Improving crane efficiency is not a zero-sum game and will save terminals and shipping lines $ billions and reduce CO2 emissions globally

In many situations there are winners and corresponding losers and improving returns are at the expense of the environment, but this is not the case with exciting new measures to increase crane efficiency in container terminals. 

 

Two relatively simple measures will boost STS crane efficiency by 30% or more and the resulting faster vessel turnaround will save shipping lines and the environment $billions in fuel and emissions. 

 

Manual fitting of connectors for containers generally known as ‘pinning’ is one of the last main steps to container handling automation and persists as a significant barrier to cranes moving more containers every hour. 

 

At the same time, handling empty containers (24% of total moves) in multiples of two or four is readily achievable and will deliver further high percentage crane efficiency gains. 

 

These simple observations are so important because the numbers of containers moved every year are so huge and underpin the global economy we are all dependent upon. 

 

There are 477,058,824 container moves per year and shipping accounts for 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions, of which container vessels contribute a high percentage. Currently, most efforts by the shipping lines are devoted to cleaner fuels and vessels but it makes obvious sense to look at the efficiency of the terminals these vessels interact with as delays and slow turn around, cost millions of tonnes of container ship fuel use and CO2 emissions. 

 

As developers of more efficient container handling systems BLOK has developed the calculations below to bring the possibilities for container terminals and shipping lines into sharp focus. 

 

In brief…three winning BLOK solutions : 

It is rare that shipping lines and terminals can so easily and cost effectively introduce change that meets commercial and environmental goals. Contact Selwyn.rowley@blokcontainersystems.com for more information or to set up a demonstration.