This container gantry crane is a type of heavy-duty lifting equipment. The unit possesses the structural strength and operational precision required for the efficient handling of containers, enabling efficient transshipment between ships, storage yards, and transport vehicles.
A container gantry crane is a large piece of equipment widely used in ports, docks, and container yards. Its structure uses the gantry as the main frame to support the main beam and the lifting mechanism on it. Its main function is to load, unload, stack, and transport containers. VOITTO offers various types of container gantry cranes, including RTG cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes, STS cranes, and straddle carrier cranes. These machines cater to different mobility, infrastructure, and automation requirements, enabling terminal operators and yard planners to precisely select the most suitable equipment based on throughput targets and on-site conditions.
A container gantry crane is a heavy-duty gantry lifting system purpose-built for loading, unloading, stacking, and transferring shipping containers in high-throughput environments. Unlike general-purpose gantry cranes, it is engineered around container-specific handling requirements — spreader compatibility, precise stacking positioning, and duty cycles suited to continuous terminal operation.
RTG Crane
Rail Mounted Crane
STS Crane
Straddle Carrier Crane
This equipment is widely used at container terminals, port yards, rail container yards, inland container yards, and logistics hubs. At these locations, the key challenge lies not only in lifting heavy loads, but also in the ability of container gantry cranes to quickly, accurately, and safely handle large volumes of containers within limited spaces, thereby increasing throughput at ports, terminals, and container yards.
We supply four main types of container gantry cranes: RTG gantry cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes, ship-to-shore quay cranes, and container straddle carrier cranes. Each type is designed to meet your specific lifting needs. Let’s take a closer look at these four types of container gantry cranes.
An RTG crane uses rubber tires for mobility, offering flexible relocation and efficient stacking capabilities. Compared to rail-mounted gantry cranes, RTG cranes do not require the installation of fixed tracks.
Application: Port operators use this equipment in scenarios where frequent adjustments to the operational area are required, such as container road yards, rail transshipment terminals, and large- and medium-sized port yards.
Features: It can flexibly move within the range of the yard without a fixed track. In addition, the container gantry crane is equipped with a trolley. The trolley with a container spreader moves horizontally along the track. Equipped with an automated control system, the trolley ensures accurate grabbing and placement of containers.
Get Quote| Type | Rubber-Tyred Gantry Crane |
|---|---|
| Load capacity | 35-70 ton |
| Container Specification | 20ft / 40ft / 45ft |
| Span | 18-26 m |
| Lifting Height | 15.8-18.5 m |
| Lifting Speed | 9.2-12.5 m/min |
| Crane Running Speed | 42-50 m/min |
| Trolley Running Speed | 45-56 m/min |
| Work Duty | A6-A8 |
| Power Supply | Diesel generator set or three-phase AC 380V 50Hz |
This rail-mounted container gantry crane operates on fixed rails. The RMG moves along pre-laid tracks via steel wheels and, when used in conjunction with container spreaders, enables the precise lifting and high-density stacking of 20-foot, 40-foot, and 45-foot containers.
Application: This equipment is suitable for container yards or transshipment stations in ports, terminals, railways, and logistics facilities, where it is used for the handling and loading/unloading of international standard containers and wide-body rail containers.
Features: This equipment offers high stability and precise, efficient lifting operations. The entire machine is electrically powered, featuring stable energy consumption, a wide operating range, and easy maintenance. Additionally, the equipment can be equipped with dual-container spreaders or telescopic spreaders and supports coordinated operation of dual trolleys (main trolley + auxiliary trolley).
Get Quote| Type | Rail-Mounted Gantry Crane |
|---|---|
| Load Capacity | 35-70 ton |
| Span | 30-40 m |
| Base Distance | 10/16 m |
| Lifting Height | 12.5-18.3 m |
| Container Specification | 20ft / 40ft / 45ft |
| Hoisting Speed | 13/40 m/min |
| Gantry Traveling Speed | 45 m/min |
| Trolley Running Speed | 70 m/min |
| Max Wheel Load | 250-300 |
| Work Duty | A6-A8 |
An STS crane is a specialized piece of lifting equipment used for loading and unloading operations on large container ships. This equipment is primarily installed along the quay and, using a long cantilever structure that extends over the ship, lifts containers from the ship’s hold to terminal trucks or loads containers from the terminal onto the ship.
Application: Terminal operators use this equipment for direct container loading and unloading between ships and the terminal, as well as for transshipment operations between ocean-going vessels and rail or road transport vehicles.
Features: The entire machine features an extra-large structure and a wide-span design, offering extremely high loading and unloading efficiency, precise positioning capabilities, and outstanding wind resistance. In addition, the equipment uses sealed steel wire ropes, and the trolley wheel sets are equipped with elastic supports, providing excellent noise reduction performance and meeting environmental protection requirements.
Get Quote| Type | Ship-to-Shore Quay Crane |
|---|---|
| Load capacity (Under spreader or Under hook) | 35-65 ton or 45-75 ton |
| Span (Front outreach and Rear outreach) | 30-65 m and 10-25 m |
| Lifting height (Above rail and Below rail) | 25-42 m and 12-20 m |
| Lifting speed (Full load or No load) | 50-90 m/min or 120-180 m/min |
| Gantry running speed | 45 m/min |
| Trolley running speed | 180-240 m/min |
| Container Specification | 20ft / 40ft / 45ft |
| Work duty | A6-A8 |
A container straddle carrier spans the top of a container via its frame and uses specialized lifting gear on its underside to lift, move, and stack containers. They can navigate autonomously within a yard, enabling rapid transfer between ship loading/unloading areas, storage areas, and container trucks.
Application: Users operate this equipment to perform short-distance container transport, stacking, and transshipment tasks. Applications include large container port terminals, automated container yards, rail container hubs, inland ports, and intermodal logistics centers.
Features: This container straddle carrier is highly flexible, offers efficient transport capabilities, and is highly adaptable. The equipment can lift and move containers directly by straddling them, reducing the need for transshipment steps required by traditional loading and unloading equipment.
Get Quote| Type | Straddle Carrier |
|---|---|
| Container Size | 20ft / 40ft / 45ft |
| Lifting Capacity | 35 – 80 ton |
| Length×Width×Height | 9200×5100×5500mml7110×5100×6100mm |
| Effective inner width | 3100mm – 3750mm |
| Duplex Lifting Height | 6300mm |
| Tire Qty | 4 |
| No-load/full-load Gradeability | 6%/3% |
| Power Supply | Three-phase AC 380V 50Hz, or diesel generator set |
A container gantry crane is a category that includes several structural configurations — each suited to different terminal layouts, budgets, and automation goals. The comparison below is built for procurement teams evaluating mobility, infrastructure investment, and throughput trade-offs before specifying equipment.
| Comparison Mode | RTG | RMG | STS | Straddle Carrier Crane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Features | Supported by rubber tires, with truss or box-type main girder, spanning multiple rows of containers. | Runs on fixed rails, mainly double-girder structure with high rigidity and stability. | Features a tall gantry with a luffing jib, extending over the sea from the quay. | A mobile wheeled carrier with a U-shaped frame structure, designed to straddle containers and lift them using a spreader mounted beneath the top frame. |
| Mobility | Tire-driven, capable of free steering in yards, suitable for flexible movement. | Moves linearly along laid rails, with mobility limited to rail paths. | Fixed on quay-side rails, only movable along the shoreline. | Highly mobile with rubber tires, capable of independent driving, turning, and transferring containers between different operational areas without fixed tracks. |
| Lifting Capacity | Typically 35-70 tons (container-specific), suitable for single-container lifting. | Similar to RTG (35-70 tons), but with stronger load stability due to fixed rails. | Capacity exceeds 60 tons, capable of lifting double containers. | Typically 30-80 tons, suitable for handling 20ft, 40ft, and 45ft containers, with some heavy-duty models supporting twin-container operations. |
| Span Range | Span of 20-35 meters, covering 4-6 rows of containers + traffic lanes. | Larger span (30-50 meters), ideal for dense yard layouts. | Span usually 40-70 meters, with jib outreach of 30-45 meters to cover the full width of ships. | No fixed span limitation. The frame width is designed according to container dimensions, allowing direct access between container rows and flexible yard layouts. |
| Application Scenarios | Container yards, logistics centers, suitable for scenarios requiring frequent position changes. | Large container terminals, professional yards, suitable for high-frequency operations with fixed routes. | Dedicated to quay sides, responsible for loading/unloading containers between ships and terminals. | Container terminals, intermodal yards, railway terminals, inland container depots, and logistics parks require transport and stacking operations. |
| Operation Efficiency | Single-container efficiency: 25-35 cycles/hour, high flexibility but lower positioning accuracy. | Efficiency: 30-40 cycles/hour, precise rail positioning for assembly line operations. | Highest efficiency: 40-60 cycles/hour (higher with double-container handling), core equipment for ship-to-shore operations. | Efficiency: 20-40 cycles/hour depending on operation mode, providing fast container transfer between quay cranes, trucks, and storage areas. |
| Flexibility | High, movable anywhere in the yard for multi-zone operations. | Medium, limited to rail range; requires auxiliary equipment for inter-rail connection. | Low, fixed on the quay with only shoreline-direction adjustment. | It can stack up to four layers high, and a single machine can handle the lifting, handling, and stacking of containers. |
| Infrastructure Cost | No rail laying needed, low initial investment with simple site leveling. | Requires rail laying and foundation treatment, higher infrastructure cost than RTG. | Most complex structure, highest infrastructure cost, requiring supporting quay facilities. | Lower infrastructure investment compared with RTG/RMG/STS because it mainly requires a flat operating surface. |
| Power Source | Diesel engine-driven (traditional) or electric (in new energy transition). | Mostly electric-driven via cables or sliding contacts, more environmentally friendly. | Mostly electric-driven, some with energy storage systems for high-power operations. | Available in diesel, hybrid, and fully electric configurations, providing flexible energy solutions for different terminal requirements. |
In port and terminal operations, container throughput directly determines berth productivity and yard turnaround time. If container gantry cranes are properly laid out within the yard, they become more than just lifting equipment—they serve as a key lever for directly boosting terminal efficiency.
For terminal operators evaluating new equipment or upgrading their capacity, the core considerations during the selection process often lie not in “how much lifting capacity the equipment has,” but rather in “how high an hourly container throughput this configuration can sustain, and how well it can be scaled for automation.”
Operators can use the following factors as a reference when selecting the appropriate container gantry crane equipment.
VOITTO Crane is dedicated to providing custom-designed container gantry crane systems for ports, rail yards, and high-throughput logistics hubs. We offer customized solutions tailored to our clients’ project requirements to perfectly fit the layout of their ports or terminals.
Our manufacturing team has three decades of extensive experience in the heavy-duty lifting equipment sector, serving global export markets. Whether you need rail-mounted, rubber-tired, or custom container cranes, please contact VOITTO to discuss your project requirements and receive a customized quote.
Alan
Crane Solutions Specialist · Voitto Crane
Specialized in Overhead Crane, Gantry Crane, Jib Crane, Port Crane & EOT Crane export solutions. 10+ years helping global clients with pre-sales consultation, capacity selection and site-specific configurations.
A container gantry crane is a gantry-frame lifting system designed specifically to load, unload, stack, and transfer shipping containers in ports, terminals, and container yards, using spreader-based lifting rather than general-purpose hooks.
Cost depends primarily on lifting capacity, span, stacking height, and automation level. RTG configurations typically involve lower upfront cost due to no rail infrastructure requirement, while RMG and STS involve higher infrastructure investment but greater long-term precision and throughput. Share your capacity and site details for a specific quotation.
Yes. Container gantry cranes are engineered for standard 20ft, 40ft, and 45ft container dimensions, with spreader systems configurable for single or double-container handling.
Yes. Configurations range from manually operated with remote-assist control to semi-automated and fully automated (ARMG-ready) systems, allowing terminals to phase in automation as operational needs evolve.
Capacity selection depends on your container weight classes and whether double-box handling is required. Most terminal applications fall between 35–50 tons for single-container handling, with STS and heavy-duty RMG configurations reaching 65–75 tons.
Our pre-sale team provides consultations, tailoring solutions to your needs and environment.
Offer customization options for lifting capacity, span and lifting height etc. to meet specific needs.
Real-Time Progress Updates: Weekly reports and PM communication.
Pre-Delivery Testing: 100% load & safety checks, detailed reports.
3-5 years warranty and free replacement for non-manufacturing defects.
24/7 online support and on-site assistance for crane issues.
Large gantry cranes are typically shipped overseas through modular disassembly, where the crane is broken down into major components (beams, legs, hoists) for containerized transport. For mega-cranes, we use specialized heavy-lift vessels equipped with reinforced decks, and critical parts are protected with anti-corrosion coatings during transit.
Yes, our gantry cranes have participated in large-scale bridge construction projects and railroad construction in Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, and other countries, in which we have played a particularly key role and contributed to these construction projects!
Yes, international shipping and export support are available for global customers.
The STS crane, which stands for Ship-to-Shore Crane, is a large-scale port lifting equipment. Users primarily use it for loading and unloading containers between container ships and terminals. STS cranes are typically located at container terminals and, compared to other port lifting equipment, they offer higher container handling speeds, playing a crucial role in increasing port throughput. Below, we will provide a detailed introduction to STS cranes, including their parts, prices, and specifications, to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of STS cranes. STS Crane Parts The STS container crane mainly consists of the main beam, front boom, rear boom, trolley running mechanism, crane travelling mechanism, lifting system, cab, and electrical and control systems. Below, I will introduce the functions of each component. How do STS Cranes Work? The STS crane is fixed on the dock rails, and the operator controls the trolley to move it above the container ship. Then, the lifting mechanism lowers, the container spreader grasps and locks onto the container, and then lifts it. The operator controls the trolley’s lateral movement to transfer goods between the ship…
RTG Crane, also known as rubber tyred gantry cranes, are gantry cranes that rely on tires to move freely across the yard surface. It is mainly used for container loading and unloading, stacking, transshipment, and other tasks in environments such as ports or railway material hubs. Their core features lie in their maneuverability and efficient yard space utilization, making them an ideal solution for container terminals and logistics yards. Next, this article will delve into the definition, price, and parts of RTG crane to help you better understand the rubber tyred gantry crane. What Is A Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane (RTG for short) is a kind of special lifting equipment dedicated to stacking operations in container yards. The RTG crane excels in material handling. With a lifting capacity of up to 70 tons and a span of 23.47-26 meters, it can stack six containers. It uses rubber tires as its walking device, does not require laying rail tracks on the ground, and can also move freely inside the material yard, which effectively reduces the customer’s construction…
Port cranes are the backbone of global maritime trade, handling millions of containers and bulk cargo daily at ports worldwide. Whether you are upgrading existing port infrastructure, constructing new terminals, or evaluating different types of cranes used in ports, this article provides valuable reference information. This comprehensive guide provides terminal operators, port authorities, and procurement professionals with detailed insights into cranes for ports. You’ll learn about different port crane types, operational capabilities, pricing considerations, and selection criteria that ensure your equipment investment delivers maximum throughput and ROI. How Do Port Cranes Work? The basic working principle of a port crane is to use an electric motor-driven wire rope to lift cargo. The trolley moves horizontally along the bridge or boom, positioning the cargo on the working span. Modern port cranes are equipped with advanced control systems that enable precise load positioning, anti-sway technology, and automated container loading and unloading. Operators work in a well-ventilated, enclosed cab with excellent visibility. Sophisticated sensors monitor load weight, position, and structural stress to ensure safe operation. Power systems typically utilize shore-based electrical supply, eliminating…
In the port and logistics industry, choosing the right container handling equipment is essential for improving yard efficiency, reducing operating costs, and supporting long-term growth. Among the many container lifting solutions, RTG crane vs RMG crane are the preferred lifting systems for container yards. Although both serve the same purpose, lifting, transporting, and stacking containers, their structure, mobility, price, cost, and operating mode performance are different. Understanding these differences helps users select equipment that meets their operational needs for terminals, inland ports, logistics centers, and railway freight stations. Next, this article provides a comparison of the RTG crane vs RMG crane to help you make a smarter and more cost-effective decision. What is an RTG Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane? An RTG crane, also known as rubber tyred gantry crane, has rubber-tired running mechanisms, offering high flexibility and mobility. Users can control them to move to various areas within a storage yard. Operators control RTG cranes to complete container loading, unloading, stacking, and transfer operations. Currently, users can choose from diesel engine RTG cranes, hydraulic hybrid RTG cranes, and electric RTG…
When deciding between an RTG crane vs container straddle carrier, purchasers should focus on the differences in the functional characteristics of these two types of equipment rather than on throughput. RTG rubber tyred gantry cranes are suitable for container terminals with high stacking densities, while container straddle carriers are suitable for terminals that require the ability to access any container at any time. This guide aims to help decision-makers determine which crane system can minimize the total number of container moves per hour, given the terminal’s actual stacking ratio and truck arrival patterns. The goal is to assist terminal operators in selecting the most suitable container handling equipment. VOITTO Crane is committed to providing users with valuable guidance. What is RTG Crane? An RTG (Rubber-Tired Gantry Crane) is a specialized piece of lifting equipment designed specifically for container yard stacking operations. With a lifting capacity of up to 70 metric tons and a span ranging from 23.47 to 26 meters, it can stack containers up to six layers high or higher. It uses tires as its means of travel, eliminating…
Currently, global port development is gradually moving towards green and intelligent solutions. RTG cranes are also undergoing continuous upgrades. Compared with traditional diesel-powered systems, an electric RTG crane is slowly becoming the preferred solution for modern ports. An Electric RTG crane retains the advantages of flexible operation while using electricity as their primary power source, which can significantly reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. Next, this article will systematically explain electric RTG cranes from the perspectives of their working principles, performance characteristics, and total life cycle costs. It will also compare them with diesel and Hybrid RTG cranes to help you clearly understand the technical logic and application value behind different power solutions. What is an Electric RTG Crane？ The electric RTG crane (Electric Rubber Tyred Gantry crane) uses electricity as its primary power source and is used in ports and container yards. It is powered by a cable reel or a sliding contact line system, replacing traditional diesel generators, thus achieving zero exhaust emissions, low energy consumption, and high efficiency in container handling and stacking operations. Working Principle of…
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