CP&A Delivers Design Reviews for Ongoing Crane Procurement Contracts
- CP&A Staff
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Key Highlights
CP&A complete a marathon of design reviews for the Adani Group
Cranes involved are Ship to Shore Container Cranes, Rubber Tire Gantry Cranes, and Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes.
Over 10 unique crane models will be delivered to CWIT, Mundra, Vizhinjam, and Kandla ports.
CP&A worked with multiple manufactueres; Sany, Qingdao Haixi Heavy-duty Machinery Co., Ltd. (HHMC), Wuxi Huadong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. (HDHM), and ZPMC
Casper, Phillips & Associates Inc. (CP&A) has completed the latest round of design reviews on a series of cranes for Adani Group, as Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) takes delivery of two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
CWIT Megamax STS Cranes
The cranes, manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC), are the most recent deliveries to undergo CP&A’s design review process as part of a long-term crane procurement support involving Adani Group.
“The CWIT cranes are impressive; they are the biggest in the South Asia region,” said Richard Phillips, mechanical engineer at CP&A. “The 74m outreach makes them capable of servicing bigger than Megamax container vessels, and they are among the region’s tallest electric STS cranes.”
Notably, the cranes have been designed for storm wind speeds above Sri Lanka’s local environment requirements. This provides an additional safety margin for adverse weather conditions and enables the same design philosophy to be considered for terminals exposed to more severe storm environments. The cranes are equipped with advanced automation features and are designed to support remote operation aligned with the project’s technical specifications.
Megamax container vessels, often abbreviated MGX, are among the largest classes of container ships currently operating. They are ultra-large container vessels designed to carry approximately 18,000 to more than 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), supporting economies of scale on major deep-sea shipping routes. CWIT is positioned as a modern container terminal supporting the growing trade and logistics needs of Sri Lanka and the surrounding region.
As is typically the case, the design review began after the OEM submitted drawings and calculations. CP&A carried out an independent review and issued technical comments for discussion. A subsequent design review meeting was held to align on responses and confirm how the design would satisfy the technical specifications. CP&A then reviewed the final drawings to verify that agreed actions had been addressed.
Phillips explained: “We typically become involved at approximately the 90% design milestone of a crane project. Our role begins with a detailed design review to verify that the crane conforms to the specified technical requirements. The review process is collaborative, and in many cases we are able to identify practical refinements that support compliance and performance. These may include targeted strengthening, connection improvements, or other design adjustments to ensure the required performance criteria are achieved.
“While our recommendations are frequently adopted by the OEM, we also recognize that there may be alternative engineering solutions that achieve the same outcome. For example, we may recommend increasing a pin diameter from 180mm to 200mm, while the OEM may prefer to use a higher-grade steel with greater material strength. Provided the alternative solution satisfies the requirements of the technical specification, it remains an acceptable approach.”
With the two STS cranes safely delivered to CWIT and a further four STS cranes at an advanced stage of delivery, Adani’s crane procurement program continues to gather momentum across its port portfolio in India. A further nine crane procurement projects are progressing, covering STS, rubber-tired gantry (RTG) and rail-mounted gantry (RMG) crane packages with established international OEMs, while CP&A continues to support design review activities across multiple programs.
Key project highlights:
Kandla, Gujarat: A further set of STS cranes, designed and built by Qingdao Haixi Heavy-duty Machinery Co., Ltd. (HHMC), planned for Adani’s Kandla port.
Mundra mega port: CP&A has repeated the design review process for three separate sets of Sany STS cranes and RTGs, destined for berths T3, CT3 and CT5.
Vizhinjam International Seaport: Additional Sany cranes reviewed by CP&A are planned for delivery to support the terminal’s ongoing development. This is also one of the biggest cranes in India, in terms of height and boom reach.
RMG packages: Wuxi Huadong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. (HDHM) RMGs are also progressing for Mundra and Vizhinjam respectively.
Design Review
Phillips referred to design reviews as “design insurance”. “There are also other things we identify,” he continued. “For example, a design review can identify interface issues before fabrication begins. While such items would often be discovered and corrected later by the manufacturer, identifying them early helps reduce field changes and schedule risk. Perhaps the greatest value of the review process lies in identifying potential issues before manufacture begins.”
A good design review is not only about identifying items requiring clarification or refinement. It can also uncover opportunities to improve performance, manufacturability, maintainability, safety, cost and lifecycle value. CP&A provides practical engineering input alongside review comments to support efficient resolution of technical matters and keep projects moving forward. Organizations with experience in both crane design and independent design review recognize the challenges faced on both sides of the table, allowing recommendations to be framed in a practical, commercially realistic and technically robust manner.
Phillips added: “Cranes are an integrated system of structural, mechanical and electrical components, meaning an improvement in one discipline can often deliver benefits across another. This holistic approach enables design decisions to be assessed not only in isolation, but for their impact on the performance, constructability and maintainability of the crane as a whole. For the design review process, specialized software has significantly reduced the time required to analyze the crane system without compromising technical rigor. This is particularly important on projects with demanding delivery schedules, where timely technical review supports disciplined project execution.”
A successful design review creates value for every party involved in a crane project. The OEM gains greater confidence that the design satisfies the technical specification; the independent reviewer contributes specialist engineering insight; and the project team reduces the risk of costly changes later in the program. The greatest long-term benefit, however, rests with the crane owner. Once the project is completed, the owner must live with the consequences of the design throughout the crane’s service life. For this reason, all stakeholders ultimately share the same objective: to deliver a crane that operates safely, reliably and efficiently over the long term.
The engagement also reflects Adani’s emphasis on robust engineering governance, lifecycle reliability and safe long-term port operations, supported by structured technical review processes across major equipment procurement programs.
Many of the decisions made during a design review will never be visible once the crane is commissioned, yet they often prove to be the most important. Structural details that improve fatigue performance, the sizing of key members and the selection of mechanical and electrical components all influence how the crane performs over decades of operation. Equally significant are the seemingly minor design details that can easily be overlooked but have a disproportionate impact on reliability, maintenance and availability.
Case Study
Phillips said: “An investigation unrelated to Adani Group illustrates the point. A crane was experiencing poor trolley rope life because an excessive catenary allowed the rope to oscillate and strike the structure during operation. The problem was ultimately resolved by installing support rollers to reduce the catenary length to accepted industry practice, but the modification came only after avoidable downtime and additional cost. The example reinforces that the greatest value of a design review is not simply identifying problems but recognizing opportunities to improve the design while change is still straightforward, ultimately delivering better outcomes for the OEM, the crane owner and the project as a whole.” Note: CP&A did not perform a peer review for these cranes.
