Oakland modifying four cranes to handle larger containerships

The Northern California port expects to begin work in April on a project to raise cranes so they can accommodate vessels with capacity for up to 14,000 TEUs.    The Port of Oakland will modify four gantry cranes so they can work larger ships, according to a statement from the Northern California port.
   The port will raise the 13-year-old cranes ships 26 feet so they are able to reach 141 feet above the dock and have the necessary height to load and unload vessels with capacity up to 14,000 TEUs, currently the largest containerships calling in the U.S.
   The $13.95 million project is scheduled to begin in April. The cranes will be supported by jacking frames while their legs are cut away and replaced with new, longer ones. The legs will be fabricated by Shanghai-based ZPMC, manufacturer of the cranes. The port said it will take 10-to-12 weeks to lift each crane.
   Oakland’s cranes can lift as much as 65 tons of containerized cargo. Once they’re heightened, they’ll be able to reach three rows of containers higher on a ship.
   There are 33 cranes at the port’s five marine terminals. Eight of them are tall enough to reach atop the biggest ships in Oakland, and the port said it’s lifting additional cranes with an eye toward the future of global trade.