by Derrick Lind, Jonathan Hsieh, and Michael Jordan
Presented by Derrick Lind at the Ports 2007 Conference in San Diego, California
Conventional single hoist container cranes have been in use since the mid-sixties. Many innovations have been developed to improve the productivity, including increases in trolley/hoist speeds, cranes with two trolleys, and elevating girder cranes. The latest development is a tandem 40 crane that can handle two 40 foot containers for each lift.
This presentation discusses single hoist tandem 40 (SHT40) and dual hoist tandem 40 (DHT40) cranes. These cranes pick up two or more containers with a single trolley running on a conventional runway. We compare these cranes to conventional container cranes and discuss tandem crane components, the importance of improved yard operations to accommodate the tandem 40s, impact on wharf structure design, and possible productivity improvements.