Method for transferring standardized containers between a container ship and a quay, using harbor cranes such as a gantry crane, wherein during the entire maneuver, the longitudinal axes of the containers are perpendicular to the edge of the quay. In order to carry out said method, two items are used: a container ship where the standardized containers are arranged with the longitudinal axes thereof orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the ship, and a harbor crane such as a gantry crane used to transfer standardized containers in a position such that the longitudinal axes thereof are orthogonal to the edge of the quay; this allows the gap between legs of the crane to be smaller than that of current cranes as said gap depends on the arrangement of the container as it passes therethrough; thus, a higher number of cranes can operate on the same ship of the same length.