HUTCHISON Port Holding's, and UK's largest container port, Felixstowe, has taken delivery of its first two remote control ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes from ZPMC in Shanghai. The new cranes raise the total number of STS cranes at the port to 33.

The new cranes are capable of working vessels with containers stowed 11-high and 24-wide on deck, Port Technology reported. The drivers will be located in a nearby operations centre.

In addition to the new cranes, the port is creating an extra 18,000 TEU of container storage capacity, upgrading its terminal operating system, raising the height of 10 ship-to-shore cranes on Trinity Terminal and has eight more yard cranes on order for delivery in early 2019.

Commenting on the new cranes, port of Felixstowe CEO Clemence Cheng said: 'These new cranes are the latest acquisition in our ongoing investment programme to provide the best equipment, infrastructure and systems for our customers.

'They will further enhance our capability to work multiple mega vessels simultaneously.'