On April 15, the 1,600-ton gantry crane in the No. 1 dock of the western plant of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. was successfully delivered and put into use 15 days ahead of schedule. This milestone marks a significant enhancement in the company’s lifting capacity and provides robust equipment support and assurance for the efficient construction of upcoming bulk orders, including 271,000 m³ ultra-large LNG carriers and ultra-large container ships.
This gantry crane features a single-girder design with a rated lifting capacity of 1,600 tons and a tilting capacity of 1,000 tons. With a span of 172 meters and a lifting height of 86 meters, it is currently Hudong-Zhonghua’s most powerful piece of core equipment.
For a long time, the final assembly of large vessels in dry docks has been constrained by lifting capacity, requiring the hull to be divided into multiple smaller sections for assembly. This not only results in a large number of lifting operations but also significantly restricts overall construction efficiency; even when using multi-crane lifting methods, numerous challenges arise, such as the need for high equipment synchronization and the difficulty of on-site coordination.
The commissioning of this 1,600-ton gantry crane will significantly enhance Hudong-Zhonghua’s overall lifting capacity for large ship blocks and functional modules, effectively reduce the number of lifting operations, and significantly improve construction efficiency and operational safety in the dry dock area.
It is understood that the project was undertaken by CSSC Ninth Design & Research Institute (CSSC NDRI) as the EPC contractor. Construction officially began on August 5, 2025, and the crane was transported to the western plant on January 2, 2026, to commence final assembly.
The main girder hoisting was successfully completed on February 11, 2026, and the crane was delivered on April 15, 2026. With a construction cycle of just over eight months, the project successfully set a new domestic record for the construction of large gantry cranes.