What is a Ship to Shore Container Crane?

A container crane, sometimes called a ship to shore crane or quay crane is a large gantry crane found on the dockside used for handling steel shipping containers. There are various designs of container cranes, some are positioned right at the dockside for loading and unloading the containers and some may be located at strategic points within the dockyard where containers are stored.

Quayside varieties typically have a double framework sitting on rails so the crane cam move along the dockside as needed. The boom at the top extends out over the ship where a specialist hoisting system is used to lift the containers. The hoist ropes anchor to lifting lugs at each corner of the container often utilising a spreader frame or beam for stability. There will be a trolley for traversing the hoist and thus container along the boom from ship to shore.

Container Crane Ropes

Whatever the design of the ship to shore crane each key part; boom, trolley and hoist will use specific wire ropes, it is imperative that the correct ropes are used for safety, stability and longevity. Bearing in mind each system undergoes hundreds of cycles each day under immense loads, the wrong rope could prove costly and dangerous. Rope inspections must be frequent to quickly identify issues such as broken wires or kinks.

Plastic Impregnated Container Crane Ropes Available

All the following wire ropes are plastic impregnated (PIR) which offers great protection to internal wires against abrasion. It also makes the rope more flexible and manageable and makes them well suited to the high cycle rates and punishing surroundings found in port areas. Each rope can be utilised for hoist, trolley or boom rope.

The following 9 stranded outer selection incorporate a Warrington core which is essentially 3 layers. First the Warrington core with same size strands, next comes the alternate sized inner layer followed by the plastic impregnation layer finishing with the outer layer. The mid layer with different diameter strands enables voids/valley to be filled by nestling between each other. The smaller voids are filled with a plastic layer and each strand is compacted with the finished construction providing a high performance wire rope, ideal for hoist, trolley and/or boom ropes on a ship to shore container crane.

Help with Ship to Shore Container Ropes

Choosing the right crane rope can be confusing, hopefully we have explained their features clearly. The full specifications for each wire rope can be found in the documentation tab above. Should you require and help with your choice or wish to get a quote please give our friendly team a call or drop your requirements in an email.