On November 5, the 1,600-ton gantry crane of the Saudi King's Port project undertaken by SEPCO successfully completed its load test and obtained a qualification certificate from a third-party inspection agency. With this, the installation and commissioning of the project's four extra-large gantry cranes were fully concluded, marking the smooth achievement of mechanical completion for the project's 487 JV equipment items.

Four single-girder, heavy-tonnage, long-span gantry cranes were designed and installed at Dry Docks No. 4 and No. 5 of the Saudi King's Port project. They are mainly used for lifting large components such as hull sections and boarding towers, and are the largest single units and highest-value core equipment of the project. Dry Dock No. 4 is equipped with one 1,600-ton and one 500-ton giant gantry crane; the 1,600-ton gantry crane has a net lifting height of 113.5 meters, ranking first in the world, with a combined lifting capacity of 2,100 tons, placing it among the world's leaders. Dry Dock No. 5 is equipped with two 500-ton gantry cranes, each with a net lifting height of 83 meters.

During the transportation of the extra-large gantry crane equipment, addressing the challenges of oversized, over-height, over-width and overweight components, SEPCO adjusted its plans multiple times and actively coordinated with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Railways, Royal Commission, Ras Al Khair Port and other authorities, properly resolving differences among the parties on safety issues related to transport through the port. To ensure the installation quality of the gantry cranes, PowerChina and SEPCO listed the work as a major scientific and technological research topic, established a safety and technical support leading group and a dedicated task force, and organized domestic and international technical experts to conduct multiple rounds of discussion, verification and simulation of the lifting scheme, technical measures and safety assurance measures in light of Middle East geological conditions, high temperatures, wind effects and other factors. Ultimately, by adopting a scheme using giant tower frames and a computer-controlled hydraulic system, the lifting and installation operations achieved fully automatic synchronous lifting and lowering, load balancing, attitude correction, stress control and fault alarms, keeping the process controllable and under control. Since the installation of the 1,600-ton gantry crane began on November 5, 2023, the SEPCO project team confronted challenges including high construction difficulty, high technical difficulty and high safety risks, and over more than 320 days successfully completed the installation of the four extra-large gantry cranes, with errors in key parameters such as overall dimensions, girder offset, elevation and trolley diagonal all kept within technical specifications. During the commissioning of the gantry cranes, facing difficulties such as the challenging load test and complex coordination work, the project team independently designed the load platform and continuously optimized the commissioning plan while ensuring safety. Through 50%, 80% and 100% rated load tests and a 125% static load test, the electrical control systems of the four giant gantry cranes proved reliable, accurate and flexible, with smooth operation of lifting, lowering, traveling and braking. The high-quality installation and commissioning won high recognition from Saudi Aramco.

The Saudi King's Port project is an important part of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" and is mainly engaged in the manufacturing, maintenance and repair of ships and drilling platforms, as well as the overhaul and construction of supertankers. The project not only boasts the world's largest ship lift system, the longest quay and a combined lifting capacity among the world's leaders, but also, with its enormous scale, advanced facilities and strong production capacity, has become the world's largest "super shipyard." As of early November 2025, the project's overall EPC progress stood at 99.01%.