GPA commissions new STS crane

The Port of Savannah’s Garden City terminal received the first of four new neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, and the remaining three will arrive by late April.    The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) commissioned the first of four new neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes at the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal, the port authority said Wednesday.
   The cranes, designed by Konecranes of Finland, can work the largest ships calling the U.S. East Coast, and can lift 65 long tons to a height of 152 feet above the dock.
   In regards to the remaining three cranes ordered, GPA said the Garden City Terminal will add one crane every two weeks until late April, resulting in the terminal having 20 neo-Panamax cranes and six post-Panamax cranes.
   Looking ahead, another four neo-Panamax cranes are on order and will be commissioned in 2018.
   “Expanding our capabilities means we are able to grow along with our customers, and adjust to changes in the logistics marketplace, such as increasing vessel sizes,” GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy said.
   In regards to growth, GPA said Monday its terminals handled 330,539 TEUs in February, 7.7 percent more than in February 2016, but measured by weight, overall throughput surged 14.4 percent year-over-year to over 2.5 million tons.