Port of Barcelona, Spain

Customer Challenge

The Port of Barcelona is Spain’s third and Europe’s ninth largest container port, with a trade volume in excess of 1.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TUEs) a year.

The port aims to offer industry-leading operational efficiency by leveraging modern technologies, including using semi-automatic cranes (ASC) operating round the clock.

The customer required a rail fastening system capable of managing significant axle loads, 270 metres per minute speed and a high pass frequency.

Pandrol Solution

Pandrol’s Porttech system is a purpose-designed heavy duty crane fastening for semi-automatic and fully automatic crane assemblies.

It is made of steel die casting and plastic components that can withstand 40 tonne ASC axle loads. The ASCs at the Port of Barcelona are fitted with a precise cant detection system, which requires adjustability of the assemblies to the millimeter – and one of Porttech’s main characteristics is a unique lateral (+15/-45mm) vertical (up to 80 mm) adjustability using rapid use shims.

Results

The initial project began in 2012 with the installation of 24,000 fastener rail seats. They proved so successful that two subsequent installation phases took the total number of fastenings at the port to 62,000.

The Porttech system is increasingly being recognised for future extensions and expansions in a number of the world’s most important ports.