Container gantry cranes

A suitable and at the same time indispensable aid for loading and unloading seafreight is the container gantry crane, which is also known as the Portainer. This impressive loading unit consists of the crane system, a transport system on rails and a so-called trolley. This movable crane component carries either the deflection rollers, which are important for the hoisting rope, or the hoist directly. Trolleys travel along a mobile or stationary girder. The trolley is driven depending on the type of crane in question. Their position can be changed by an external wire rope hoist, but the movement can also be made possible under its own power. Although normally unmanned, they are also available with a driver's cab. Operators are used when observation is required when loading or unloading sea freight. Smaller trolleys weighing up to five tonnes are used as carriers for chain hoists. By means of an operating chain and a reel drive, the reel trolley moves on a carrier. It is not clear how the trolley got its name. It may be due to the ability of cats to balance easily on high walls while moving safely.

As a bridge between port and ship, the container gantry crane provides valuable services. Without it, container ships would be difficult to load with ISO-Containers and thus the portainer serves for cargo handling. As the largest of all types of industrial trucks, it is not permitted to automate this process due to legal requirements. The container bridge is operated by a bridge vehicle driver. After the container ships have been unloaded, they are transferred to a land-based transport vehicle, which transports the goods contained in the ISO-Containers to the container stack, the storage area. Among other things, automatic transport systems are also used to transport the containers at the terminal. These can, for example, be the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or the Automated Lift Vehicle (ALV).

Mostly container gantry cranes are used in large port facilities. According to the motto 'time is money', only Portainers can guarantee the rapid loading and unloading of, for example, 2,000 ISO containers. Direct transfer to a long-distance truck or railway wagon also saves time. This ensures that seafreight can leave the container ships in the fastest possible way and reach their recipients without delay.