PSA Antwerp marked a significant milestone in its Project Emerald modernisation programme with the arrival of five new mega ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at Europa Terminal on Tuesday, 24 February. 

Purpose-built to handle the world’s largest container vessels and to meet the evolving demands of global trade, the new cranes are the largest STS cranes ever ordered for the Port of Antwerp. Their arrival marks a major step forward in preparing the Europa Terminal for the next generation of ultra-large container ships.

Operational efficiency and reliability

Once installed, the new STS cranes will stand 52 metres high and feature an outreach of 71.8 metres, enabling them to handle vessels up to 26 containers wide. With a dual-hoist lifting capacity of up to 112 tonnes, the cranes will significantly increase operational efficiency, berth productivity, and service reliability for PSA Antwerp’s customers. 

The arrival of the cranes marks a key step in Project Emerald, a joint project of PSA Antwerp and Port of Antwerp-Bruges, to accommodate next-generation container vessels.

The new cranes feature state-of-the-art safety and operational technologies, and aligned with PSA’s global sustainability agenda, the cranes feature energy-efficient electric drives, regenerative power systems, and smart-grid compatibility

PSA Belgium Managing Director Edward Tah said, “This milestone reflects our long-term commitment to Antwerp as a strategic gateway and our drive for nodal excellence in strengthening PSA’s global network of port ecosystems. Project Emerald will increase the capacity for Europa Terminal by 800,000 TEUs per annum, and significantly enhance the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of our operations, for the benefit of our customers.”