Handling of two 1800 tonnes container cranes in the port of Gioia Tauro
Crane transport in one of the ports with the largest operating capacity in Europe
Marraffa took care of the exceptional transport of two port cranes, each weighing 1800 tonnes, inside the port of Gioia Tauro (RC). The cranes, 80 m high and 26 m wide, are among the largest in the world and were handled using SPMT Goldhofer with a configuration of 80 axles.
Thanks to the work carried out by Marraffa, the two cranes were able to overcome the geometric constraint of a cusp not passable by rails and were positioned in another area of the port quay.
Logistical benefits of crane handling at the port of Gioia Tauro
The exceptional handling made room for four new cranes from China, which will increase the operational capacity of the port of Gioia Tauro. This is one of the ports with the largest operating capacity in Europe and in 2023 it set a new record of 3.58 million containers handled in a year (out of a total of approximately 11.57 million in Italian ports).
The challenges in the exceptional transport of two port cranes
The exceptional handling of two container cranes was very complex and required careful preliminary study by our technical office, which identified the solution necessary for its implementation.
The main complexity faced was linked to the geometric characteristics of the cranes, which had a center of gravity at approximately 40 m high. A further difficulty in this activity was linked to the design of the structure that carried out the lifting and handling of the cranes, composed of 80 SPMT axles interconnected by a system of transverse, longitudinal and distributor beams.
Furthermore, the exceptional crane transport operation took place in restricted spaces and times to allow the dock to be fully operational: the preparation activities of the structures did not interfere with the loading and unloading of the container ships scheduled for the period of the activity.
Creative solutions in exceptional crane handling
Not being equipped with special lifting points, for the exceptional crane lifting it was necessary to plan the study, design and construction of four brackets compatible with the beam system available to Marraffa. The beams were positioned under these brackets which, through the hydraulic excursion of the axles, allowed the activity to be carried out.