Opening of Busanhang New Port Pier 6... Installation of Korea's First Automated Quay Crane

Panoramic view of Busan Port New Port Pier 6 (Photo by Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 1st that the opening ceremony of Pier 6 at Busan New Port, the first domestic pier equipped with an automated quay crane, will be held on the 2nd at the Pier 6 terminal.

A quay is a wall built for ships to dock, and a quay crane is heavy equipment used to unload containers from ships or load containers from the pier onto ships. Existing quay cranes have all been operated manually by onboard operators.

Pier 6 was developed on a scale that allows three 50,000-ton ships to dock simultaneously and is equipped with the country's first automated quay crane based on remote control.

With a secured water depth of 17 to 18 meters, it can stably accommodate container ships of up to 24,000 TEU (1 TEU is one 20-foot container), including the HMM Algeciras, the largest existing vessel.

With the new opening of Pier 6, the number of berths at Busan New Port has expanded from the existing 22 to 25, enabling the handling of more than 17.49 million TEU of cargo annually.

The yard, capable of storing about 54,000 containers, has also been secured, which the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries expects will contribute to solving the shortage of storage space at Busan Port. Approximately 500 people, including Vice Minister Song Sang-geun of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun, and Busan Port Authority President Kang Jun-seok, are expected to attend the opening ceremony.

The ultra-large container ship HMM Gdansk will dock at Pier 6, and the loading of containers using the automated quay crane will be demonstrated during the opening ceremony.

Vice Minister Song Sang-geun of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said, "With the new opening of Pier 6, the cargo handling capacity of Busan New Port is expected to improve significantly. Pier 6 will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Busan Port by automating not only the cargo yard area but also quay operations, reducing costs and increasing cargo handling speed."

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