle East

The Middle East Dredging Company (MEDCO), part-owned by Belgium-based Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering (DEME), continues to dredge for the New Doha Sea Port in Qatar. Construction of the port, which will be one of the deepest in the world and will cover an area of 26.5sqkm, will require approximately 45 million cubic meters of mainly hard rock to be dredged from a 20km-long approach channel and the basin itself.

South America

Back in 1995, Belgium-based Jan De Nul was awarded a deepening and maintenance dredging contract of the Rio Parana in Argentina by the Ministerio de Planificacíon Federal, Inversíon Pública y Servicios. The contract is for maintenance dredging of approximately 33 million cubic meters also included the modernisation and maintenance of navigational aids. The soil to be dredged is sand, silt and clay. The contract will end in 2021.

In Brazil, work on the new container terminal at Ilha Barnabé is taking shape. In 2008, Embraport – Empresa Brasileira – awarded a 5-year contract to Jan De Nul for dredging approx 5.5 million cubic meters and reclamation (approx 580,000 cubic meters) of contaminated soils, dredging and offshore dumping of berths, access and turning basin. The soil to be dredged is silt and sand.

The company is also executing maintenance dredging by means of hopper dredgers and clamshell of Piers I, II, III and IV of the marine terminal of Ponta Da Madeira used by mining-giant Vale to load their vessels with iron ore. The soil to be dredged is fine sand.

Last year, APM Terminals Callao SA awarded a contract to Jan De Nul for the dredging works of the access to Pier 5 and three berths for the modernisation of the Callao North Terminal. The soil to be dredged is soft and gravel. Completion of the project is scheduled for this year.

We have seen it and heard it all before. Economy of scale is necessary to make shipping lines more profitable. Transporting more containers in one-go is cheaper and good for the environment, but is it a really good thing for the port or terminal operator? My last visit to DP World Southampton was back in December 2012 as it marked another milestone when the world’s largest container vessel – the CMA CGM Marco Polo – made its European maiden call to the port.  The new vessel, which was only commissioned the month before, has a capacity of 16,020 TEU and is 54m wide and 396m long, making it 51m longer than the Queen Mary 2, a cruise ship that calls regularly at Southampton. The Marco Polo is the largest vessel in the CMA CGM fleet and currently the world’s biggest containership by container capacity and tonnage. It is also the first of six sister vessels coming in service from 2013.

Bigger and better

The Marco Polo might be the largest container vessel at the moment but not for long as plans for a 22,000 TEU vessel are already on the drawing-board. STX of South Korea and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) have already completed a study on such a vessel concluding that such a size could be built without any problems. This would have a major influence on the planning for cranes and [port] infrastructure as such vessels need an outreach of 72m (25-row wide) and a lift height of 52m above rail. Although such cranes can run on the ‘standard’ 100ft gauge, the larger cranes will challenge designers as they have to overcome stiffness, corner loads, weight, and operational issues. Weight will be a major consideration as often the infrastructure will not allow [much] extra weight. Apart from adding extra wheels to distribute the load of the crane, designers will look at reducing the weight of the crane – they can achieve this by for example reducing the weight of the crane trolley, a reduction of weight of 5 tonnes can reduce the overall total crane weight by 50 tonnes. With regards to the operational issues they do not only include higher handling speeds, improved performance and better visibility but in addition the larger crane will also consume more power – 2500 KVA compared to a standard 22-row crane which uses 2200 kVA – so the infrastructure has to be correct.

Market view

For many crane manufacturers it is very simple – the construction of the container cranes continues to follow the trend of the ‘growing’ vessels. In this context, the increase in height and waterside outreach are the dominant criteria. According to Ireland-based Liebherr Container Cranes (LCC) the present continued drive for larger vessels and the demands for increased turnaround times from shippers are driving crane developments. This is leading to an inevitable march towards larger automated/semi-automated cranes in larger ports or green-field sites.  With the larger ports achieving increased productivity, smaller ports will have to follow suit to stay competitive say Liebherr. This has led to manufacturers incorporating a number of different technologies, such as semi-automation, remote diagnostics, positioning systems and perhaps even remote control to allow the necessary improvements that increase productivity. Furthermore landside operations will have to adapt to keep up, so optimisation is essential. As a result LCC expects that sharing of information between the STS cranes, the TOS systems and landside equipment and optimisation software is sure to be at the forefront of developments in the coming years.The arrival of larger vessels will of course necessitate larger cranes, but companies such as Liebherr Container Cranes are capable of developing innovative new products such as the double boom STS cranes recently commissioned in Aliaga, Turkey, and they  are sure to continue to innovate in developing the container crane industry.

Similar answers come from Uwe Pietryga, Managing Director at Kocks Krane. “The trend – in our opinion – is going towards a specialisation of Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes which are especially designed and optimised for different tasks,” he said. “On the one hand, cranes should be equipped with many technical extras, such as automatic modes, safety devices, cameras, monitors, remote operation, etc. On the other hand, there are also a number of projects where the only focus is on having a cost-effective crane.” A couple of years ago, Kocks Krane successfully developed their Power Damper to [counter] combat the movement of the crane during operations and high wind. They used simulation to assess the impact on the steel supporting structure under dynamic aspects, which resulted in their conclusions on the vibration behavior, crane life and also on the well-being of the crane operator.  Another important point Pietryga touches on is the total cost of ownership (TCO). According to Pietryga both energy efficiency and TCO considerations are becoming increasingly important in product evaluation and for this reason Kocks Krane sees some positive aspects in the market and increasing opportunities for European crane suppliers. “Even basic concept considerations, such as machinery house trolley or semi-rope trolley are no longer just decided by corner loads but seen in the context complete TCO considerations,” Pietryga said. “Basic statements about the disadvantage of a machinery house design are untenable, weight disadvantages of the past are compensated by modern constructions. We would like to express that we see clear advantages for small STS cranes with semi-rope trolley for lengths up to 80m because of the possibility of using a simple system without catenary trolleys.”

Shine a new light

One of the responses we received came from Michael Jordan at California-based Liftech Consultants. Jordan addresses some of the issues of concern to the crane designer and he is only speculating based on h
is experience and concepts Liftech has studied but addresses our question of what to expect over the next ten years. According to Jordan computer controls will dominate. Nearly all motions will be automated. The operator will not be on the crane, but instead in a remote location. The ship trolley will transfer containers to and from the vessel, the traditional way. The on-deck containers pause at a deconing platform on the crane. The motions that cause lateral displacements will be coordinated with the structural response of the crane. This will control sway. The position and speeds of the hoist, trolley, and gantry travel will be continuously monitored and altered to suit the dynamic response of the structure to the particular demands – lifted load, wind, vertical and lateral inertia forces. 

Structural problems will be detected and corrected before their consequences are serious. Eventually, fatigue crack initiation in critical members will be monitored by acoustical or ultra-sonic measurements. This will allow the structures to be lighter and more reliable. Additionally, an acceptable risk approach will be accepted by the industry. Jordan believes the cost of failure needs to be balanced against the cost of the wharf and structure. The integration of machinery motions and structural response is long overdue says Jordan. Cranes are still designed to control the structure’s response to nearly arbitrary mechanical forces. In his view this wastes materials and increases the cost of not only the crane structure, but the wharf as well. The cooperation of the structural designer and the drive control designer will reduce cost and increase production says Jordan. Not only should crane designer and the control designer cooperate, but the wharf designer and crane designer should cooperate. A balance between the costs of the crane and the cost of the wharf should be reached. Often a relatively small increase in the wharf cost would allow significant savings in the crane cost. Of course, part of reason for the less than economic solution is: one party often owns the wharf and another owns the cranes. Since an economic solution is best for all the stakeholders, Jordan expects cooperation will eventually evolve. Jordan also continues to look at new crane developments within the market place and possible solutions but perhaps more importantly looks back at some of the concepts that have been proposed but not made the grade or are still looking for investment. We will include his full article on the evolution of ship-to-shore cranes in our Container Crane & Components Supplement published in May.