The ECT Euromax terminal, part of the Hutchison Ports group, located at the northwestern tip of the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, is in the process of preparing to receive ten new cranes in mid-April. The equipment, supplied by Chinese manufacturer ZPMC, includes two ship-to-shore cranes (STS) and eight automated stacking cranes (ASC), which are currently in transit from China aboard two different vessels.
The STS cranes are traveling aboard the heavy lift vessel Zhen Hua 31, owned by ZPMC, while the ASCs are being transported on the deck ship Fu Zhou Guo Ji, which also carries RTG cranes destined for PSA Italy. According to available information, ZPMC plans to deliver six RTGs to the PSA terminal in Genoa Pra’, including two hybrid units, also in April of this year.
ECT Euromax has confirmed that the preparatory work for the installation and commissioning of the new cranes is already underway. The terminal, designed to operate with the largest container ships in the world, features semi-automatic STS cranes equipped with a second trolley. The transfer of containers between the wharf and the stacking area is carried out using automated guided vehicles (AGVs), while the stacking operations are handled by automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (ARMGs).
As part of its decarbonization strategy, ECT Euromax has commissioned Konecranes to supply 42 lithium-ion AGVs along with automatic charging stations with fast charging capability. Once delivered, these vehicles will operate alongside the existing fleet of 96 diesel-electric AGVs, also supplied by Konecranes under a contract signed in 2005.
