Victoria terminal gets new automated STS cranes

VICTORIA International Container Terminal (VICT), Australia's leading automated container terminal, is set to handle larger vessels with the arrival of two new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.

VICT, a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), has been operational since 2017 and is the world's largest independent terminal operator.

VICT CEO Bruno Porchietto said: «We are now ready to receive the largest vessels that will come to Australia as part of the upsizing strategy undertaken by all the major shipping lines in the world. This trend will lead to more supersized vessels sailing into Phillips Bay and mooring at VICT, the only terminal in Melbourne capable of receiving them.»

The terminal's new automated cranes are the largest in Australia, with a lift height of 49 meters and a 60-meter boom outreach, allowing them to handle 22 containers on a vessel, compared to the terminal's five existing STS cranes. The existing cranes, on the other hand, can hold 19 containers with their 50-meter boom outreach.

The new cranes also offer better productivity with their lashing platforms mounted 15 meters high, compared to those that only allow pinning to be completed at the quay level.

VICT's acquisition of the new cranes forms part of the AU$235 million ($150.6 million) expansion project, increasing the terminal's capacity to 1.25 million TEUs. The terminal has also acquired six additional automated stacking cranes as part of the expansion, which will be completed by the end of the year.