On March 31, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding held the groundbreaking ceremony for the 2,200-ton gantry crane project, to be constructed by Nantong Zhenhua Heavy Equipment Manufacturing (Nantong Zhenhua).
In early March, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Ninth Design Institute announced that it had been awarded the EPC contract for the 2,200-ton, 155-meter gantry crane project at Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. According to the previously announced tender results, the contract value for this project is RMB 169.9 million.
The Waigaoqiao 2,200-ton gantry crane project involves a single-girder gantry crane built by Nantong Zhenhua for Dry Dock No. 2 at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, with core technical specifications that are at the forefront of the industry.
This crane has a rail span of 155 meters and a total travel distance of approximately 780 meters. It can lift up to 2,200 tons with the hook lowered and 1,100 tons with the tilted hook, effectively addressing the challenges of constructing large ship sections and significantly improving operational efficiency and safety.
It is worth noting that this project involves the gantry crane with the highest lifting capacity ever constructed by Nantong Zhenhua, and it is also the project with the highest lifting capacity in the history of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Once operational, it will significantly enhance the efficiency and capacity for the hoisting of large ship sections and the integration of complete sections, thereby meeting the construction requirements for high-end vessels such as ultra-large crude carriers and large container ships.
The largest gantry crane previously put into service by China State Shipbuilding Corporation was the 1,600-ton gantry crane at Jiangnan Shipyard （Group）.
In addition to this newly launched 2,200-ton gantry crane project, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding also secured a contract last year for a new 1,000-ton, 185-meter gantry crane, which was signed on May 9, 2024.
A 1,000-ton, 185-meter gantry crane has been installed in Dry Dock No. 1 at Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. Once operational, the project will effectively alleviate the workload on existing equipment, enhance the dock’s capacity for unloading and handling in-house and outsourced sections and hull blocks, facilitate the construction of larger hull blocks, and improve their structural integrity. This will provide a solid foundation for the continuous batch production of the shipyard’s flagship products and medium-to-large container ships.