PSA Antwerp welcomes five new mega ship-to-shore cranes as project Emerald reaches major mile

PSA Antwerp this week marked a significant milestone in its Project Emerald modernization programme with the arrival of five new mega ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at Europa Terminal. 

Purpose-built to handle the world’s largest container vessels and to meet the evolving demands of global trade, the new cranes are the largest STS cranes ever ordered for the Port of Antwerp. Their arrival marks a major step forward in preparing the Europa Terminal for the next generation of ultra-large container ships.

 Once installed, the new STS cranes will stand 52 metres high and feature an outreach of 71.8 metres, enabling them to handle vessels up to 26 containers wide. With a dual-hoist lifting capacity of up to 112 tonnes, the cranes will significantly increase operational efficiency, berth productivity, and service reliability for PSA Antwerp’s customers.

The cranes form a core component of Project Emerald, directly supporting Europa Terminal’s transformation, a joint project of PSA Antwerp and Port of Antwerp-Bruges, to accommodate next-generation container vessels.

The cranes feature state-of-the-art safety and operational technologies, including advanced anti-sway systems, remote diagnostics, high-precision controls, and integrated digital monitoring. Crane operators will benefit from ergonomically designed cabins and have access to another virtual reality-enabled training environment, which will support continuous skills development while further enhancing safety and operational performance. 

The cranes are also equipped with integrated lashing platforms, allowing all coning and deconing activities to take place safely on an elevated platform. This creates a clear segregation between the lashing teams and traffic movements on the terminal, significantly improving safety and reducing ground-level operational risk.

Aligned with PSA’s global sustainability agenda, the new cranes feature energy-efficient electric drives, regenerative power systems, and smart-grid compatibility. These innovations reduce overall energy consumption and emissions during vessel handling, supporting more efficient and sustainable port operations.

 The arrival of the cranes marks a key step in Phase 1 of Project Emerald. The project combines major infrastructure upgrades, including deepening, reorienting, and extending the quay wall by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, with new technology and sustainability measures.

Edward Tah, Managing Director of PSA Belgium, said: “This milestone reflects our long-term commitment to Antwerp as a strategic gateway and our drive for nodal excellence in strengthening PSA’s global network of port ecosystems. Project Emerald will increase the capacity for Europa Terminal by 800,000 TEUs per annum, and significantly enhance the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of our operations, for the benefit of our customers.”

Johan Klaps, chairman of Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Antwerp Port Alderman, said: "The arrival of these new cranes is a concrete example of how we are preparing the Europa Terminal for the future. This is essential to keep our port competitive and to be able to continue to receive the largest container ships smoothly and safely in the future. Work on the new quay wall is in full swing and we are preparing for the start of the first operations at the renovated quay section."

Once all cranes are safely offloaded, a thorough programme of assembly, testing, and safety checks will follow. Subject to progress as planned, the cranes are expected to be operational in the second half of 2026.