Double the number of lifting hooks can be placed over the container ship when compared to a conventional system. Each COFASTRANS portal crane has 4 lifting hooks, running on 2 beams and operating simultaneously. Conventional Ship-to-Shore cranes contain just one hook, and the development of tandem-lift systems is equally applicable to portal cranes. It is expected that 3 or 4 COFASTRANS cranes will be deployed on a given berth, compared with a maximum of 8 conventional cranes. As such, COFASTRANS can place 16 hooks above the vessel, while the conventional approach is limited to 8. This enables a significantly higher loading rate, while placing less strain on the machinery.