JAXPORT takes delivery of new cranes for bigger ships

The three new super post-Panamax cranes arrived Friday aboard the Zhen Hua 14 and are scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of the year.    JAXPORT on Friday took delivery of three super post-Panamax cranes as part of a project to upgrade infrastructure to handle bigger next-generation container vessels that carriers are deploying for better economies of scale.
   The South Atlantic port is engaged in an arms race with other East and Gulf Coast ports to right-size facilities in hopes of securing business from 8,000 to 14,000-TEU vessels from Asia that are able to take advantage of the recent widening of the Panama Canal.
   Larger vessels are also coming to the United States via the Suez Canal. Carriers are expected to streamline the number of port calls made by these vessels, concentrating cargo in fewer locations.
   The new electric cranes have a reach of 22 containers across and will be erected at the Blount Island Terminal, which is undergoing a series of upgrades. Improvements include the installation of a high-voltage electrical system to power the cranes.
   The cranes are scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of the year.
   The Jacksonville Port Authority purchased the cranes for $37.6 million from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, Co. Ltd. (ZMPC).
   The Florida Department of Transportation awarded JAXPORT a $15 million grant toward the purchase.
   Earlier this month, the Port of Charleston received two super post-Panamax cranes from ZMPC. The Port of Houston took delivery of four super post-Panamax cranes in May 2015 from Konecranes, while just last month, a terminal at the Port of Philadelphia ordered two super post-Panamax cranes from ZPMC.
   In addition, PortMiami invested in six big cranes to coincide with the deepening of its harbor to 50-feet a year ago.