Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Jun 21, 2012 3:36PM EDT
Four super-post-Panamax cranes have been delivered to Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal, where they are scheduled to begin operation in September at the terminal’s new 50-foot-deep berth.
The cranes arrived on the Zhen Hua 13, which left China in April. The vessel anchored south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge last week while the cranes’ booms were lowered to fit under the Chesapeake and Francis Scott Key bridges.
The new cranes stand 400 feet tall with the boom up and can reach across 22 rows of containers and lift 187,300 pounds. The cranes are electric-powered. Each weighs about 1,550 metric tons and is tall enough to clear a 14-story building.
Seagirt, the port’s primary container terminal, currently has seven post-Panamax cranes that can reach across 18 containers on a ship.
Construction of the new berth at Seagirt was completed earlier this year. The new cranes and 50-foot berth are key elements of the 50-year agreement signed in 2010 between the Maryland Port Administration and Ports America Chesapeake.
Under the agreement, Ports America is operating the 200-acre terminal and investing in infrastructure improvements, including the new berth and cranes.
Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephbonney.
