Busan Port Builds Smart Harbor with Cutting-Edge Domestic Equipment! … BPA Completes On-Site Installation of First Domestic Container Crane

The first domestic container crane at Busan Port New Port.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Busan Port Authority (BPA) successfully completed the on-site installation of the first domestically produced container crane, a cargo handling equipment to be operated at the Busan New Port West Container Terminal 2-5 stage berth, on the 13th.

The equipment was manufactured and installed as part of BPA's port cargo handling equipment localization project, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) industry, revitalize the regional economy, and create jobs.

A container crane is a cargo handling equipment that loads and unloads containers onto and from ships at the quay wall of the berth, and is a representative port facility that comes to mind when thinking of container terminals.

Before BPA's localization project, all 83 container cranes introduced at Busan New Port were manufactured and imported from China. Even the most recently opened New Port South 6th berth introduced container cranes (C/C) and transfer cranes (T/C) entirely from China.

The total scale of the cargo handling equipment localization project at the New Port West Container Terminal 2-5 stage berth is about 300 billion KRW over four years. BPA plans to manufacture nine container cranes and 46 transfer cranes domestically and install them at the New Port West Container Terminal 2-5 stage berth.

The port cargo handling equipment to be introduced at the New Port West Container Terminal 2-5 stage berth through this project is composed of the highest level specifications and automation systems among domestic ports.

All phases including design, manufacturing, installation, and inspection are being carried out by domestic companies.

The project is especially meaningful as BPA, in cooperation with domestic heavy industries, reintroduced domestically manufactured container cranes to Busan Port after 12 years, following the last installation at Busan Port North Port Sinsundae berth in November 2010.

The installed domestically produced container crane is a dual trolley type remote-controlled container crane, which has also been introduced at advanced ports such as Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands and Long Beach Port in the United States.

It is equipped with two hoisting machines for container handling, greatly improving operational efficiency, and applies the highest level of technology among existing container cranes.

BPA plans to sequentially bring in, install, and conduct test operations of the cargo handling equipment on-site this year, with final installation work to be completed in 2023.

Based on accumulated technology, BPA stated that it plans to introduce top-level domestically produced port cargo handling equipment to the adjacent 2-6 stage berth in cooperation with domestic manufacturers and local companies in the private sector.

Kang Jun-seok, President of BPA, said, “Despite Busan Port's status as the 7th largest container throughput and the 2nd largest transshipment volume port in the world, most of the cargo handling equipment is foreign-made. This project is expected to be a catalyst for building a Korean-style smart port made and operated by our own technology.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.