Port Crane Cabins for STS, RTG and Mobile Harbour Cranes

Ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes

On an STS crane the cabin hangs below the trolley and travels with it, out over the ship and back to the quay, many times an hour. The operator looks almost straight down between their feet to place the spreader on the container, so the floor glass and the lower front window are the most important part of the cabin. They need a clear view of the spreader, the cell guides in the hold and the lane on the quay below.

Because the cabin moves with the trolley, every acceleration and stop reaches the operator. A rigid connection to the trolley, a seat and console set up for a long shift looking down, and controls in the armrests reduce strain. The cabin also sits high in the wind and the rain, so the sealing, the wipers on the floor and front glass and the drainage are part of the design, not accessories.

Rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes

An RTG crane works the container stacks in the yard. Its cabin is usually on the trolley as well, and the operator looks down past the stack onto the truck and the containers below. Rows of containers on both sides and trucks passing underneath make the side and floor view as important as the front.

RTGs are often diesel or hybrid powered and move between blocks, so vibration and noise reach the cabin from the power unit and the gantry travel. Insulated panels, vibration-damped mounting and a climate unit sized for a full day in sun or cold keep the operator alert.

Mobile harbour cranes and hi-up cabins

A mobile harbour crane stands on the quay and lifts over the ship's side, often with a grab or a hook rather than a spreader. Seen from a cabin close to the quay, the hold disappears behind the hull. That is why mobile harbour cranes and material handlers in ports often carry the cabin high up on the tower or on a raised structure: a hi-up cabin.

A hi-up cabin, also called an elevated cabin, puts the operator at a height from which they can see over the ship's side into the hold and down onto the quay. The height and position come from the crane and the ships it serves. With the cabin high up, the ladder or stairs, the platform at the door and the escape route need as much attention as the cabin itself, and the cabin and its mounting must carry the wind loads that the crane designer specifies.

We build hi-up cabins to order for the position your crane maker or your terminal specifies.

View, glass and guards

Every port crane cabin is designed around one question: where must the operator look? On STS and RTG cranes that is mainly down; on mobile harbour cranes it is over the ship's side and into the hold. The answer decides the shape of the cabin, the size and angle of the front and floor glass, and where the seat and the console go.

• Laminated safety glass with wipers and washers on every window the operator works through, the floor window included.
• Guard grilles over the floor glass and, on grab and bulk cranes, bars in front of the windows where material or loads pass close.
• A sun visor or tinted glass against glare from the water and the sky.
• Heated glass or strong air flow inside to keep the glass clear in rain, fog and frost.

Salt air, climate and noise

Port cranes work outdoors close to salt water, often in three shifts. The coating system should follow ISO 12944 category C5 for coastal and port sites, with the durability class you need; stainless or galvanised fittings, sealed cable entries and drain points add years to the cabin. Inside, a crane air conditioner that both cools and heats keeps the cabin usable in summer and winter, and a slight overpressure with filtered air keeps salt and dust out.

Offshore platforms and FPSOs need more than a port does; the guide to offshore and FPSO crane cabins covers them.

• Offshore and FPSO Crane Cabins: What the Marine Environment Demands →

New cranes and cabin replacements

Many terminals renew the cabins of existing STS and RTG cranes during a modernisation, when the old cabin is worn or no longer meets the operators' needs. The new cabin is built to the existing suspension points, cable connections and access, or to an adapter frame, so the crane needs as little change as possible. Send drawings or photos of the existing cabin and its connection to the trolley or the tower, and we design the new cabin around them.

KRANHAUSS port crane cabins

Our marine cabins are the starting point for port cranes: Marine Type 1, with a sun visor, an outside ladder and a platform, for ship-to-shore and harbour cranes; Marine Type 2, with guards over the roof and the glass, for grab and bulk handling cranes; and Marine Type 3, a compact side-hung cabin, for cranes where the cabin hangs from the structure. Like all our cabins they are built to order: dimensions, glass, insulation, coating system, climate unit and control station follow your crane and your port.

• OperCab Marine 1 →
• OperCab Marine 2 →
• OperCab Marine 3 →

What to send us

• Crane type and maker: STS, RTG, mobile harbour crane or another type; a new crane or an existing one.
• Cabin position: on the trolley, on the tower (hi-up) or fixed, with drawings of the mounting interface.
• What the operator must see: spreader, hold, stack, truck lane or quay.
• Site climate: lowest and highest temperatures, humidity, salt exposure.
• Power supply for the climate unit and the cabin electrics.
• Coating specification or corrosion category, and the colour.
• Controls: the crane maker's console, or our control station and seat.
• Number of cabins and the delivery schedule.

Frequently asked questions