All ships great and small Schelde-Natie unloads them all

October 8th, 2006: Schelde-Natie unloads first Panamax size vessel with new E-Crane®(*)

“Does size matter…” is a question often asked ! When looking at the Schelde-Natie operations at the Cargill dock (dock 506) in the harbor of Antwerp the answer is without any doubt: no. Indeed, no matter the size of your barge, ship or vessel, Schelde-Natie provides an efficient and immediate 4-star service unloading rapeseed for Cargill. On October 8th a Panamax (**) vessel arrived early in the morning at the dock. It was the first time that a vessel of this size was going to be offloaded using the newly installed E-Crane®.

With only 32 meters outreach it was clear that this 1000-series E-Crane® was going to work at its limits… Limited space on the dock and only 200 meter of crane rails along the quay complicated the job even more. Previous to the arrival, E-Crane® engineers and Schelde-Natie Management discussed in detail the crane’s abilities to offload this giant. The extensive use of 3D simulations contributed largely in defining the best mooring position and optimizing the unloading sequence for this vessel.

Mooring operations went smoothly and according to plan. Crane driver Stan started the 24/24 unloading operations at 6 o’clock on Sunday morning…

 

Service engineers from E-Crane® were on standby to assist if necessary. By noon on Sunday the first 2000 tons were offloaded… and it became clear that the plan came together nicely. The combination of careful planning by Schelde-Natie Management, the dedication of the dockside team leaders Chris and Luc, the excellent communication with the ports longshoremen and above all the skilled E-Crane® drivers Stan and Paul all contributed to a job well done!

This complex exercise showed one more time the versatility and possibilities of the E-Crane® concept.