Features of the APL Los Angeles 22-Wide STS Cranes

APL commissioned four new ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes at its Port of Los Angeles (POLA) Pier 300 terminal facility earlier this year (2013). The cranes will service container ships up to 22 containers wide with high cube containers stacked nine high on deck. The semi-automatic, dual-trolley cranes have an outreach of 64.3 m (211 ft) from the waterside rail, a lift height of 44.2 m (145 ft) above the rail, and weigh 2,050 tonne (4,520 kip) including trolleys and lift systems. In addition to meeting usual non-seismic specification provisions, the cranes comply with the POLA Seismic Code 2010 for the seismic design of container wharves. Furthermore, the cranes are designed to be operational, with minor repairs, after the design Operating Level Earthquake (OLE) and not collapse during the design Contingency Level Earthquake (CLE). This paper describes the cranes' general characteristics and salient operational and technical features, including: critical dimensions, wheel loads, shore power demand, selection of a cable reel rather than a collector system, semi-automation, ship trolley and shore trolley operation, transfer of containers between the trolleys and to automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), handling oversized loads, and also includes a brief description of special seismic components to protect the crane and the wharf. The paper explains the basis for various design decisions, including:the choice of a single-lift ship trolley rather than tandem-lift, the container deconing and transfer platform, the personnel access to the crane considering the AGV operating zones, and the waterside utility traffic lane. A brief overview of the container yard arrangement and operation is also presented to provide a perspective of the cranes' function in the entire container handling system.