Cranes on the move

PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia and MIAMI, Floria—Two North American ports are adding cranes to their infrastructure.

The Port of Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal received its super post-Panamax crane this week. The crane, which has a 22-container-wide reach and weighs over 1,800 tonnes, was manufactured in by ZPMC in Shanghai, China, and was shipped to the port on the cargo vessel Zheng Hua 11. Once installed, it will be the port’s fourth operating crane. It is scheduled to be off loaded today and the public viewing area will be open, so anybody who wants to watch the process is welcomed at the terminal.

“The arrival of a fourth crane for our container operations will further enhance our ability to quickly and efficiently turn around container vessels at Fairview Terminal. It will add to our already very strong vessel production of 31-plus moves per crane hour” said Mark Schepp, senior vice-president of Maher Terminals, which operates the terminal. “This further underscores the commitment of Maher Terminals to our steamship line customers and the Port of Prince Rupert.”

PortMiami also has crane installations scheduled, but they won’t happen until later in the year, as its cranes are still in the process of being delivered.

The port has purchased four super post-Panamax cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Shanghai, China. Like the Fairview crane, these electric cranes also have a 22-container-wide reach, and will operate up to nine containers high above deck and eleven containers below deck. They are scheduled to arrive at port in September, and once they’re installed, PortMiami will have six operating super post-Panamax cranes.

The installation of the cranes is part of $2 billion dollars’ worth of upgrades at the port. Other improvements include deepening the main channel to 15m (50ft), adding a new on-dock rail and completing the port tunnel.