LOADING and unloading two vessels on either side of a finger pier can be done with Liebherr double boom crane, at work on a jetty pier in Nemrut Bay/Aliaga, Turkey, where Grup TCB operates its container terminal, TCEEGE.
Until now, to service container vessels on both sides of the jetty pier, the use of mobile harbour cranes has been necessary, requiring continuous management of terminal tractor traffic and movement of the hatch-covers on the dock, said the Liebherr news release.
"This situation was far from ideal and was not optimising the operational flexibility that a finger pier provides," the statement said.
The 360-metre long pier at Nemrut Bay/Aliaga will be equipped with four double boom STS cranes, two of which have recently been commissioned and installed by Liebherr Container Cranes.
The idea of a double boom ship-to-shore crane came because of the need on both sides of the pier, handling two vessels at the same time while improving existing traffic flow and safety on the pier while increasing productivity.
The 360-metre long pier at Nemrut Bay/Aliaga will be equipped with four double boom STS cranes, two of which have recently been commissioned and installed by Liebherr Container Cranes.
This will allow up to four cranes to work on the same vessel, exceeding 100 moves per hour per ship. Alternatively, two medium-sized vessels can be handled at once, achieving 50 moves per hour per vessel, the release said.
The Liebherr double boom STS crane has been designed so it can switch from one boom to the other within a few minutes. The machinery trolley and spreader rotate with the cabin, enabling the operator to directly face the vessel in operation, the statement said.
Moreover, the Liebherr drive system allows the STS to work on one side of the pier while having the opposite boom raised to allow berthing and unberthing on the other side of the pier.
A major advantage of working with a STS on a jetty pier is its 36-metre span. The portal beam platform can accommodate up to three hatch-covers, leaving the entire pier unimpeded.
In combination with the new terminal tractor circulation concept (two-way central circulation "pit lane" and two "pit stops" for each STS,) traffic jams will be avoided and there will be improved safety for ground personnel, said the release .
The Liebherr Double boom STS cranes have an outreach of 50 metres on either side. The Nemrut Bay/Aliaga pier has a rail span of 36 metres, which gives a total trolley travel of 136 metres. The lifting height of the spreader above the seaside rail is 38 metres and has a 15-metre depth below the rail giving a total lifting height of 53 metres.
Each crane is fitted with a pair of 400kW hoist motors, which are installed in a large machinery trolley. The machinery trolley and associated cabin is capable of turning through 180 degrees to allow operational flexibility on both sides of the finger pier. Both cranes are fitted with crane to crane and crane to ship anti-collision systems.
Said Liebherr managing director Pat O'Leary: "The double boom crane design was a unique engineering project in terms of innovation and scale. Liebherr Container Cranes have manufactured the first (a smaller unit) double luffing crane in 1976 for Piombino Italy. We were able to draw on the many years experience in designing site specific and machinery house trolley cranes which helped us deliver the optimum solution for the Port of Nemrut Bay/Aliaga."