Many wharves have nonlinear berths that meet at a corner. It is often economical to share cranes between these berths. To share, cranes must transfer between them. Transfer methods range from shuttle systems that move the cranes between the berths to curved rails that the cranes gantry on. Recently, the most popular method has been the curved rail. This seemingly simple method is actually complicated to design and has many options for the owner. Larger curve radii use up valuable yard space. Smaller radii may require a side shift mechanism in the gantry system to accommodate gage change. Extending straight rails to the corner requires switches and a power transfer method.
Liftech assisted with the wharf design for a 900-foot berth extension. As subconsultant to Sverdrup, Liftech designed the curved rail, switches, and frogs to enable crane transfer between adjacent perpendicular wharves.
Reference:
Sverdrup Civil, Inc.
Edison, New Jersey, USA