Quay Crane (STS Crane)
A quay crane, or ship-to-shore (STS) crane, is the large gantry crane on the berth that loads and discharges containers. Its spreader locks onto the container's corner castings, and many cranes can twin-lift two 20-foot boxes at once. The number of cranes per vessel and their productivity, measured in moves per hour, determine how long the ship stays at berth. Crane work sequences follow the stowage plan and bay plan prepared by planners.
Related terms
- Reach Stacker
A reach stacker is a wheeled machine with a telescopic boom and spreader for lifting, moving and stacking containers.
- Bay Plan
A bay plan is a cross-section drawing of a vessel, bay by bay, showing what sits in every slot by row and tier, with container number, weight, discharge port and dangerous-goods c…
- Stowage Plan
A stowage plan is the planned position of every container or cargo unit on board a vessel, built by line and terminal planners before the ship berths.
- Container Yard (CY)
A container yard is the stacking area in a terminal where full and empty containers are stored before loading or after discharge.