Page 46: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2021)

TECH FILES HEAVY LIFTERS

New

Life for

Old Port

Cranes

Photo: Konecranes

Retro? ts of new features into existing ports cranes can produce operational ef? ciency and safety gains not included on cranes delivered 15-20 years ago, including Ship-to-Shore (STS) Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) and Rail Mounted

Gantry (RMG) types. Here, Dmitry Lapin, Knowledge and Development

Manager, Port Services, Konecranes, looks at retro? t options.

By Dmitry Lapin ooner or later, the owners of ports cargo handling tighter when compared with the rules of 15-20 years ago. equipment are going to face a number of technical 3. Improvements in ergonomic and operational design. and organizational questions about the future. Af- Technological developments have given modern lifting ter 15-20 years of operation, the steel structure and machines a range of features that make the work of opera-

S mechanical components of most port lifting machines still tors easier. function well. However, these cranes often become obso- 4. Environmental concerns. Modern companies and lete for several reasons: their customers want to reduce carbon emissions (such 1. Lack of spare parts and technical support for discon- as those produced by cranes with a diesel genset) and use tinued components. The next generation of electronics environmentally friendly materials in the manufacture of and computerized parts becomes available every 5-7 years. their equipment. There is a need to bring old cranes into 2. More stringent safety requirements. Regulations for line with current requirements.

the safety of personnel, cargo and lifting equipment are In essence, crane owners at ports tell crane manufactur-

PICTURED ABOVE: A drive and control system retro? t is an ef? cient and economical solution. At only 15- 30% of the price of a new crane (depending on the options), a port gets a crane with new, modern control and diagnostic systems, remote monitoring functions and full spare parts support. 46 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • February 2021

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