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Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam took delivery of three new quay cranes at its ECT Delta terminal in Rotterdam on 9 April, expanding the facility’s capacity to handle the largest container vessels in service.
The cranes arrived from Shanghai aboard the Zhen Hua 27. The delivery forms part of a broader investment programme at the Delta terminal, which ECT said is aimed at modernising operations and improving long term sustainability.
Cranes target ultra large vessels
The new units will be remotely operated and feature a lifting height of 54 metres under the spreader, with a total height of 142 metres. Each crane has an outreach of 25 containers wide, which ECT said is sufficient to service container vessels of 24,000 TEU capacity and above.
The cranes will be positioned on the south side of the Delta terminal at the Amazonehaven.
ECT said the equipment would further expand its ability to serve ultra large containerships, a segment that continues to drive infrastructure investment at major European gateway ports.
Terminal investment extends beyond cranes
The crane delivery sits within a wider package of upgrades at the Delta terminal. ECT said additional investments include hybrid automated guided vehicles, hybrid and electric straddle carriers, automatic stacking cranes and related systems.
The company said the terminal will increasingly switch to zero emission equipment in the coming years. Shore power facilities will also be installed, ECT added.
The moves align with tightening emissions requirements across European ports, where terminal operators face growing pressure to decarbonise equipment fleets and landside operations.
Operational changes continue across Rotterdam
The investment comes as ECT continues broader operational changes across its Rotterdam terminals. The company recently completed a migration to a new terminal operating system at its Euromax facility.
The combination of equipment upgrades and systems modernisation signals a sustained capital commitment by Hutchison Ports to its Rotterdam operations, at a time when competition among North European container terminals for ultra large vessel calls remains intense.
