New $12.5m crane for Fremantle Ports

People lunching in Fremantle today will be treated to a rare sight as a massive crane ship transporting four post-Panamax cranes from Shanghai will deliver a new $12.5 million crane to DP World's container terminal on North Quay.

The ship, called Zhen Hua 19, has been scheduled to arrive at the Inner Harbour at approximately 12:20pm where DP World will receive one of the four cranes on board.

The remaining three cranes, all standing above 38 metres in height with 65 tonne capacity, will then be delivered to DP World's terminals around the country. One will go to Adelaide and Sydney will claim the other two.

The four cranes have the capacity to simultaneously "twin-lift" two 20-foot containers at faster operational speeds, and are capable of handling the new generation of larger container ships now in the Australian trade.

DP World said the major investment will drive further productivity improvements at DP World Fremantle.

It's welcome news for Fremantle's bustling container terminal which is expected to reach capacity in the coming years.

DP World Australia managing director, Ganesh Raj said the crane for Fremantle was a significant upgrade in the company's terminal infrastructure and an important investment for the West Australian economy.

"DP World has a long term plan to support Australian trade growth and we will continue to invest in our infrastructure, facilities and people around the country to deliver on this plan," he said.

"Port authorities in Australia are reporting returns to record levels of trade volumes. Our investment program since entering the Australian market means DP World can meet this demand now and well into the future.

"Earlier this month DP World handled China Shipping's Xin Yan Tai, the largest container ship to be deployed to Australia, and we expect the trend of larger ships to continue. Our national post-Panamax capabilities now mean this newer generation of ship can be handled at all five DP World Australian terminals."

A spokesperson for Fremantle Ports said the whole process is quite exhaustive taking about four whole days to unload them from the vessel and install.

"It'll take a while, it's not a quick thing," the spokesperson said.

"One was brought in during 2006 from Shanghai and that took about 4 days to unload.

"But when they're here in the harbour you can feel the ship up close, and the best viewing is from the South Mole."

The spokesperson said the Zhen Hua 19 (one of a fleet of vessels owned by crane builder Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machine Company) is similar to the Zhen Hua 11 which made the delivery four years ago.

The Zhen Hua 19 is a semi-submersible vessel that will sink to the level of the wharf at Berth 6 to discharge the crane and remain level with the wharf, using water as ballast, throughout the four-day operation.

"They have this capacity to take on water to sink the ship down to go under bridges, and as they roll the crane off onto the wharf the ship can keep level with the wharf," the spokesperson said.