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Posted by David Sexton
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9 June, 2026
HUTCHISON Ports Sydney has this week welcomed the arrival of two giant new Quay Cranes to its ;Port Botany container terminal.
According to Hutchison, these cranes are built to service “container ships of the future” with a capacity of more than 15,000 TEU.
These “behemoths” can service vessels with a beam of 23 shipping containers wide and can stack more than nine high containers on deck.
Whereas existing Hutchison's existing quay cranes have a reach of 55 metres, these have an outreach of 79 metres.
The cranes arrived from Asia on specially modified crane-carrying vessels.
Hutchison Ports Australia chief executive John Willy said the two additional quay cranes would “extend the capability of the port and position New South Wales for the future”.
“Shipping lines on the Australia trade will have more options to deploy larger ships which have greater efficiency and higher economies of scale," Mr Willy said.
“The largest container ships currently in service to Australia are around 9000 TEU capacity. The new Hutchison Ports cranes will be able to handle ships 50% bigger again."
The cranes were built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC), understood to be the largest crane manufacturer in the world.
In a statement, Shipping Australia congratulated Hutchison “on its significant investment, which bodes well for the future”.
“We wish Hutchison every success with the installation and operation of its new equipment,” SAL said.
Container Transport Alliance Australia director Neil Chambers said the cranes represented "a not inconsiderable investment which was "long overdue in the two terminals operated by Hutchison in Sydney & Brisbane".
Look out for the June/July edition of Daily Cargo News for more insights into port innovation trends.
