Next Friday Ports of Auckland will take delivery of three giant new container cranes. The cranes, which stand 82.3 metres tall and weigh 2100 tonnes, will arrive by ship, creating a dramatic sight as they enter the Waitemata Harbour.

“We need bigger, faster cranes so we can keep up with Auckland‘s growth,” says Matt Ball, Ports of Auckland spokesperson. “More people in the city means more freight. The ships that bring our goods from overseas are getting bigger, so we need to make sure we can handle them. With these new cranes, and the new deep water berth they will sit on, we‘ll be able to handle the biggest ships coming to New Zealand.”

The cranes will be moved onto the wharf over the week following their arrival and there will then be a five- to six-month commissioning process before they start operating.

 Key facts:

•        Height: 82.3 metres (current cranes are 69.2m). For comparison, the HSBC building in downtown Auckland          is 81m and the Auckland Harbour Bridge is 64m
•        Weight: 2100 tonnes (current cranes are 1200 and 1300 tonnes)
•        The cranes create three New Zealand firsts: Able to lift four containers at once, weighing up to 130 tonnes           (current cranes can lift two, up to 65 tonnes); able to be remotely operated; and lash platforms, an                        industry-leading safety innovation.
•        Able to lift containers stacked at different heights (up to 1.2 metres height difference) – a world first.
•        Can service ships of over 11,000 TEU, future-proofing Auckland‘s port against future ship size increases.
•        Outreach: 21 containers across (current cranes 16 and 19 across)
•        Boom length (waterside to tip): 70m (current cranes 50.7m and 56.9m)
•        Built in Shanghai and took three weeks to sail from Shanghai to Auckland
•        Enough solar panels to power the average Kiwi home and 100% LED lighting.