---
title: "Case Study: Yuzhong Crane Supports Southeast Asian Port Expansion"
url: https://yzcranes.com/case-study-yuzhong-crane-supports-southeast-asian-port-expansion/
date: 2026-08-16
modified: 2026-08-10
lang: en
author: "liudatou"
description: "The port was running out of room. Container traffic had climbed past what the existing crane fleet could handle, and the terminal was starting to lose bids to rival facilities..."
categories:
  - "Uncategorized"
image: https://yzcranes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/通用门式产品图-768x576-3.jpg
word_count: 798
---

# Case Study: Yuzhong Crane Supports Southeast Asian Port Expansion

The port was running out of room. Container traffic had climbed past what the existing crane fleet could handle, and the terminal was starting to lose bids to rival facilities down the coast. So the port authority did what any operator would do — they looked for a crane supplier who could deliver heavy-duty gantry equipment fast, tough enough to survive tropical marine conditions, and sized right for the expansion they had planned.

That supplier turned out to be Yuzhong. What followed was a custom MG series build — four cranes, engineered, manufactured, and commissioned on a schedule that left zero margin for error.

## The Challenge

Five years of steady cargo growth had pushed annual throughput past 1.2 million TEU. The original crane fleet was never built for that kind of volume. Downtime crept up. Maintenance bills spiked. Vessels sat at berth longer than they should have.

Then there was the climate. Salt-laden air, humidity that never drops below 80 percent, and rainstorms that come without warning. Steel structures corroded fast. Electrical cabinets pitted. Previous cranes needed recoating every two or three years — which meant taking them offline, blasting, priming, painting. Unplanned expense. Unplanned downtime. Nobody liked it.

But the real pressure? The deadline. The port authority had set a hard date: the new cranes had to be lifting containers before peak season hit. Miss that window and the port risked losing two major shipping line contracts to a competing terminal 200 kilometers down the coast. Speed, durability, and lifting performance — all three, at the same time.

## Yuzhong's Solution

Yuzhong started by sending engineers on-site. They walked the quay. Measured the rail gauge. Checked the maximum vessel draft. Pored over the port's five-year growth projections. The design that came back was built around three hard numbers: 50-ton capacity, 40-meter span, four units to cover the expanded berth.

The corrosion question got a serious answer. Each crane was coated with a C5-M marine-grade system — the top tier under ISO 12944 for coastal and offshore use. Zinc-rich primer first, then epoxy intermediate coats, finished with a polyurethane topcoat. The spec calls for up to 15 years of protection before any major recoating. That compared to the two-to-three-year cycle the port had been stuck in. A big jump.

Container handling got an upgrade too. The cranes were fitted with 35-ton telescopic spreaders that handle both 20-foot and 40-foot ISO boxes. Twist-lock mechanisms with built-in sensors feed real-time load data back to the operator cab — so the crane operator always knows exactly what the rig is carrying.

Siemens motors. SKF bearings. Every hoist and travel mechanism. Variable frequency drives on all motions for smooth starts and spot-on container positioning. The port's maintenance team liked this choice — those parts are easy to source almost anywhere in the world.

## Delivery & Installation

Drawing sign-off happened on a Friday. Production started Monday.

Yuzhong cleared a dedicated assembly line at its Changyuan, Henan facility. Four cranes. Fourteen weeks from drawing approval to factory acceptance test. Every unit was run through full load testing before being broken down for shipping.

Heavy-lift vessel from the Chinese port to the project site — 18 days at sea, no transshipment needed because the logistics team planned the stowage around the crane module dimensions. When the containers hit the dock, pre-assembled modular sections meant the on-site crew could bolt things together quickly.

Six Yuzhong field engineers flew in for installation. Three weeks of erection, wiring, load testing, and integration with the port's terminal operating system. The final acceptance test ran 72 straight hours under full duty-cycle conditions. Zero faults.

## Results

The numbers tell the story. Annual throughput capacity jumped from 1.2 million TEU to roughly 1.7 million — over 40 percent more. Vessel turnaround dropped by 18 percent on average. Two new weekly container services signed on within six months.

The port's operations manager put it plainly: "We needed cranes that could handle bigger loads, survive this climate, and show up on time. Yuzhong checked every box."

More than a year in, the cranes are running clean. The C5-M coating still looks fresh — no rust staining, no blistering. Scheduled maintenance has stayed inside planned windows. The port authority is already talking to Yuzhong about a second-phase expansion.

## About Yuzhong

Henan Yuzhong Crane Group, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Changyuan, Henan, has grown into one of China's leading crane manufacturers over 48 years of continuous operation. The company produces a full range of gantry cranes from 5 to 500 tons and exports to more than 120 countries worldwide. All products carry ISO, FEM, ASME, and CE certifications. Yuzhong can deliver custom engineering drawings within 24 hours and equips every crane with Siemens motors, SKF bearings, and marine-grade corrosion protection as standard. Learn more at .

---

---