Extending the power supply

When the RTG moves into the container aisle, the diesel engine can be stopped and the crane supplied with power by means of the telescopic arm at the head of the aisle via a powerail system attached laterally in the aisle to meet the demands of working in restricted aisle spaces. The arm, which automatically couples to the powerail with no manual input, can compensate for vertical tolerances of up to 150 mm and horizontal differences of up to 400 mm during travel. As the cranes are not track-guided, they can easily change between container aisles

Vahle believes that the system has many advantages, chiefly cost savings of up to 30%. In addition, less diesel fuel means less harmful emissions: diesel engine maintenance intervals are increased, idling times are reduced and port area noise levels are significantly reduced.

Short aisle entry and exit times are achieved by a fully automatic drive-in system operated from a touch-pad in the driver’s cab and the space-saving telescopic arm can be retro-fitted to existing RTGs.