Backreach

Backreach is the horizontal distance a ship-to-shore crane’s boom and trolley can travel landward of the waterside crane rail, measured from that rail to the back of the trolley path. It sets how many container rows the STS can serve on the quay apron behind itself, typically 15 to 25 meters, used to stage boxes, pass to yard equipment, or clear a hatch cover. Backreach pairs with outreach, the seaward dimension over the ship, and with the rail gauge to define the crane’s working envelope and the rail-load footprint the quay structure must carry. A longer backreach widens the buffer between quay crane and yard but raises crane dead weight and wheel loads.