In modern shipping and marine engineering, ship equipment is a key component that connects ships with docks, other ships, offshore platforms, underwater, etc. for the transfer of materials, equipment, and personnel. Whether it is small vessels to large container ships, port loading and unloading or offshoreengineering, these cranes play a vital role in lifting and moving all kinds of cargo.This article will introduce different types of ships crane, including deck crane, Dock crane, bulk Cargo crane, and hatch cover crane.
what is ship crane?
ship crane is a type of lifting equipment specially designed to be installed on ships or sea platforms for cargo loading and unloading, equipment lifting, or performing specific operations in offshore environments. In essence, they are special cranes designed for extreme marine environments. Their technical core lies in corrosion resistance, dynamic stability, and high reliability. At present, ship crane play an important role in port loading and unloading operations.
ship crane types
Here are some of the ship cranes types and their respective explanations:
A deck crane is a lifting device installed on the deck of a ship for loading and unloading cargo. Deck cranes are commonly found on cargo ships, fishing boats, workboats, etc., and are used to load and unload containers, equipment or other cargo.It has the characteristics of adapting to the marine environment and has a sturdy structure. It is usually used to load and unload cargo or move heavy objects in ports or anchorages, especially when there is no dock crane.
deck crane Core functions and roles
The deck crane on the ship can be self-sufficient and does not need to rely on the dock crane, which greatly improves the flexibility and efficiency of operations. The crane can be used wherever the ship moves. The deck crane has a wide working range, a retractable and pitching boom, and can rotate 360 degrees. It can cover most areas of the ship’s deck and outboard, and can handle a variety of cargo (bulk cargo, general cargo, containers, equipment, etc.)
types of deck crane
Knuckle boom crane
Marine knuckle boom crane is the most common type of deck crane, with an articulated arm structure, compact and flexible. is designed for cargo handling operations on ships, which has a folding boom and is convenient to take up less space on the ship to increase operational flexibility and space utilization. It can be used to lift cargo such as containers, heavy equipment or other supplies, and to load or unload cargo onto or from ships.
Telescopic Boom Crane
Telescopic boom crane is designed by Haitai experienced professional engineers using finite element method, can analyse the force of each part of steel structure, more scientific, accurate, safe, and has the advantages of simple operation, impact resistance, good performance, safety and reliability. Can be divided into straight arm telescopic boom crane or folding arm telescopic boom crane.
stiff Boom Crane
Marine stiff boom cranes have a compact design that enables them to safely and reliably perform a wide range of load handling tasks in harsh marine environments. Relatively lighter and more flexible than marine deck cranes, standard crane lifting capacities range from 2 to 10 tonnes.
dock crane
dock crane play an important role in ship cargo loading and unloading, marine engineering construction and maritime rescue. Its advantage is that it can perform lifting operations flexibly on the water, is not restricted by terrain and geography, and can adapt to various complex water environments and climatic conditions. In addition, dock crane have higher lifting capacity and operating efficiency than deck crane, and can meet the needs of large-scale cargo loading and unloading and lifting.
dock crane Core functions and roles
Dock crane refer to fixed or mobile lifting equipment installed at the shore of ports and docks, mainly used for loading and unloading cargo between ships and shores. They load and unload cargo from ships at berths to the back of docks (such as trucks, trains, yards) or vice versa. They can effectively shorten the time ships spend at ports. Depending on the type of crane, they can load and unload general cargo, bulk cargo (with grab buckets), containers, heavy equipment, etc., and improve port competitiveness.
types of dock crane
portal crane
Portal Crane is the most common and typical dock crane. It has a tall gantry under which trains or trucks can pass, and a 360-degree rotating lifting mechanism above the gantry. It has a large working range that can cover the ship width and dock area. The lifting capacity ranges from a few tons to hundreds of tons. Portal crane is highly efficient and versatile (can load and unload a variety of goods). It is usually used in docks, general cargo docks, equipped with grabs for bulk cargo and even some container docks.
Floating crane
Floating crane has a large lifting capacity that even exceeds that of traditional fixed dock cranes, but the operating location is not limited to fixed docks. It can operate in open waters, anchorages, shores without dock facilities or specific offshore locations.
mobile harbour crane
Mobile Harbour craneis usually installed on a tire or crawler chassis and has greater mobility. It does not require fixed tracks and can be flexibly deployed to different berths, temporary docks, or even sites for operation. One crane can serve multiple berths. By replacing the spreader (hook, grab, container spreader, special clamp), almost all types of cargo such as piece goods, bulk cargo, containers, heavy goods, scrap steel, etc. can be efficiently loaded and unloaded.
bulk cargo crane
Bulk cargo crane is designed to handle unpackaged solid materials and bulk cargoes such as coal, ore, grain, fertilizer, wood chips, etc. Bulk cargo crane use large grabs or buckets to lift bulk cargoes. Bulk cargo crane speed up the loading and unloading process in handling bulk cargoes, thereby reducing the time required for transportation.
bulk cargo crane Core functions and roles
The core function of bulk cargo crane is to achieve efficient and safe handling of bulk cargo through mechanical devices. Equipped with special picking devices: Grab bucket: suitable for granular bulk cargo such as coal and ore, opening and closing through hydraulic or mechanical drive. Electromagnetic sucker: used for magnetic materials such as iron ore to improve loading and unloading efficiency. Equipped with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or DCS (Distributed Control System) to achieve precise positioning, automatic grabbing and delivery, with dust prevention measures: sealed grab bucket or grain hopper to reduce dust during loading and unloading. And equipped with a spray system to wet the bulk cargo and reduce dust pollution.
Hatch cover crane
Hatch cover crane is a relatively small but critical piece of equipment in ship equipment. “Hatch cover crane” are lifting equipment on ship that are specifically used to open, close, transport and store hatch cover. They are directly used in cargo hatches, one of the core loading areas of ships.
hatch cover crane Core functions and roles
Hatch cover crane is indispensable special equipment on modern large cargo ship (especially container ship). Their core mission is to operate heavy cargo hatch cover safely, efficiently and accurately. Special hatch cover crane can greatly improve the efficiency of hatch opening and closing and shorten the port berthing time.
types of hatch cover crane
There are two main designs of hatch cover crane, which are suitable for different hatch cover type (folding, lift-off) and ship layouts:
Single Boom Slewing Hatch Cover Crane
Structure: A column or tower that can rotate 360 degrees and is fixed on the deck near the hatch coaming. A hydraulically driven main boom can be adjusted. A special lifting device (usually a multi-claw hydraulic hook that can automatically grab/release the lifting points on the hatch cover) is installed at the end of the boom.
Advantages:Wide coverage: Slewing + luffing can cover adjacent hatches and preset hatch cover stacking areas.
Flexible and precise operation: It is easy to fine-tune the hatch cover position to achieve precise covering, and is suitable for a variety of hatch cover layouts. It is mostly used in container ships, multi-purpose ships, and large bulk carriers (using lift-off hatch covers).
Gantry Type Hatch Cover Crane
Structure:A gantry structure similar to a small gantry crane, spanning over the hatch or running along the track on one side of the hatch, with a lifting trolley running on the main beam of the gantry and a special hoist hanging under the trolley.
Advantages:Linear motion, high efficiency: Especially suitable for the layout where hatch covers need to be stacked in a straight line along the length of the ship (commonly seen in some bulk carriers and multi-purpose ships), with strong structural rigidity and stable operation. It is mostly used in ships where hatch covers need to be stacked longitudinally, such as some large bulk carriers.
Due to its special design, ship crane can complete various lifting tasks safely, reliably and efficiently in harsh marine environments. It is one of the core equipment for modern shipping and marine engineering operations. Haitai as a leading ship crane manufacturer and shipboard crane supplier in China, we are committed to providing high-quality ship equipment solutions to global customers and can provide OEM services.
