Crane Loads—Triple E Class and Beyond

Given the rapid growth of container ship sizes and the cranes that service them, what type of crane and loads should a new wharf be designed for? Recently, crane loads on wharves have exceeded wharf capacities sooner than expected. For instance, some wharves designed within the last 15–20 years are having their design capacities approached by recent cranes designed for Triple E ships. Future cranes will continue to get bigger and require larger wharf capacity. A variety of possible crane designs and their impact on crane loads on the wharf are discussed, including the following: Increasing the outreach and lift height beyond Triple E size cranes, Multiple trolleys, Triple or quad twin lift, Unconventional crane systems, Wharf strengthening is expensive from direct costs to upgrade the wharf and indirect costs from restricted wharf usage and interruptions to operations. This paper discusses historical crane load increases and possible future crane designs.